Tips to Bring the Family Together at the Dinner Table

Getting the family together for a meal may seem like it requires a monumental effort. Long work days, complicated school schedules and extra-curricular activities pull everyone in different directions. Many parents find it difficult to keep up with their children's lives. Days may go by without the whole family spending any time together at all.

One important way that families can stay connected is by sharing a meal. Finding a time each day when everyone can sit down together goes a long way toward strengthening common bonds. Eating together regularly promotes better communication, shared learning (through discussion), and even better nutrition. If a family is too busy for a meal together, they may be too busy period.

A study by the Iowa State University Extension office offers some suggestions on how families can get everyone to the table:

* Make family mealtime a priority: Choose a time and put it on the calendar.

* Be creative and flexible about when and where you eat. Family mealtime could be at breakfast time, it could be a picnic in the park, or it could be at a restaurant on the way to an appointment.

* Make mealtime pleasant: Take turns talking and listening.

* Eliminate interruptions and distractions by turning off the television and radio.

* Involve everyone by giving each person a task to perform.

* Serve a variety of foods, but keep meals simple and easy.

A family dinner doesn't have to be elaborate. What's important is the time spent together. Think simple. Good options for families on the go are heat-and-serve items such as the new fun chicken products from Gold'n Plump. These nutritious products are in convenient re-sealable bags, and can be heated in minutes in a microwave or conventional oven.

A fun option for kids is Lil' Chicks, unique chicken-shaped nuggets made from 100-percent white meat. Versatile for meals or snacks, and a good source of protein, these cheerful chicken pieces will not only feed the kids, but entertain them as well.

For entertaining adults there is Chik'n Ribs: skinless thigh meat cut like a rib and glazed with hickory barbecue sauce. This rib-style chicken works well as an entrée or can double as an appetizer at impromptu gatherings.

A convenient entrée like pre-cooked and pre-seasoned chicken makes it possible to involve children in the meal preparation process. Minimal cooking skills are needed. Another benefit is mobility. Heat-and-eat chicken is easy to take along almost any place the family goes.

Fully cooked chicken from Gold'n Plump offers high quality meal options. It's also a good source of protein, with many fun product and flavor choices, like Gold'n Tenders, crispy breaded chicken tenders and Wing'ums, restaurant-style wings available in buffalo and honey barbecue flavors.

So get the family gathered around the table; if not everyday, then at least a few times a week. Instead of cooking complicated menus, spend time finding out what your children have been up to, and getting reacquainted with your spouse.

For more information on Gold'n Plump products go to www.goldnplump.com.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more information contact Dan Jacobson at (320) 240-6290 or djacobson@goldnplump.com. Based in St. Cloud, Minn., Gold'n Plump Poultry is the leading provider of premium chicken products in the upper Midwest.