Bri and Annie dive into a recent article, "Freedom with a Side of Guilt: How food delivery is reshaping mealtime," to examine how the opportunity to have dinner dropped at your door is changing the face of family meals. They talk about the economic, social, and scheduling effects -- both positive and negative -- of outsourcing meal preparation, what's behind this trend, and how to balance much-needed convenience with other values. The episode ends with ideas for striking a healthy balance that works for your family, plus easy meal ideas, fun, and conversation starters you can use at your dinner table tonight.

Episode highlights:

• Discussion of the cost for family meal delivery (4:45)
• Analysis of life skills vs. dinner delivery (11:10)
• Ideas for striking a balance (25:15)
• Food, fun, and conversation suggestions for easy family meals (31:00)

Related Links:

• 20 No-Fail Dinner Ideas
• Freedom with a Side of Guilt (NY Times Article)
• The Price Is...? Grocery Budget Game
• Podcast: Labor of Love?
• Podcast: Is it the Family, or the Dinner?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Key Takeaways:

• Go to 2:58 for Dr. Anne Fishel's guidance for families on setting strong tech boundaries
• Go to 10:40 for Betsy's favorite family film recommendations
• Go to 13:29 for a conversation about choosing the first media experience for young children
• Go to 16:48 for ideas on making your family viewing experience more interactive
• Go to 24:45 for a discussion about the rise of AI and what parents need to know
• Go to 32:00 for food, fun, and conversation inspiration you can use at your table tonight

Related Links:

• Common Sense Media's Best Movies of 2025
• Common Sense Selection Titles
• First Movies for Kids: Common Sense Recommendations
• Nintendo Switch Games for Family Fun
• Common Sense's Guide to Teaching Kids Good Screen Time Habits
• The Family Dinner Project's Technology at the Table Guide
• The Family Dinner Project + Common Sense Media Dinner and a Movie Experiences

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Key Takeaways:

• Go to 2:35 for Annie’s thoughts on why this shift may feel particularly appealing this year
• Go to 7:18 for some of the most popular homemade gift ideas Bri and Annie have turned to over the years
• Go to 11:14 for a discussion about how to get reluctant family members on board
• Go to 16:45 for some “gifts of experiences” ideas
• Go to 21:03 for new traditions and activities that can help take the focus off fewer gifts
• Go to 27:04 for food, fun, and conversation ideas to make the holiday season extra special

Related Links:

• Podcast Episode 1: Home for the Holidays?
• Podcast Episode 7: Holiday Politics
• Homemade Gifts
• The Family Dinner Project’s Holidays Hub
• Annie’s husband’s Latke recipe
• Dinner and a Movie: Family Holiday Movies
• 31 Days of Family Fun Calendar
• Family Memory Bingo

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bri, Annie, and Leslie delve into the findings suggesting that a routine of connected, welcoming family meals is one tool parents have to keep kids from engaging in substance use and other risky behaviors. They share strategies to help parents manage and discuss their own alcohol use, engage with other parents around keeping kids safe, and most importantly, create the kind of positive and pleasant family dinner environments that promote open communication. Packed with tips, reassurance, and ideas for food, fun, and conversation, this episode is a must-listen for any parent who wants to help safeguard their children from substance use.

Key Takeaways:

• Go to 3:00 for Dr. Anne Fishel's summary of the key research into substance use prevention and family meals
• Go to 9:10 for Leslie's thoughts on how to talk about and model responsible consumption
• Go to 16:35 for tips on making the dinner table a welcoming space for conversation
• Go to 20:05 for tips from Responsibility.org on opening up a discussion about alcohol use
• Go to 31:26 for hands-on food, fun, and conversation ideas you can use at your dinner table

Related Links:

• Responsibility.org and Ask, Listen, Learn
• What to Know About Family Meals and Substance Use with Dr. Timothy Wilens
• Episode 6:Table Trauma
• Episode 2: Is it the Family, Or the Dinner?
• Guess the Emotion
• Raggedy Ann Salad, Origami Dumplings, and Homemade Pizza

About Leslie Kimball and Responsibility.org:

Leslie Kimball is the executive director of Responsibility.org, and prior to becoming executive director, Leslie worked on the organization's programming and communications campaigns, including the Ask, Listen, Learn, and Parenting influencer programs.

