The Importance of Family Dinners

What can Greg Popovich head coach of the San Antonio Spurs and 5 time NBA champion teach you about the importance of family dinners? Turns out quite a bit!

ESPN did a wonderful story on Pop and his family dinners. Read the ESPN Article then come back for the rest of the article.

Are you sitting down each week at least three times or more to eat as a family? I know your kids have soccer and baseball practice and games, and you and your wife are busy. Believe me I have lived it, and heard the excuses.

Great men know that sharing a family meal is good for the spirit and health of all family members. This means no television and no cell phones during family meals. This is a time to relax, catch up and have some time together as a family.

Have little kids? Maybe you cannot be a sommelier like Popovich, but what if you served the kids a juice tasting instead of a wine tasting? Making it fun! Describe the juice like the sommelier would make it a memorable meal for your kids. Let them vote on their favorites.

Men are you cooking meals for your family? If the answer is no why not? If you lack cooking skills then grab a giant pizza from Aldi, a pre-made salad or two and boom easy dinner. Is your excuse that you are to busy? One word, crock-pot.

Crock-pots are awesome if you are busy. Throw in a beef or pork roast or a chicken, put some veggies in turn it on low and dinner is ready when you come home!

To have good family dinner time you do not have to slave away for hours cooking a fancy meal. If your kids are younger you might even have them help you make dinner.

How long does it take to make spaghetti and pre-made meatballs? You could have a dinner for 4-6 people of spaghetti, meat balls, salad, and garlic bread made from start to finish in under 30 minutes!

Me I love to cook so I slice up and saute zucchini, red peppers, mushrooms and onions and use it to replace some of my pasta to make it healthier.

Another tip is to cook some extra food on the weekend for meals during the week. If you are making a casserole or lasagna, make a second one and freeze it for future use. Meal planning based on your weekly schedule can make week night meals less hectic.

Some of the benefits of family dinners are:

• Family meals provide an opportunity for the family to come together.

• One study showed that children who regularly had family meals were less likely to experience symptoms of depression and less likely to use drugs.

• Children that have more family meals together in a week (5-7) were shown to have better grades.

• It’s cheaper! Some estimates that a household can save $20-$40 a week per person by simply eating at home.

• It is healthier as family meals are more nutritious and families eating together are twice as likely to eat their five servings of fruits and veggies.

Family dinners do not have to be just dinner. How about a big breakfast on the weekends? What a great opportunity for the family to come together before the busyness of the weekend begins.

Kids love pancakes and waffles. Have fun, get them involved and spend more quality time with your family around the dinner table.

Do you want your legacy to be the fast food drive through or that the family made spending time breaking bread together a priority?