After many months of hard work and anticipation, we’re proud to announce that our new book is finally available online and in stores!

Eat, Laugh, Talk: The Family Dinner Playbook contains 52 weeks of family-friendly recipes, games and conversation starters to make family dinners easy and attainable. Better yet, the book is a collection of stories and tips from real families who have found ways to overcome common mealtime challenges that are familiar to so many of us: Picky eating, time pressures, tension at the table, distractions and other tricky dinner situations. We’re thrilled to finally be able to share all of this fantastic family dinner inspiration with the world!

As a sneak preview, here are just a few of the great tips shared in Eat, Laugh, Talk:

• Got picky eaters? Jacqui’s been there, and she lets her kids take control by making their own alternate meal if they don’t like what’s served. Elizabeth and Trampus have also dealt with picky eaters, and work around preferences by making sure to always serve at least one accepted food at every meal.
• What if you’re just too busy? Katie and Justine have both found success by swapping family dinner for family breakfasts. Heather and Eric sometimes rely on tech to stay connected for meals, while Beth and Gary have an unwritten household rule: No one eats alone.
• What about all the planning, shopping, prep, cleanup…? Balance the workload by starting a freezer swap with friends or rotating households for dinner, like Sana’s family and many others we’ve met. Or get the whole family involved in cooking and cleaning up, especially if you have teens; Kathy and her family know how to get them into the kitchen with simple recipes for beginning cooks!
• How can you ditch the distractions? Try keeping everyone focused on the conversation with a conversation ritual like the “pass-the-candle” technique Susan and Rich use with their family. Or bring games to the table, like Denise and her daughter. Limit digital distractions with some suggestions from Sheri’s household, or bring books and movies to life at the table, like Narelle and Scott.
• What if everyone’s just too tense to enjoy dinner? Try learning a new dinner-related skill together, as Mary, Andrew and Maggie did when they learned to make homemade sushi. Or compromise on talking about sensitive topics, like Mark and Jackie did with their teenagers.

With dozens of family stories and hundreds of recipes, conversation ideas and adaptable games for all ages, Eat, Laugh, Talk is a collection of some of our best family dinner resources, all laid out in an easy-to-follow format. We hope you’ll love the book and use the tips at your own family dinners for years to come!

Family of the Month

This month, we’re delighted to introduce a family that not only has a lot of experience and wisdom to share about family dinners, but had a key role in bringing our book to life. Christopher Robbins is the head of Familius Publishing, and together he and his wife are raising 9 kids at the dinner table.

Real Family Dinner Projects: The Robbins Family

Food

They’re the first recipe in our new book, and they’re fast and easy to prepare!

Chicken Noodle Lettuce Wraps

Fun

One of the most popular games on our site, “Would You Rather?” has stood the test of time and gotten the thumbs-up from countless families.

Would You Rather…?

Conversation

Check out this sneak peek of some of the conversation starters included in Eat, Laugh, Talk!