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In our fast-paced world, dinner tables have become drive-throughs, and “mealtime” often happens solo, screen in hand. There’s little conversation with the people who are physically around us. But science—and common sense—agree: family meals matter.
At the end of this blog, we’ve included a few, easy, quick, healthy recipes for making your family meals matter. From our family to yours. Eat Better. Feel Better. Your whole family is matters.
Family Meals Matter: Nourish Bodies, Hearts & Minds
Yes, the nutritional value of what we eat plays a huge role in our health. But how and with whom we eat is equally important. Sharing meals with family or friends does more than fill bellies—it builds stronger minds, healthier bodies, and happier communities. Working side by side in the kitchen—prepping meals and tackling clean-up—can be a powerful way to bond and pass on real-life skills. Don’t see it as a chore; think of it as quality time served with a side of teamwork.
Teamwork and Meal Time
1. Meals Together Boost Physical Health
Research consistently shows that families who eat together enjoy more nutrient-dense foods. Home-cooked meals often include more fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats—like those found in hemp seeds, a plant-based powerhouse we love at BetterOptionFoods.com.
Regular shared meals have been linked to lower obesity rates, better digestion, and improved heart health.
2. Connection Strengthens Mental Well-Being: That’s Why Family Meals Matter
Eating with others is a built-in daily ritual for connection. Kids who regularly eat with their families show higher self-esteem and lower rates of depression and anxiety. Adults benefit too—shared meals offer a chance to decompress, share stories, and reinforce a sense of belonging.
Belonging Together at Meal Time
3. A Natural Space for Teaching Healthy Habits is Why Family Meals Matter
The table is the original classroom. Kids learn by watching adults make nourishing food choices and listening to conversations that shape values and resilience. Passing the hemp seed salad is more than just good manners—it’s modeling good nutrition.
4. Small Steps Make Big Impact
You don’t need a five-course dinner to reap the benefits. Start with one or two family meals a week. Make it fun, keep phones away, and focus on being present. Whether it’s a Sunday brunch or a weeknight quick fix with a sprinkle of hemp hearts on a green leaf salad, what matters is the shared experience.
Here’s more from the The Food Industry Association’s Family Meals Movement. Five reasons family meals are more important than ever.
And family include friends.
✍️ Closing Thought:
Meals are more than just food—they’re opportunities to nourish body, mind, and soul. So clear the table, invite your people, and make family meals matter.
Family Meals Matter – try some of our favorites recipes
This rice side dish made with Hemp Heart is a delicious addition to any meal.
Savory Hemp Heart Sticky Rice
Asian cuisine meets Southwest spice with a hint of lime juice and cilantro. Easy. Few ingredients. Can be served hot or cold as a healthy side dish for dinner. Take to a summer picnic for your next dish to pass.Gluten Free | Protein | Nutrient Dense | Vegan Friendly
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Assemble ingredients on counter
- Put rice and water in sauce pan.Soak rice in saucepan with water for 15 minutes before cooking
- While rice is soaking: prepare garlic by pealing and slicing into slivers. Add splash of olive oil to frying pan. Warm over low heat for a few seconds. Add sliced up garlic to pan, over low heat, toast garlic until golden brown. Set aside.
- Once rice has soaked: Add in salt, butter, and oregano - cover and place on stove top. Bring rice to low boil. Once boiling, reduce heat.Cook for 20 minutes. The water should all be absorbed. (During cooking: watch that the water does not run dry and scorch the pan. A rice cooker can be used to prepare the rice. Use 2 cup water if preparing in a rice cooker)
- Once rice is cooked:Add toasted garlic. Stir in RO*TEL dice tomatoes with lime juice & cilantro; and hemp hearts. Stir together until well blended.Place is serving dish
- Serve hot or chilled
- makes about 5 cups of cooked rice (rice is sticky)
- Enjoy
Notes
You will need Hemp Hearts from Better Option Foods to make this delicious sticky rice side dish.
Serving suggestions: pair with
- Hamburger and hot dogs at a picnic
- Baked or pan seared Chicken
- Side dish with Tacos and Refried beans or other Mexican style dishes
- Great with smoked or baked salmon
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Eat Together Because Family Meals Matter
The following 2 salmon main entree which are fast and easy to put together. Nutritious and delicious. Flexible recipe ideas too.
Hemp Seed & Pumpkin Seed Encrusted Salmon with Maple-Spice Carrots
This one-pan meal is ready in just 35 minutes, it’s a good choice for a healthy recipe after you’ve had a long day at the office. Maple-spiced carrots cook alongside this pumpkin seed-encrusted salmon fillets will deliver amazing taste and excellent nutrition your family will enjoy.
Ingredients
Method
- Thaw fish, if frozen. (Fresh wild caught salmon is best)
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a 15x10-inch baking pan with parchment paper; set aside.
- Combine carrots, 3 tablespoons maple syrup, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and the pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl. Arrange the carrots on one-half of the prepared baking pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, rinse the fish; pat dry with paper towels.
- Combine crushed crackers (or GF panko), ¼ cup of finely chopped pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts - less 1 tablespoon (or whole ground hemp seeds) and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a shallow dish.
- Brush the top of the fish with the remaining 1 tablespoon maple syrup. Sprinkle with the cracker mixture, pressing to adhere. Place the fish in the baking pan next to the carrots. Lightly coat the top of the fish with cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork and the carrots are tender.
- To serve, divide the carrots among dinner plates and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon of hemp hearts. Top with the salmon.
Notes
As a nutritious gluten free option 1/3 cup Hemp Flour can be substituted for the saltine crackers.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!This recipe is flexible for your family meals matter entree. You can substitute chicken breasts or boneless skinless chicken thighs for the salmon.
Roasted Pistachio-Crusted Salmon with Broccoli
This easy one-pan roasted salmon with broccoli is quick enough for weeknight dinners but elegant enough for company. The lemony pistachio crust would also be lovely on other types of fish or on chicken breasts.
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Coat a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray.
- Combine broccoli, garlic, 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, combine pistachios, hemp hearts, chives, lemon zest, the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a small bowl. Spread 1 teaspoon mayonnaise over each salmon portion and top with the pistachio mixture.
- Move the broccoli to one side of the baking sheet and place the salmon on the empty side. Roast until the salmon is opaque in the center and the broccoli is just tender, 8 to 15 minutes more, depending on thickness. Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Eat Better. Feel Better. You’re worth it!