NATIONAL FAMILY MEALS MONTH GATHERS EVERYONE AROUND THE TABLE

“Dinner time! Dinner time!” The classic call for the family to come to the dinner table has been replaced by eating on the go, at the office or all alone at the house. As that happened, a critical piece of family life has been left behind – quality time around the table.

That’s why the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) is promoting National Family Meals Month™ – an initiative to have families make a commitment to have one more family meal at home a week in September.

Regular family meals are linked to many positive outcomes for kids including higher grades, healthier eating habits and weight and less risky behavior.

While it seems like it might be difficult to get a homemade meal on the table quickly, there’s a simple trick to making that happen more often – the frozen and dairy aisles! Those grocery sections are full of simple, convenient and delicious products and solutions that make family meals a snap. Plus, the time spent together in the kitchen and at the table has many benefits.

Quality Time

Foremost, the time families spend around the table is precious. It deepens relationships with family and friends, which is as good for your mental and physical health as sleep, exercise and diet¹. Meals eaten as a family also improve nutrition and emotional well-being¹.

Meals that Save Time and Hassle

You can’t beat the convenience, simplicity and time-savings of many products found in the frozen and dairy aisles. The shortcuts and easy solutions they provide make getting a family meal done quickly a breeze. This Roasted Veggies and Chicken Dinner using freezer shortcuts doesn’t get any easier.

Pre-cut fruits and vegetables. Prepared and frozen sides. Ready-to-use ingredients. The variety of time-saving products is endless – taking away hassle and headache, and letting you enjoy your family time faster.

Meal Prep is a Family Affair

By using frozen and refrigerated products, it’s easy to get kids of all ages involved in meal preparation. Young kids can help prepare frozen pre-cut vegetables and fruit that can simply be opened and placed into a container or microwaved.

Older kids can be helpful by cutting, measuring and portioning refrigerated ingredients as needed for the meal, like butter, milk and pre-made dough.

Plus, kids are more likely to eat the foods they helped prepare, so it’s a win-win all around.

Better Eating and Exploration

When the family is together, parents can model good nutrition habits, such as eating vegetables, not overeating and making sure a variety of food is served. Frozen and refrigerated foods make these habits easy to accomplish with many convenient, healthy and pre-portioned products.

When the whole family is together, parents can make it fun to start exploring new culinary cuisines and meals. It could start with a simple, non-traditional side, slowly expanding to the entire meal. The frozen aisle is full of exciting cuisines the family would enjoy trying.

Eating these types of foods will help expand kids’ horizons and encourage them to explore and be curious about new cultures and experiences.

Cultivate a tasty tradition of eating dinner together as a family with the help of the frozen and dairy aisles. One meal a week can make a world of difference!

NFRA is making it even more rewarding to get the family together. Their Fall into Savings Giveaway gives shoppers a chance to win supermarket gift cards – making family meals that much easier. Enter to win until October 3 at EasyHomeMeals.com.