Home for Dinner: Mixing Food, Fun, and Conversation for a Happier Family and Healthier Kids

(Paperback)

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Description

Has your family dinner table become a landing spot for junk mail, homework, and bills Is scheduled dinnertime in your home 6:00 for mom, 7:00 or later for dad, and . . . are the kids even home tonight or do they have another activity to get to Because with sports, activities, long hours, and commutes, family dinners seem to have gone the way of the dinosaur . . . And its time to bring them back--before its too late!Studies have tied shared family 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.Parents looking to make family dinnertime more than just a fantasy will find inside this invaluable, life-saving resource highly relatable stories, new research, recipes, and friendly advice to help them: 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 Reduce tension at the table And moreBoth parents and kids need a family mealtime environment that allows them to unwind and reconnect from the pressures of school and work. More than just offering them nutrition and energy for another intense day of jet-setting about, the incalculable family therapy provided for all will far surpass the small sacrifices it took to gather around the table for a short time.

Reviews

"A delightful new book written by the co-founder of The Family Dinner Project offers a road map to healthy, happy mealtimes." -- Balancing Act column, Tribune Newspapers
"A delightful new book written by the co-founder of The Family Dinner Project offers a road map to healthy, happy mealtimes..." --Chicago Tribune
..". full of ideas for GETTING your family to the table, also a great selection of recipe ideas and better yet, ideas for getting the conversation going." --My Scraps
..". shares accounts of healing, bonding, and communication when families gather together over a meal...author goes beyond and demonstrates solid tools and encouragement for implementation. Recommended with gusto." --Library Journal
..".combines insights from experts with experiences that show how sharing food has the power to heal and strengthen families and nourish children's development and well-being." --Utne Reader
..".easy read rich with valuable suggestions that any of us can integrate into meal time...to take advantage of the fleeting time we have with our kids." --Christa Melynk Hines
..".great tips to help you succeed regardless of external factors." --Mama Likes This
..".just the jump-start I needed to get my family back to the table and on the family dinner track." --My Scraps
..".plenty of tips for those that already eat together and lots of good ideas for those that are trying to work towards that." --I Wished I Lived in a Library
..".to create a more nurturing, positive environment around the table, this is a book you'll want to read." --Weekend Salinas Californian
"Home for Dinner is a great resource for families and I've enjoyed incorporating some of the suggestions into our regular routine." --The Simple Moms
"Home for Dinner will definitely be my go-to guide for trying out new recipes that suit the taste of everyone in my family." --Beautiful Mommies
"Fishel's tone is friendly and she quickly connects with her audience by sharing her own hits and misses with regard to the family dinner." --Woman Around Town
"I found this book quite inspiring, and want to expand on it weekly." --Be Your Best Mom
"I highly recommend Home for Dinner for any parent who struggles to put healthy food on the table night after night." --Mother Daughter Book Club
"I recommend the book to mothers and fathers or grandparents who are looking for ways to make a stronger connection amongst the family." --Blog Critics
"In Home for Dinner, Dr. Fishel touches upon some of the intellectual benefits of dining together as a family." --Southern Kissed
"Not only is the book full of ideas for GETTING your family to the table, it also has a great selection of recipe ideas and better yet, ideas for getting the conversation going." --My Scraps
"The book is a positive look at making and keeping positive family dynamics together through something as seemingly simple as sitting down to dinner together." --Seattle Post Intelligencer
"This book is a must-have for every family!" --Grandma's Ideas
"This is a book filled with sound family-nurturing advice." --The CyberLibrarian
"This is [Fishel's] transformative formula for family healing." --Retailing Insight

Author Bio

Anne K Fishel, PH.D., is the director of the Family and Couples Therapy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate clinical professor of psychology at the Harvard Medical School. As co-founder of The Family Dinner Project, she has been interviewed by NPR, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Christian Science Monitor, Good Housekeeping, Parents magazine, and other major media. She writes the Digital Family blog for Psychology Today.