Responsibility.org is a national not-for-profit that aims to eliminate underage drinking, eliminate drunk driving, and work with others to end all impaired driving and empower adults to make a lifetime of responsible alcohol choices. As part of their mission to eliminate underage drinking, responsibility.org developed a free science and evidence-based digital prevention program for kids nine to 13, their parents and educators: Ask, Listen, Learn: Kids and Alcohol Don't Mix. The program, created in 2003, helps adults start conversations with kids about alcohol and the developing brain to prevent underage drinking, and is the most widely distributed program of its kind. 

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Key Takeaways:

• Go to 7:22 for a discussion about the nutritional impacts of food insecurity on families
• Go to 10:14 to learn what the Greater Boston Food Bank has found about the community and civic impacts of food insecurity
• Go to 16:50 for ideas about how to save money on groceries
• Go to 32:20 for food, fun, and conversation you can take back to your dinner table

Related Links:

• Podcast Episode 6: Table Trauma
• Podcast Episode 4: Picky or Problematic?
• How to Get the Most out of a Roast Chicken
• Dinner Tonight: Budget Friendly
• The Price Is...? Game
• Easy Pesto Recipe
• The Greater Boston Food Bank
• Feeding America
• Click 'n' Cook

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Key Takeaways:

• Go to 5:25 for Bri's tips on coming up with ideas for easy meals
• Go to 14:53 for Annie's thoughts on transitioning into the school year with conversation and a ramp-up to routine
• Go to 20:11 for the "lightning round" -- Bri's answers to questions about teens experimenting with vegetarian diets, preschoolers who refuse their favorite foods, and the first family dinners after sending a child to college

Related Links:

• Back to School hub
• 100 Alternatives to "How Was Your Day?"
• 20 No-Fail Dinner Ideas
• Pantry Stock-Up Sheets
• The Meal Sorting Planner
• What's Your Meal Planning Personality? Quiz
• Rankings Game

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

“I have a partner who feels dinnertime is time to eat and not talk. I do my best to see his perspective. Our littles have trauma related to foster care, so they tend to talk so much that it takes them over an hour to eat. One has sensory processing and has been through feeding therapy. She has a limited diet to begin with, and we want to maximize her intake. Both have ADHD. Any suggestions?”

Key Takeaways:

• Go to 2:43 for the beginning of a discussion on how to untangle family dinner dynamics from nutritional intake
• Go to 6:58 for a conversation about handling sensory processing challenges at dinnertime
• Go to 10:28 for strategies to help with time management without adding pressure to the table
• Go to 12:30 for a discussion of the relationship dynamics involved in this question, and how to handle the difference of opinion between the two parenting partners

Related Episodes and Links:

• Episode 6: Table Trauma
• Episode 4: Picky or Problematic?
• Episode 9: Just the Two of Us
• The Welcoming Table Resources

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Key Takeaways:

• Go to 1:50 for Micah's overview of the key findings
• Go to 9:54 for a discussion about the clear upward trend in young people eating alone
• Go to 16:41 for a TFDP subscriber question about eating alone
• Go to 22:13 for a breakdown of cultural differences
• Go to 25:04 for a breakdown of gender differences
• Go to 32:06 for food, fun, and conversation ideas related to this episode

Related Episodes and Links:

• Episode 2 (“Is it the Family, or the Dinner?”)
• World Happiness Report 2025: Chapter 3
• Micah's salad recipe
• Cat and Cow Game
• Try Not to Laugh Challenge

About Micah: Micah Kaats is a PhD candidate in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School where he researches the drivers and downstream effects of happiness and social connectedness. He also serves as a Research Associate for the Wellbeing Research Centre at Oxford University and Senior Analyst for the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen. He has designed, implemented, and supervised studies of more than 20,000 participants in over 24 countries. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the Economist, Vox, and Forbes. He holds Master’s degrees in Applied Ethics and Economic Policy from Utrecht University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from UPenn.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We tend to think of family dinners as being about the kids. But all families start with two people, and some families stay that way. What does the research tell us about the benefits of shared meals for adults? And how can couples use their dinners together as a way to strengthen their bond and connect with one another, no matter how many children are at the table, or what phase of life they're in?

In this episode, Bri and Annie draw on Annie's decades of experience in family therapy, as well as their work together on The Family Dinner Project and their own personal experiences, to share strategies for couples. They talk about how to negotiate getting started with a shared meal routine early in a relationship, why it matters, and how eating together regularly can strengthen a sense of teamwork and boost mental health. Moving through the years, Bri and Annie point out that keeping family meals on the calendar can promote marital satisfaction if kids are part of the equation. And as relationships progress, they share tips and ideas for keeping the spark alive no matter how mealtimes change in the face of life's demands.

