It’s September! School’s in for teachers, kids and parents who will be helping with homework and activities. Schedules are more hectic than ever – do you find family meals are a thing of the past?

Family meals are an important part of growth and development for children and families. Studies show that that families eating meals together “every day” or “almost every day” generally consumed higher amounts of important nutrients such as calcium, fiber, iron, vitamins B6 and B12, C and E, and consumed less overall fat, compared to families who “never” or “only sometimes” eat meals together.

Family meals don’t have to be complicated, think soups and sandwiches, soups can be prepared on the weekends and heated throughout the week, they are easy to freeze too! Pack a variety of veggies into soup to create a powerfully nutritious meal.

Sandwiches take minutes to prepare and typically a kid favorite – they’re transportable too so if you need to hit the field, you can easily wrap a sandwich to-go!

No matter how simple or complex the meal, the important thing is to enjoy each other’s company and listen to each member of your family over a delicious meal.

I love the combination of something sweet and salty, in this meal I have paired a sweet butternut squash soup with the salty and savory cured ham and egg cheese sandwich.