January 7, 2015 marks the release of Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier Kids
About the book:
Kids need more than food. They’re starving for family dinners.
Sports, activities, long hours, and commutes — with so much to do, dinner has been bumped to the back burner.
But research shows that family dinners offer more than just nutrition. Studies have tied shared meals to increased resiliency and self-esteem in children, higher academic achievement, a healthier relationship to food, and even reduced risk of substance abuse and eating disorders.
Written by a Harvard Medical School professor and mother, Home for Dinner makes a passionate and informed plea to put mealtime back at the center of family life and supplies compelling evidence and realistic tips for getting even the busiest of families back to the table. Chock full of stories, new research, recipes, and friendly advice, the book explains how to:
- Whip up quick, healthy, and tasty dinners
- Get kids to lend a hand (without any grief)
- Adapt meals to the needs of everyone — from toddlers to teens
- Inspire picky eaters to explore new foods
- Keep dinnertime conversation stimulating
- Add an element of fun
- Reduce tension at the table
- Explore other cultures and spark curiosity about the world
- And more
Mealtime is a place to unwind and reconnect, far from the pressures of school and work. As the author notes, family therapy can be helpful, but regular dinner is transformative.
Photo Credit: Joanne Smith/Headshots Photography
My Thoughts:
As I said before I found this book quite inspiring, and want to expand on it weekly. The author is also the co-founder of The Family Dinner Project, a community website that is all about food, fun, family and bringing the conversation back to what really matters. I immediately connected with this book. I loved how it began with facts about the scientific and emotional about having a meal together. The book also explores many types of families and breaksdown information and meals for children at different levels of development. What works for a toddler isn’t going to work for a teen and vice versa. Fishel offers many doable tips on getting everyone to pitch in, dealing with time constraints and even fun table games and conversation starters. One of my favorites is using a recipe to tell a story. My boys are more willing to try something new if I tell them a story about when I was a child or when I first tried a certain item. The book also touches on areas about divorce, when a family member is ill and dealing with poor food memories from the past. It works on change. Home For Dinner also includes easy to make recipes that any family can enjoy. I truly enjoyed this read and would recommend it whether or not you already have family dinners or if you are looking for a chance to reconnect with your family.
Take a peek and try a recipe yourself:
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate my review. All thoughts belong to me.
Heather says
January 8, 2015 at 10:30 AMThis sounds like a great book. We need to make a better effort to eat home and TOGETHER more!
Christine Luken says
January 8, 2015 at 11:14 AMThis sounds like a great book for any family wanting to spend more quality time around the dinner table. When I was growing up, we ate dinner together as a family almost every night.
lisa says
January 8, 2015 at 11:54 AMWe have family dinners every night. We all sit down together and eat and discuss our days.
MommyJenna says
January 8, 2015 at 12:04 PMThis looks great. Sometimes we get stuck trying to figure out something new to enjoy.
Robin (Masshole Mommy) says
January 8, 2015 at 12:11 PMFamily dinners are so important. This sounds like something every parent should read.
Tina @ My Highest Self says
January 8, 2015 at 3:40 PMMy kids get very upset when we don’t have a family dinner, especially my son. I’m glad we do it most nights now as I did not grow up having family dinners myself.
becca says
January 8, 2015 at 6:50 PMsounds like a great book and one that most family would find useful.
Pamela :: Still Dating My Spouse says
January 8, 2015 at 8:06 PMWith my husband being a truck driver, there are some days we are not able to have dinner together.
Milena Barrett says
January 9, 2015 at 9:04 AMMy husband works far away and sometimes he can’t join us for dinner, but the kids and I eat together. IT’s hard sometimes for me to sit with them when he’s not around, but I learn so much about their day!
Liz Mays says
January 8, 2015 at 8:44 PMIt would be interesting to read about dining with family. Finding some new recipes would be nice too.
Susan says
January 8, 2015 at 8:47 PMAs a mom of 3 and a parent educator, I’m a big proponent of family dinners. Sounds like this book has some great info for families.
Mama to 5 BLessings says
January 8, 2015 at 9:14 PMSounds like a great book, a perfect addition for families and family time.
Christina Berry says
January 8, 2015 at 10:46 PMI agree that family dinners are so important. This book sounds like a must-read for families. Thanks for sharing!
Becky says
January 8, 2015 at 11:36 PMAlways looking for a new cook book that is kid friendly. Thanks!
Lois Alter Mark says
January 8, 2015 at 11:52 PMThis sounds like a great book. Such an important topic.
Onica {MommyFactor} says
January 9, 2015 at 5:17 AMWhat a great book. More families need to sit and enjoy having dinner and talking to each other.
Janeane Davis says
January 9, 2015 at 7:04 AMSitting down, eating together and talking is such a good and valuable way for a family to spend time.
Rosey says
January 9, 2015 at 8:01 AMGet kids to help without grief. Does that work for teens tooo?? My daughter used to love to help but she’s gotten lazy the last couple of years and would skip out everytime if I’d let her. -_-
Elisebet F says
January 9, 2015 at 8:35 AMWe don’t eat together as often as I’d like, but probably at least half our meals at home, we do sit down at the table, no electronic devices, etc., and just eat and talk. We’ve also started playing board games, and that has really helped bring us together too.
Debbie Denny says
January 9, 2015 at 3:08 PMSounds great. I believe all electronics go off and eat and talk over dinner is awesome.
Angela Saver says
January 9, 2015 at 7:40 PMThis sounds like a great book! Our kids are in college, but we still make a point to eat as a family several days a week!
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Raquel says
January 11, 2015 at 12:51 PMLooks like a great cookbook – pinning!
Kerri says
January 12, 2015 at 10:19 PMGrowing up, we always had dinner together as a family. I now do the same with my family. I remember how sad I was the first time, as a teacher, I realized that some of my students did not experience the same.