How do you “do” dinner? Perched over the kitchen sink, shoveling in takeout leftovers because you’re already to the next thing? Or maybe one kid is in front of the television with a bag of Doritos, another is dribbling a basketball while they munch on a microwave burrito, and you’re sitting at your desk dipping baby carrots into ranch dressing.
We get it. The world is crazy. People are busy. So. Dang. Busy. There are places to go, people to see, kids to drop off (and then pick up), dog bombs to scoop, bills to pay, work to crank out. Sitting down together for a family dinner seems on par with a NASA launch.
According to a 2013 Harris poll, only 30% of American families share dinner every night.
We’d like to change that. September is National Family Meals Month. The goal? Share one more meal together per week. Just one. Gather people. Plant butts in chairs and spark some conversation. Maybe it lasts 6 minutes. Maybe it lasts 6 courses. What you’ll receive in return is healthier minds, nourished bodies and a sense of belonging. Seriously. Studies show that eating meals together results in higher grades for the kiddos, increased self-esteem, and healthier eating habits all around.
We are your ally.
Sixty-three percent of Americans decide what to eat less than an hour before eating. Can you relate? It’s 7 p.m. You panic and race through the fast food lane on your way home because your refrigerator has a jar with one lone pickle floating in it, condiments from 2013, and a few leftover containers no one is brave enough to crack open.
Enter Newport Avenue Market. We have healthy mealtime solutions down practically every aisle. Pop in and grab pre-prepped spiral veggies from our produce department. Swing by our world-famous deli and grab a delicious made-daily entrée. We also carry heat and eat goodness that’ll leave them licking their lips and chanting for more.
We are here to make it easier to share one more meal at home per week with your family.
Know this… “family” isn’t some varnished version of what Good Housekeeping deems “normal” (you know… mom, dad, two kids and a dog). In our world, family consists of friends and neighbors. Family is community. When you sit down for a meal, do it with your spouse and kids. Or your partner. Or your best trail friends. Or your neighbors (even though they almost always forget to bring their trash cans in from the curb). Eat well together and be well together.
So here’s our challenge to you: Commit to sharing one more meal at home this week with those you love. Good food shared around a table with people you love can change everything.