Key Takeaways:

• Go to 3:39 for Dr. Anne Fishel's thoughts on "What makes family meals so important for couples, given that there are all these other ways they have to connect?"
• Go to 7:00 for a quick overview of the most relevant research into the benefits of family meals for adults, including better conflict resolution and improved mental health
• Go to 13:47 for a discussion of how new couples starting out together can navigate setting up shared meals in a way that benefits them both
• Go to 18:04 for thoughts on how adding babies and toddlers to the mix might change a couple's mealtimes -- and how to preserve your connection
• Go to 24:03 to hear about the "messy middle" of life and how to get out of a dinner rut, keep shared meals on the calendar despite competing priorities, and keep the "spark" alive
• Go to 29:04 for food, fun, and conversation ideas for couples, from ways to use food as a love language to smart in-depth conversation starters and ways to bond over a shared interest during your meals

Related Episodes and Links:

• Episode 5 ("Labor of Love")
• Episode 2 ("Is it the Family, or the Dinner?")
• "Stuck at Home With Your Partner? Look to Retirees to Make it Work"
• "Benefits of Family Dinner for Adults"
• "Family Starts with Two"
• "Just the Two of Us" Newsletter

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do families want out of their dinners? Relationships, connection, and bonding. Bri and Annie share lots of ideas to help build on those principles, as well as other aspirations individual families might want to pursue. They talk about how to approach the idea of setting an intention or two for your mealtimes this year; how to talk to kids and fellow household adults to get everyone involved in the process; and how to handle a reluctant partner who may not share your goals. They also offer wisdom on what to do with competing priorities, how to get started if you just feel stuck, and how to reframe your thinking around common challenges like picky eating. The episode ends with suggestions for meal planning, theme nights, and some fun activities to help improve your family meals this year.

Like this content? Check out these additional links and related episodes:

• The Family Dinner Project Podcast Episode 5: Labor of Love?
• The Family Dinner Project Podcast Episode 4: Picky or Problematic?
• Dinner and a Movie ideas
• Book-related dinner ideas
• Research Shows Family Dinner Improves Literacy (plus games and conversation starters)
• The Humming Bee Breathing exercise
• The 5,4,3,2,1 Activity
• The Family Dinner Project Podcast Episode 2: Is it the Family, or the Dinner?

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bri and Annie discuss the potential grief of family estrangement; how to keep things polite and positive if there are guests at the table who don't share political views; and strategies for keeping the tension low at a very difficult time. They offer examples to help families plan new and different celebrations if they're not joining the traditional Thanksgiving table this year, and ideas for managing compromise if you're a "small-dose" family or want to see some people, but not others. They talk about navigating hurt feelings, canceled invitations, and setting ground rules for your own celebrations. The episode ends with suggestions for choosing foods this year -- will you go traditional or unique? -- as well as games and conversation resources that could help keep the peace, like Holiday Would You Rather?, The Hat Game, a Thanksgiving Storytelling prompt, and questions about resilience that may resonate this year.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marti begins by explaining that trauma is a response to stressful experiences, not a single event. She distinguishes between what she calls "Big T trauma" and "little t trauma," or a specific very upsetting event (such as a car accident or assault) vs. a series of possibly less noticeable, repeated stressful events over time (such as bullying at school, neglect, often going hungry, etc). Marti stresses that these repeated "little t traumas" can add up to developmental trauma in children, which can then also be compounded by mealtimes where the caregiver who is supposed to provide for the child may be unpredictable, unreliable, or even dangerous.

Marti and Annie both agree, in their roles as therapists, that mealtimes can be especially complex for children with developmental trauma because of the mixed signals -- the conflict between dinner as an inherently nurturing activity, and a parent or caregiver who is not behaving in nurturing ways. The stress of that situation, they say, can follow people into adulthood and make it difficult for parents with their own traumatic histories at dinner to create a safe and welcoming mealtime routine for their own kids. Both share examples and solutions from their own therapy practices with families to help make meals more comfortable and safe for everyone.

Bri also asks Marti for insight into how neurodivergence intersects with trauma at the table. Marti explains that often, the demands of family meals can be harmful or traumatic to a neurodivergent child who is being expected to behave in a more "typical" way. Lack of responsiveness to the child's sensory and behavioral needs can cause developmental trauma. She explains how parents can envision the kind of relationship they want to nurture with their children at the table, and how to co-regulate for more positive meals.

