When you are a mom there is no shortage of opportunities to feel guilty, and issues around food and eating tend to contribute more than their fair share. Take the family meal for example. The benefits of sitting down together to eat are pretty compelling. Children who have dinner with their families regularly get better grades, eat healthier and are less likely to have behavior problems. That makes the family meal a no-brainer, right? Yeah sure, until real life gets in the way.

Many parents I know (moms especially) are not so much inspired by those facts as they are overwhelmed by them. “How can manage a family dinner every night when I don’t even get home until 6?” “Everyone is running in different directions our schedules just don’t match up,” is what I typically hear. Dinner together Ozzie-and-Harriet style just feels like impossibility these days, especially with older children. But we all know how important it is. And so the guilt sets in.

I say forget the guilt, because there are options. The family meal doesn’t have to be “nightly dinner or bust.” In fact, it doesn’t even have to be dinner. There are plenty of ways to reap the benefits of family dining that fit neatly into the most hectic schedules. Here are some ideas:

Quality Over Quantity
Most families already eat together four to five evenings a week, but about 10 percent of us do so just twice a week or less. If you are on the low end of that spectrum, don’t think all-or-nothing, instead aim to sit down together for just one more meal each week. More importantly, make the dinners you have together count. Turn off the television and unplug from phones, iPods, BlackBerries, and other distractions. Use this time to really connect with each other and share not only food but conversation too.

Do Breakfast
A friend of mine works quite late, making it impossible for her to pull off family dinners. Her ingenious solution is to have her family meal in the morning. She, her husband, and her daughter enjoy a sit down breakfast together before heading out each day. 

My family eats dinner together most evenings, but our favorite meal of the week is Sunday breakfast. My daughter and I whip up a batch of pancakes then wake up Dad and dine together in our PJs. Who says a family meal has to be dinner?

Divide and Conquer
Many parents feel like they don’t have the time or energy to cook dinner. Keep in mind that a family meal doesn’t have to be an elaborate ordeal. Arm yourself with a roster of quick and easy family-friendly recipes made with ingredients you can keep on hand. And don’t go it alone. Divide the cooking duty with your spouse and give prep tasks to older children.

Schedule Smart
One of the biggest obstacles to eating together is conflicting schedules. So factor in family meals at the start of the year when you are planning your schedule. Block out a few evenings a week on the calendar for family meal time and work after-school activities, car pool schedules and your weekly girl’s night out around that. Make dining together a priority from the get-go, and the rewards will be there for you and your family, totally guilt free.

To learn more about Ellie Krieger, MS, RD -- New York Times bestselling author and host of Food Network’s Healthy Appetite -- go to www.elliekrieger.com.

For more of Ellie Krieger's recipes, eat-smart advice, and tips, check out her Kaboose column, Great Food, Healthy Family.

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