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If your weeknights are typically busy but you still want to get healthy dinners together for your family, you may be wondering what your options are. Eating meals together as a family is important for bonding, stress relief and good habit building. In fact, some evidence shows that kids from families who regularly eat together tend to do better in school! However, preparing the meals themselves can be expensive, time-consuming and exhausting. Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be that way! There are a few simple ways to have dinner together in no time, so you can skip the hours in the kitchen and get right to enjoying good food with your loved ones. For three easy tips on pulling together quick family dinners, read on.
1. Try Delivery
If you’re strapped for time, getting meals shipped right to your door could be a lifesaver. Meal delivery comes in different formats, from fully-cooked meals to pre-portioned ingredients and easy recipes you can whip up yourself, so you’re sure to find an option that works for you. If you have dietary restrictions, you’ll be happy to know that there are options for every diet, from halal food delivery to vegan and vegetarian choices.
2. Meal-Prep Ahead of Time
If you don’t mind cooking but don’t have time for it on jam-packed weeknights, consider meal prepping ahead of time. This timesaving method involves preparing large quantities of a dish at regular intervals – say, once a week – and then portioning the food out throughout the week. With meal prepping, you can cook whatever your heart desires and enjoy home-cooked food throughout the week without having to turn on the oven after a long day of work.
3. Get the Family’s Help
Finally, if you’re tired of having to put together big family dinners by yourself, try asking your family members to help out. If you have kids, this is a great way to introduce them to cooking skills and teach them about the value of doing your part in the household. When kids have helped prepare a dish, they’re more likely to try it, too – meaning this method not only saves you time but helps make dinners with picky eaters a little easier to handle!
Eating meals as a family can have countless surprising benefits, from stronger bonds with each other to healthier habits to better school performance in kids. Cooking family meals, though, doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. With these three easy tips, you can bypass the hot kitchen and get right to enjoying time with your loved ones.
