Healthy Family Food Ideas

We know that coming up with healthy family food ideas isn't always easy. As a parent, it’s not always easy to encourage and promote healthy eating. Life can get hectic and we all know that children aren’t always easy to please. Creating a balanced weekly menu is important but it can be difficult, especially if you are tied to lots of after school or sporting commitments. In this post, we share some of the food ideas we use to keep our family healthy.

Overnight oats

Overnight oats are a brilliant way to get some healthy food into the family, when you don't have much time. The great thing about overnight oats is they require minimal preparation. You can get everything together the night before and then serve up your breakfast feast in the morning.

You can easily vary the recipe and include everyone's favourite fruit (or keep ingredients out for the more fussy family member!) We also found overnight oats a great way of getting our girls to try small amounts of new fruits and nuts.

Adding milk and natural yoghurt, or even fruit juices to porridge oats will give you a healthy, delicious base to start with. You can substitute dried fruit, nuts, seeds and extras such as honey, maple syrup.

You can also make your overnight oats recipe seasonal and much cheaper. Add berries in the summer or baked apples and cinnamon for a winter warmer, for example.

Overnight oats are also incredibly portable - A small pot with a lid is a lifesaver if you’re in a hurry, you can take your breakfast with you.

Protein pancakes

I've mentioned so many times on this site that my girls were huge lovers of Pancakes. We know that they aren't always the healthiest option but protein pancakes are a fabulous alternative to traditional pancakes slathered in sweet treats.

Following a recipe for high-protein pancakes increases protein intake to keep tummies fuller for longer and promote healthy growth. You can then offer nutritious toppings, including berries, Greek yoghurt, seeds, chopped apple, banana, nectarine or plums for a sweet breakfast, or herbs, peppers, onions, mushrooms and pesto for a savoury dish. 

One Pot Meals

One Pot Meals are ideal for busy families, as they’re easy to prepare and they create minimal mess. They are also great for when members of the family need to eat at different times so you can pop leftovers in the fridge to be reheated. We have a great family recipe for vegan or vegetarian spicy casserole - This is jam-packed full of beans, pulses and vegetables and full of flavour from the herbs and spices.

You could try recipes, such as chicken and chorizo with onions, peppers and tomato, cod and tomato, chicken and mozzarella or a vegetarian medley with peppers, onions, aubergine, sweet potato, mushrooms, courgette and tomatoes.

Vary the ingredients to keep the menu interesting. In most cases, you’ll be ready to go once you’ve chopped all your vegetables and placed them in your oven dish with your meat, fish or potatoes.

Fresh pasta

Fresh pasta is simple and quick and again, so versatile. It takes just a few minutes to boil fresh pasta and heat a sauce. Even better is homemade fresh pasta as this is completely free from additives.

Homemade pasta sauces only need a selection of vegetables and some herbs - Its easy to make a huge batch and freeze the rest for another day. Chopped tomatoes and basil is a classic combination that always goes down well in this house. I tend to add more vegetables, like mushrooms and courgettes for us adults and the children add grated cheese for their protein. It is also incredibly easy to blitz up more roasted vegetables and hide in your pasta sauce.

Fakeaways

A survey by Ninja revealed that 20%-25% of UK families order a takeaway at least once a week. Takeaways are a treat but they can be expensive and they’re not always nutritious. With a little preplanning, it's possible to make your own version of a takeaway, making it one of your healthy family meal ideas without feeling you are missing out. Options include healthy curries, served with your own homemade Naan and oven baked samosas, homemade Chinese dishes and lighter versions of classics such as a burger and fries and fish and chips.