The trio end on recommendations for food, fun, and conversation: Bri suggests a mac and cheese bar to make a familiar comfort food more interesting and varied for the whole family, while Marti offers a quick and easy activity to help transition to the table without anxiety. Annie finishes the episode by encouraging families to talk about what makes us feel comfortable and safe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Taking on the cultural criticism of family meals as anti-feminist, Annie points out that the role of The Family Dinner Project has always been to try to encourage people not to create perfect, retro-style family meals that require women to spend hours in the kitchen doing all the work. Instead, the goal is to create meaningful and joyful experiences where everyone contributes, and we work towards building families where the kids will grow up with the ability to take ownership of dinner-related tasks -- regardless of gender and outdated expectations.

Bri remembers speaking with fatherhood expert Dr. Anthony Chambers about the shifting roles of men in two-parent households, and she and Annie discuss whether there is a new trend towards men sharing the load. They agree that while the face of domestic labor has changed, and men are definitely contributing more than in generations past, there's still a lot of ground to cover on the invisible labor front. Annie shares thoughts on how couples might navigate discussions around more equitable division of household chores, while Bri points out that help can be found in many places -- kids, friends, neighbors, and creating a broader "village."

They finish the episode by recommending listeners check out this list of "no-fail" dinner ideas that can be delegated to other members of the household; these grocery store scavenger hunts for both younger kids and teenagers; and the graphic on their site, with helpful prompts for couples who want to plan for a more egalitarian household routine.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Evelyna Kambanis is a Clinical & Research Fellow at the Eating Disorders Clinical and Research Program at Massachusetts General Hospital. Her research and clinical interests focus on avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). She helps walk us through the differences between developmentally normal picky eating, which occurs in most children, and feeding issues that may signal a problem warranting medical help. Evelyna breaks down the clinical definition of ARFID -- Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder -- and how parents can tell when picky eating has become something more concerning. She also helps shed light on the possible red flags parents may see at the dinner table when a child has ARFID or is in danger of developing another type of eating disorder, such as anorexia.

As always, we end the episode with food, fun, and conversation suggestions to help families who may be dealing with ARFID, sensory sensitivities, and other types of feeding challenges at their family dinner tables. The Family Dinner Project's Welcoming Table initiative has plenty of resources to help, but families are also encouraged to reach out with questions or concerns. Families dealing with extreme picky eating may also benefit from Evelyna's suggested resource, The Picky Eaters Recovery Book.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

They also discuss the pressure to do it all and be a perfect parent, and how to start pushing back against the increasing overwhelm, including smart conversation starters to help everyone in the family gauge how they're doing with managing stress. And of course, they share practical tips and ideas to help families get a "family dinner" experience on the busiest nights, whether that's sharing food, fun, and conversation at the local ice cream shop; splitting dinner up into shifts; sharing a snack at a more opportune time of day; or scheduling a family meal in advance so everyone can plan for it.

The episode wraps up with food (make-ahead and freezer friendly meals), fun (a photo caption contest on the go), and conversation ideas (If you were free to do anything you wanted tomorrow, what would you do?).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Fishel covers some of the main benefits of family dinners, as well as discussing multiple studies in the field of family meal research. Some of the specific research she mentions can be accessed in more detail:

• A large cross-sectional study showing association between family dinners and reduced high-risk behaviors in teens, that controls for characteristics of the family like being organized and connected. 
• Longitudinal study looking at the quality of the family dinner atmosphere to predict physical and mental health benefits from age 6 to age 10. 
• Randomized study looking at impact of distraction on healthy food consumption and another study on impact of spending extra minutes at the table on eating more fruits and vegetables.
• A recent study that looks at the impact of frequency and quality of family dinner on kids and adults.

The episode wraps with food (Build Your Own meals), fun (20 Questions About a Family Memory), and conversation (Tell me something about yourself you think I might not know).

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dr. Fishel shares strategies and advice from her decades of experience in family therapy. From neutralizing tension with smart ideas for games and conversation starters that distract from differences, to offering wisdom and solace for families who are dealing with estrangement this holiday season, she offers plenty of ways to make the holidays work for you, no matter what your family dynamics look like. She and Bri also delve into pop culture with a discussion of the viral Christmas dinner episode of Hulu's "The Bear." (No wonder Carmy didn't want to go home for the holidays!) They wrap up the conversation with their recommendations for holiday food (latkes), fun (a holiday dinner scavenger hunt), and conversation (Who do you wish could join us for the holidays, who isn't present this year?). Whether you're looking forward to a family holiday celebration this year, or just trying to survive a complicated season, The Family Dinner Project Podcast has ideas you can use.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.