Meal Time (Should) = Family Time

Yes, we all lead busy, stress-filled lives, but that is usually by choice.  Many parents feel guilty if they, or their children, have any “down time.”  Modern parents believe that their lives and, by extension, the lives of their children, should be filled with work of various types (career, yard, home repairs), parental exercise and chauffeuring the kids to and from clarinet practice, baseball, ballet, gymnastics, dance, hockey, swimming, shuffle board, steel cage death matches, etc.  While it’s important to keep ourselves and families occupied, do not discount the importance and necessity of daily family relaxation and centering that time around meals does so much more than fill our bellies.

Of course, there’s a caveat to family meal time…make it enjoyable for all involved.  Save the lectures, scolding, recriminations, scathing sarcasm and reprimands for another time.  Do NOT bring up Johnny’s troubles at school or Suzy’s questionable Twitter post at dinner.  Also, do NOT force the kids to eat their Brussels sprouts or broccoli by making them sit at the table for hours until those foul veggies are consumed or saving them for their breakfast.  Make new foods available, but do not force the issue.  The family, especially the children, should look forward to eating meals as a family, not dread it.

However, meal preparation can be laborious and time consuming.  Look at it this way: let’s say you have a total of an hour set aside for meal prep and family meal time.  If you’re forced to spend 40 minutes of that time preparing the meal that leaves only 20 minutes to spend with your family (and I’m not even a math major).

What if your meal had arrived at your door the previous day and only required a few minutes in the microwave prior to serving?  Yeah, I know, it’s not rocket science.  You’d be able to spend more of your valuable time enjoying the company of your family.

This is where MagicKitchen.com comes in.  We can send you one, two, three, or seven family meals a week, fully prepared and cooked by our in-house chefs.  You simply choose the foods you know your family enjoys and perhaps a few new-to-them items and we take care of the rest.  The meals are flash-frozen, packed, and shipped to your door, no muss, no fuss (what, exactly, is muss anyway?).  Your responsibilities have been reduced to heating, serving and creating stimulating family conversation.

Below is just a partial list of the benefits of eating meals as a family as determined by numerous and varied studies:

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  You get to know your family better. When groups of people get together, they generally abhor silence.  It’s awkward and uncomfortable and usually gets filled with words.  This time gives you a chance to learn your children’s likes and dislikes and to discuss what’s going on in their lives and it gives them the chance to learn the same things about their parents.

• It creates a sense of family unity and identity. It allows all involved to think of the family as a single unit rather than a group of individuals.  It’s also a great time to introduce family traditions.
• It develops social skills, language acquisition and learn common courtesy. By talking with one another, rather than communicating via social media, children become more socially and linguistically literate.  They learn simple courtesies like not reaching across another’s plate, grabbing the rolls with their grubby hands, not talking with a mouth full of food, and when to say please and thank you.
• Your children will begin to model your healthy eating habits, to include a balanced diet and proper portion sizes. This leads to an increased consumption of fruits and vegetables and a reduced risk of child obesity,
• Children who eat meals with their families on a regular basis are at a decreased risk of substance abuse, delinquency and have a greater sense of social and personal well-being and have a higher level of academic performance.

So, let us assist you in reaping the above benefits for you and your children.  Just visit our complete meal menu page here https://www.magickitchen.com/menu/MK_Meals.html and make your selections, or see our a la carte menu for main courses, sides, soups and desserts to order separately.