In this episode, Bri and Annie sit down with Dr. Steve Wengel, Geriatric Psychiatry Division Director at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. We’re exploring the importance of shared eating experiences in older adulthood, as well as what families need to know about supporting their loved ones through age-related physical and cognitive changes that may impact family meals.

Episode Highlights:

• Go to 3:36 for a discussion of the impact of loneliness on older adults, and different ways to help
• Go to 10:29 to hear about new dinnertime resources for families, caregivers, and memory care facilities
• Go to 13:15 to learn about age-related physical and cognitive changes that may impact shared meals
• Go to 19:42 for ideas to help manage age-related symptoms and make mealtimes more comfortable
• Go to 24:55 for a discussion of the importance of active grandparents and multi-generational family meals
• Go to 30:40 for tips on smoothing out family meals during life transitions for older adults
• Go to 32:49 for food, fun, and conversation ideas you can use at your table

Related Links:

• Benefits of Family Dinner for Adults
• Dinner with Dementia: A Caregiver's Guide
• Shared Meals in Memory Care (8-week program)
• Grandparents at the Table: The Importance of Talking About Family History
• How Grandparents Can Help with Family Dinner
• When Different Generations Come to the Table
• Upside Down and Backwards
• Food Collage
• Podcast Episode 10: Does Dinner Make Us Happier?

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The NY Times reports dinner delivery is on the rise. On this episode, we're unpacking what's gained and what's lost with family dinner by DoorDash.

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?

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In the first weeks of the New Year, how can you leverage family time to help you beat the post-holiday blues and stay connected to each other, without retreating to individual screens? We're talking with special guest Betsy Bozdech, Editorial Director of Common Sense Media, about celebrating a tech-smart New Year with family film recommendations, cautions about AI, and guidelines parents need to know. Make sure to listen for our 2026 Dinner and a Movie ideas, age-by-age breakdowns, and the latest research to help you stay one step ahead of the algorithms this year.

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

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As the holiday season ramps up, there’s more and more online chatter about switching up celebrations this year. Many families are turning to the idea of a simpler, less commercial celebration. In this final episode of Season 2, Bri and Annie talk about why a more handmade holiday may appeal to different families, and share lots of ideas for ways to lean into a low-shop season. They also discuss how to get family members on board, and suggest new traditions families can try to keep a festive spirit without consumer clutter.

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

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On this episode of The Family Dinner Project Podcast, we invite Leslie Kimball of Responsibility.org to talk with us about the research demonstrating that family dinners can help prevent substance use, and how she and her team recommend parents and kids communicate about risk behaviors.

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.

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Grocery prices are a hot topic these days. With prices on some items, like beef, at an all-time high, it's becoming more challenging to afford family meals. On this episode of The Family Dinner Project Podcast, Bri and Annie invite their colleague, Dr. Lauren Fiechtner, to share her perspective as a pediatrician and the Senior Health and Research Advisor at the Greater Boston Food Bank. Together, they discuss the food bank's research into the scale and implications of rising food insecurity; how families can access help as needed; what more could be done to help bridge the gap for struggling families; and how all of us can try to save more money at the store right now.

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

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It's Back to School season, and we're talking about how to get back into the swing of family dinners during the busy nights ahead! In this episode of The Family Dinner Project Podcast, Bri and Annie tackle back to school family dinners: How to plan them, what to eat, and how to manage everyone's big feelings with smart conversation ideas. Plus, Annie gives advice on easing back into the routine, and challenges Bri to a "lightning round" with questions about different ages and stages. What to do when a teenager suddenly decides they're a vegetarian this school year? How to deal with a preschooler who suddenly won't eat their favorite foods? And how to manage the tough transition when one kid heads off to college and leaves an empty seat -- and a sibling -- behind?

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

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This mini-episode is a special edition! We're answering a tough question submitted to us by a Family Dinner Project follower on Instagram:

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

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