United Supermarkets’ Best Ideas for Supporting Family Meal Time

Family meals are so much more than an opportunity to eat — they are times for families to relax together, learn more about their everyday activities, and teach children important social skills.

It can also be an opportunity for adults to model healthy eating habits. In fact, something as simple as adding 10 minutes to your usual family meal routine can encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables — no nagging needed!

Here are some family meal tips from United Supermarkets Corporate Dietician Brenda Garcia and the whole team:

• Don't feel like the family meal has to be dinner. If you're busy with work or extra-curriculars, maybe you want to do Sunday brunch. Or focus on weekend meals in general.
• Family meals don't have to be intricate. You can offer fun toppings for frozen waffles, or maybe throw some pumpkin and cinnamon in pancake mix for a fall treat.
• Why not try pop-up style? Invite extended family over and ask everyone to bring a dish to share.
• Let the kids be the chef! Challenge them to plan the meal, make menus, wear aprons and special hats — anything that allows them to get involved and have fun.

For more healthy, easy meal ideas, visit Happy + Nourished, the blog from Garcia's team, or browse recipes on United Supermarkets' website. (You can filter specifically for kid-friendly meals.)