There are several ways in which you could approach this. First, it is a growth opportunity for both you and your manager.
. It is your time with the manager and not the other way. So you drive this meeting.
. It is a great opportunity to build/reinforce trust (both ways) so do not cancel them unless it is an emergency, on vacation, etc.
. Always set an agenda ahead of time and share with the manager.
. Since you seem to have a weekly 30 minutes, do not always talk about projects/operational things. It will soon get boring and you will feel like canceling the meetings.
. Is your manager open to feedback? Share where they excel. Share what you have learned from them. Also share when you expected something different than their exhibited behavior and show genuine care to understand why they did what they did (of course in a more conversational empathetic way).
These things go a long way in building trust, engagement, and relationship. A good manager will also grow from these interactions and perhaps implement similar style with other direct reports.
Lastly, [a shameless plug], if you like this and want to know more, dm me on twitter @muthax I will send a link to an app (in closed beta) we are building that helps users have meaningful 1:1 conversations.