Do You Know What's for Dinner?

While back-to-school time means it's back to busy schedules and new routines for kids and parents alike, the "What's for Dinner?" question remains a constant. More than ever, a meal-planning strategy for this time of the year is important and necessary to ensure the family can enjoy some quality mealtime together.

The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) has some cool solutions to get dinner on the table and recommends stocking your freezer and refrigerator with tasty options from the cool aisles of your local grocery store. The frozen and dairy aisles offer an abundance of options for stress-free home-cooked meals. And check out NFRA's Easy Home Meals Website and Blog (http://www.easyhomemeals.com/easy-recipes-for-weeknight-meal/) for terrific family dinner recipes, allowing you to spend less time preparing and more time enjoying meals together.

The importance of family dinnertime has been well documented as researchers and health experts endorse and promote the lifelong benefits of family meals. Numerous studies show that home-cooked meals nourish the spirit, brain, and health of all family members. Children who participate in family mealtime can be 12 percent less likely to be overweight and more likely to eat healthy foods, succeed academically, and have improved mental health.*

September is National Family Meals Month, encouraging you to commit to sharing one more family meal at home per week. NFRA offers these five tips for creating delicious home-cooked family meals, while carving out much-needed family time:

• Think of the freezer and refrigerator as an extension of your pantry - and have them fully stocked for assembling quick and easy (and last minute) weeknight meals.
• Freezer and refrigerated staples like frozen chicken, shrimp, meatballs, peas, broccoli, corn and puff pastry; and refrigerator staples like milk, juice, cheeses, yogurts, dough, eggs and butter - all provide great base items to pair and make a meal in no time.
• Try the many fully prepared meal options in the frozen aisle, and consider adding a salad or fruit.
• Check out the many new brands and product lines now aligned with current health trends - there are so many new foods and cuisines to entice today's foodies and satisfy any dietary need.
• Spend extra family time together in the kitchen by involving kids in the meal preparation. The added bonus - they will be more likely to eat the food they make!

*Cook, Eliza and Rachel Dunifon. (2012). "Do Family Meals Really Make a Difference?" Parenting in Context. Cornell University College of Human Ecology: Department of Policy Analysis and Management. Web. 17 April, 2014.

About National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA)
NFRA (www.nfraweb.org) is a non-profit trade association representing all segments of the frozen and refrigerated foods industry. NFRA sponsors national promotions March Frozen Food Month, June Dairy Month and June/July Ice Cream & Novelties; and provides consumer information such as food safety guidelines, meal preparation tips, recipes and sweepstakes opportunities through its www.EasyHomeMeals.com consumer website and social media properties.

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SOURCE National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association

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