Want to show someone you love them? A home-cooked meal is the ticket

Going out to a fancy restaurant is a popular Valentine's Day activity, but a poll commissioned by chocolate company Ferrero Rocher showed that most couples prefer a home-cooked meal.

Eating together at home enriches relationships and can bring your family closer together. Cooking for loved ones isn't just about food preparation; it's a love language that communicates affection, dedication and thoughtfulness.

Good for the whole family

The kitchen is often called the heart of the home, and that's never truer than when you're preparing nourishing meals for your family even if that's a quick breakfast on a busy morning, a packed lunch or a meticulously prepared dinner. Sharing meals together can do a lot of good outside the kitchen too. In fact, according to the American Heart Association, 91% of parents report that their family is less stressed when they eat dinner together.

How Utah's popular home-grown meal delivery service got started

The pandemic hit in March 2020. Yet, when many small businesses — particularly in the food industry — were struggling to get supplies, "Honeybee Beehive Meals" started doubling deliveries.

Additionally, regular family dinners are associated with better academic performance, higher self-esteem, greater resilience and even lower risk of substance abuse, depression and teen pregnancy, according to The Family Dinner Project.

Easing the daily burden

Benefits aside, coordinating and executing a home-cooked meal every night is no easy task. That's why simplifying is essential if you're hoping to make (and keep) family dinners a habit.

Thankfully there is a way to simplify meal prep so you can stop dreading cooking both a delicious and nutritious meal every day of the week. With dozens of different entrees to choose from, Beehive Meals will keep your family fed and happy with enough variety to appease your picky eaters.

Their wide variety of healthy and delicious homemade frozen meals that go from the freezer to crock pot to table with minimal effort are perfect for the family overwhelmed with making daily meals.

Sharing the food and the love

Beyond the physical and mental health benefits, cooking for others is a gift of self that conveys a myriad of messages. It can be a gesture of comfort during difficult times, a celebration of achievements or simply a way to say "I care about you."

The effort and thought put into selecting ingredients, choosing recipes, and preparing meals speak volumes, making loved ones feel valued and cherished.

Cooking as a love language is supported by culinary experts and psychologists alike, who agree that cooking for others creates a unique bond and fosters a sense of belonging and security.

"Giving to others fills us in so many ways," Michal AviShai, culinary arts therapist tells the Huffington Post. "And even more so when it's cooking because feeding fulfills a survival need, and so our feeling of fulfillment comes not only from the good of the act of giving, but also the fact that we have 'helped' in some very primal way. We have given fuel."

Show your love without the frustration

If enjoying more meals at home isn't on your list of goals for 2024, it should be! With so many benefits, creating nourishing meals can help strengthen your family and well-being. If you need a little help getting food on the table every night, Beehive Meals can help.

Whether you need dinner prepped every night of the week or just for those insanely busy ones, it is the perfect way to keep family dinners simple, delicious and nutritious. For more information about their deliveries and menu options, visit Beehive Meals.

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