Healthy & Easy Family Meal Ideas

As National Nutrition Month comes to an end, I wanted to share some healthy meals the whole family will love. Finding healthy meals the whole family will eat (and are easy to cook and easy to clean up) can be challenging. Below I am sharing five ideas that work well for me and my family!

Often times just changing a few ingredients (and/or leaving a few ingredients out) can make a huge difference in how healthy a meal is for our families. So for this post, I have chosen a few favorites and considered how to adjust them to make them healthier.

1. Tacos!

So when you think healthy, you may not immediately think of tacos. However, I think it is pretty easy to make them healthy. So here are my tips for making tacos healthy:

• Use chicken, turkey, or fish (leaner proteins)

• Add veggies - fajita-style veggies are easy to cook in a skillet and taste good!

• Use beans - beans are a great source of fiber and protein!

• Use your family's favorite toppings, but in moderation (the hard part)

Tacos are so easy to make and include most of the parts of the My Plate food recommendations. It is also a great way to include a variety of food in your family's meal.

2. Homemade Pizza

My husband and I have been making our own pizza for years! And it is always so delicious! Since my son has a garlic allergy, making our own pizza is a great way to be able to serve him pizza (since most commercial pizza sauce includes garlic). You can make your own dough or buy it premade at the grocery store (we usually buy ours pre-made). If you really want to up the healthy game, you can use a cauliflower crust, but let's be honest it is not the same. :-)

Tips for making your pizza healthy:

• Add lots of vegetables!

• Buy whole-grain crust

• Make it a thin-crust pizza

• Choose leaner meats for the toppings (chicken is yummy on a pizza!)

• Use a fresh tomato sauce or a no-salt-added canned tomato sauce

• Use fresh mozzarella (or lower-fat cheeses, natural cheeses are better)

My niece will eat most vegetables if they are covered in cheese. Pizza is a great way to do this! You can even put the vegetables in the sauce and the cheese over the vegetables.

Making pizza is a fun meal for kids to make - so get them involved in the process!

3. Mediterranean Chicken Bowl or Chicken Salad

We love Mediterranean food and making it at home means we can leave out the garlic so my son can eat it too. It's also easy to make. Plus bowls are a great family option because if one of your family members does not like something, it just doesn't go into their bowl, but everyone else can still include it.

What is in our bowl: brown rice, chicken, red onions, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, tzatziki, feta, and sometimes we include pita bread. (I also sometimes include the garlic spread from Trader Joe's in my bowl.)

If you want to make a salad, just use lettuce instead of rice. This is also great because your kids may prefer rice, while you eat it over lettuce.

We use boneless, skinless, chicken breasts and our seasoning varies every time we make it. Here is a recipe from Feel Good Foodie if you are looking for a recipe. We slice up the chicken after it is cooked and add it to a rice bowl (or salad if making a salad).

4. Burgers

I don't know about your family, but sometimes, we just want a burger. And there are ways to make burgers healthier. Just cooking them at home rather than eating them out is likely going to make them healthier.

Other tips for making them healthier:

• Choose a whole-wheat bun

• Choose leaner meats (chicken, turkey, venison, bison, black bean, etc. )

• Add spices to boost flavor without extra calories (ex. cajun seasoning)

• Top with veggies:

  • tomato

  • lettuce

  • onion

  • red onion

  • sauteed mushrooms or peppers

  • pickles

  • spinach or arugula

  • avocado

  • jalapenos

  • roasted red peppers

  • sliced olives

• Use low-fat cheese

• Use lower-calorie (and lower-sugar) condiments

  • ketchup (bonus if it is no sugar added)

  • mustard

  • hot sauce

  • fresh salsa

• Consider healthy sides!

If you are grilling burgers, you could also grill some veggies. Grilled veggies are delicious and healthy. If you (and/or your kids) want fries, consider making them yourself in the oven instead of buying the frozen pre-made ones.

5. Broccoli Mac & Cheese

I think most kids probably love macaroni and cheese. I know my toddler does. I always keep frozen broccoli in our freezer for an easy vegetable choice. And sometimes I will mix that in with the macaroni and cheese to add vegetables to his plate. Then I usually add some chicken for some protein and maybe another veggie or fruit.

So I 100% admit that usually my macaroni and cheese is the frozen one from Trader Joe's. However, I would like to do better in the future and make it myself. Then I can substitute the pasta for the Banzaa pasta which is made of chickpeas to make it a little healthier (and maybe some other substitutes too). Check out this recipe from Feel Good Foodie.

I hope these ideas are helpful to you and your family!

Remember Mama, you are doing a great job! You got this!

Sources:

• USDA

• Cleveland Clinic (Pizza)

• Feel Good Foodie (Mediterranean Chicken)

• Cleveland Clinic (Burger)

• Feel Good Foodie (Macaroni & Cheese)