Time is Precious

Let our stores do your shopping for you when you shop online. Shopping online allows you to pick out everything you’ll need for the week from the comfort of your own home. Another tip is to utilize canned, frozen and precut fruits and vegetables to save you and your family time, while still getting important nutrients. Canned and frozen produce are picked and packaged at peak freshness, which means they have a nutrient density similar to fresh produce. When choosing canned fruits or veggies, go for vegetables that are low-sodium or have no salt added, and choose canned fruit that’s packed in 100% fruit juice.

– Taylor Newman, PhD, RDN, LDN and Sarah Limbert, RDN, LD

Involve the Whole Family

Getting all members of your family involved in planning can help get everyone excited about sharing a meal. One idea is to task each person with finding a recipe to make together over the next several weeks. Browse our recipes or dig up a few cookbooks. Another fun idea is to have each member of the family pick a fruit or vegetable of the month. Then, add that fruit or vegetable to as many dishes as you can that month. Let the kids get creative and experiment with different food combinations, with no rules.

You can even take this one step further and get the entire family involved in the meal preparation process, too! Even young children can be helpful by sorting vegetables, adding seasonings or mixing ingredients. Don't be afraid to make a little bit of a mess. It’s a small price to pay for the benefits of getting your kids involved.

– Molly Hembree, MS, RDN, LD and Laura Brown, MS, RDN, LD, ACSM-CPT

Incorporate More Fruits and Veggies

You can increase your family’s vegetable intake by incorporating veggies in unexpected ways. For example, you can add chopped mushrooms to ground beef or turkey, or riced vegetables (such as cauliflower rice) to regular rice. Make it a fun activity to see how many ways you can incorporate one vegetable into your week! One of our favorites is zucchini. Over the course of a week, you can try zucchini lasagna and loaded zucchini skins for lunch or dinner, zucchini muffins and zucchini frittatas for breakfast, roasted zucchini as a side, and even chocolate zucchini bread for dessert.

Keep things fresh with produce that’s in-season. Whether it’s apples on your salad in the fall or fresh strawberries in the spring for a sweet dessert, in-season produce will provide the freshness you’re looking for at the right price.

Finally, add more veggies to your kids’ favorite foods. Diced vegetables can be added to many classic kid foods including tacos, sloppy Joes and pasta. If your kids struggle with even the sight of veggies, you can puree them and add them to sauces. You can even add broccoli pieces to a pot of macaroni noodles when making macaroni and cheese. The broccoli and noodles cook at the same time, creating a nutritious spin on a dish that’s always well-received.

– Katy Keogh, MS, RDN, LD; Elizabeth Vennefron, RDN, LD; Richie Santucci RD, CDE, CPT; and Laura Brown, MS, RDN, LD, ACSM-CPT

Use Your Resources

Let’s be honest - it truly takes a village to keep up with the latest nutrition information and food trends! Let us be a part of your village by checking out some of our meal ideas and healthy living tips for the whole family. From weeknight dinner recipes and specialty diet meal inspiration, to helpful articles written by our dietitians, we are here to help!

– Anna Smith RDN, LD

Make it Meaningful and Fun

Family meals are all about the family. Gather to eat at the table or anywhere you can talk and focus on your time together. You can even get creative and have a backyard picnic or eat on a blanket in the family room. Take this precious time to make meaningful connections with your loved ones! Go around the table and have each person tell you one good thing about their day to start the conversation. This not only helps everyone focus on each other and their company, but it also takes the focus off the food. Read this article to learn more about how family meals can help kids stay healthy.

In conjunction with this, plan theme nights: A Mexican taco bar with healthy toppings, an Italian pasta bar with different kinds of pasta and sauces, or a build-your-own flatbread night are great ideas to start with. Plus, everyone can look forward to creating their own meals.

– Lisa McCune MS, MPH, RDN, LDN; Taylor Newman, PhD, RDN, LDN; and Elizabeth Vennefron, RDN, LD