Education :: February/March 2007
Regular Family Dinners are the Best Recipe for Your Kids
The results are in and the experts all agree! To raise healthy, happy kids, follow these simple steps: Set out the plates. Serve up a nutritious hot meal. Turn off the TV, cell phone and iPod. Sit together as a family. Give each other your full attention. Eat. Talk. Listen. Repeat on a regular basis.
Sounds a lot like dinner? It is! Listen to what the experts have to say:
•“More meal time with the family was the single strongest predictor of better achievement scores and fewer behavioral problems—even better than time spent studying or in church,” according to a University of Michigan study of children ages 3 through 12.
•According to the Journal of Adolescent Medicine, “study after study finds that kids who eat dinner with their families regularly are better students, healthier people, and less likely to smoke, drink and use drugs than those who don’t.”
•Kids who regularly eat dinner with their families are MORE LIKELY: to have lower levels of tension and stress at home; to say that their parents are proud of them; to say they can confide in their parents; to get better grades at school; to be emotionally content and have positive peer relationships.
A regular family dinner hour is worth the effort.
Regular family dinners communicate to your children, “I like your company” and especially to teens, “It matters to me that you are home.” They keep us in touch with family members’ activities and life experiences. They set the stage for us to value our family relationships; not take them for granted.
So once we’ve discovered this simple, surefire recipe for raising great kids, what stands in our way? TIME. Our daily wrestling match with the clock! There are still 24 hours in a day, but they go by so fast. Even with the best intentions, it’s hard to get dinner right.
Enter Meal Prep Kitchens! Businesses like My Girlfriend’s Kitchen are popping up across America, and busy families are flocking to them in droves. Where else can you prepare twelve nutritious family-sized dinners in less than two hours without entering a grocery store, chopping or cleanup? Just make an appointment at a Meal Assembly Kitchen and let them know which dinners you want to make. Then, go to your session and have fun! You will save more than 16 hours of shopping and prep time and emerge with a freezer and fridge full of ready-to-cook dinners that you made yourself.
Suddenly regular family dinners are a lot of more possible. Which is great news for your kids’ future. And for your peace of mind.
Laura Keehan is the owner of the new My Girlfriend’s Kitchen store in Wilmington. Started in 2003 by two Girlfriends in one of their kitchens (of course) in Park City, Utah, My Girlfriend’s Kitchen is a national leader in Meal Assembly with 56 stores across the country. Laura would love to show you around the new store in Branmar Plaza, 1812 Marsh Rd., Wilmington. For more information, log onto the web at www.mgfk.com, call 302-529-1987, or email Wilmington@mgfk.com. Hope to see you in the Kitchen soon!
Testimonials:
“Hello, I just wanted to tell you all that these dinners are fantastic!
It is so great coming home from work and having a HEALTHY ready-to-go
meal. I love that I haven’t had to make a trip to the grocery store
all week! Moreover, my husband is the pickiest eater on the planet, and
he really likes all of the meals I ordered. Thanks so much!”
~Jeanette M.
“I just had to drop a little note and tell you THANKS!!!!! Your
staff is wonderful and very helpful. As I left with my basket of food,
I had such a feeling of relief! Planning menus and trying to think of
what’s for dinner will send me over the edge and now, I simply open
my freezer and take something out to defrost!!! I LOVE IT! So far, everything
we’ve tried has been delicious, and we absolutely loved the Baked
Spaghetti! Keep up the good work! I’ll definitely be back every
month! I’m a Girlfriend for LIFE!”
~ Sincerely, Janthia H.
“I saved $100 on groceries (last month) and that includes paying
for the My Girlfriend’s Kitchen session.” ~Laurie L.
