Your Go-To Healthy Family Meals??

TrishAnn08
TrishAnn08 Posts: 13 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am sure most of us have busy lives between work, school, exercise, children, and after-school activities. Some days we feel that we do not have time to prepare a meal, so what are some of your go-to meals that are healthy, but also work for the whole family? Feel free to share pictures and recipes!

Replies

  • NoelFigart1
    NoelFigart1 Posts: 1,276 Member
    Crock pot. Lotta soups and stews. Soup anna salad isn't too unusual.
  • d6melanie
    d6melanie Posts: 84 Member
    Crockpot - Onions, carrots, sweet potato, mushrooms, Pot Roast, and garlic, salt and pepper, and herbs. If I want it to be stew I'll add a can of diced tomatoes and a cup of stock. (I make this open and pour and let it go meal at least once a week.)

    I usually pre-cut (or buy pre-cut) veg so for dinner tonight I'll toss them in olive oil and herbs and pop them in the oven to roast while my husband grills us some meat (usually chicken.) Usually while the veg is cooking I have time to empty the dishwasher, rotate the laundry or something. :)

    Also if I just failed to plan anything and all I have is ingredients and no heart to make them then we head to Chipotle or we have scrambled eggs. :)
  • JZ_Evolution_Mark2
    JZ_Evolution_Mark2 Posts: 63 Member
    Baked chicken breast with pepper and lemon... sauteed garlic green beans... salad with balsamic vinagerette... and Diet green tea... ohh and chile.. LOL
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Some kind of protein (baked fish, chicken breast on the foreman, sausage on the foreman, steak on the outside grill in Summer) with frozen veggies and sometimes potatoes (baked or boiled), egg noodles, couscous or rice.

    Or we have tacos, just have to cook the meat with seasonings and assemble our tacos. Or just some pasta with frozen meatballs and jar sauce. Or breakfast for dinner.

    That's pretty much what we eat when I don't feel like cooking.
  • MamaRiss
    MamaRiss Posts: 481 Member
    Chicken breast or boneless pork chops, veggie of some sort (recently I discovered roasting broccoli with minced garlic and fresh grated parmesan), and a starch rice/pasta/potato. A dinner like this usually takes me 30 minutes
  • blame_society
    blame_society Posts: 1 Member
    Spaghetti using whole wheat pasta and lean beef
  • ukaryote
    ukaryote Posts: 860 Member
    When DW pulls out her middle eastern cookbook, we know it will be more healthy than usual. Lots of beans and spices with little oil. Some couscous but we can moderate the carbs.
    • Black bean stew
    • chickpea and spinach with tomatoes, onion, and garlic
    • bowtie noodles with yogurt and mint
    • basmati rice with chopped dates and pistachios

    New England type stuff without the extra cream and butter:
    • baked chicken breast
    • mixed salad greens
    • vegetables
    • Butternut squash soup - variations include curry, coconut, sour green apples
    • DW hates fish so occasionally I sneak in some cod, perch, salmon, whatever is on sale.
  • ViolaLeeBlueberry
    ViolaLeeBlueberry Posts: 182 Member
    Chicken curry, using boneless and skinless breasts. Don't use a recipe, but it's basically just this:

    - make the masala/tomato base (saute a few tomatoes, maybe with onion, no more than 1 tbsp oil, toss in the spices, I cheat by using a garlic or garlic-ginger paste, put that aside)

    - then saute the chicken a bit in the same pan because I'm lazy (this also takes no more than 1 tbsp oil, so total oil used in the recipe is only 2 tablespoons and that's split among the family)

    - pull out a little chicken for the dog because it has no onions/garlic at this point and she's right there looking at me hopefully, so put that aside for her dinner ...

    - toss in the masala/tomato base, maybe with a tablespoon or two of yogurt or coconut cream, stir it a bit, toss in whatever other spices it needs, and that's it.

    I'd be surprised if it took more than 15 minutes. Curries are way easier than people think.
  • TrishAnn08
    TrishAnn08 Posts: 13 Member
    ukaryote wrote: »
    When DW pulls out her middle eastern cookbook, we know it will be more healthy than usual. Lots of beans and spices with little oil. Some couscous but we can moderate the carbs.
    • Black bean stew
    • chickpea and spinach with tomatoes, onion, and garlic
    • bowtie noodles with yogurt and mint
    • basmati rice with chopped dates and pistachios

    New England type stuff without the extra cream and butter:
    • baked chicken breast
    • mixed salad greens
    • vegetables
    • Butternut squash soup - variations include curry, coconut, sour green apples
    • DW hates fish so occasionally I sneak in some cod, perch, salmon, whatever is on sale.

    Recipe for Bowtie Noodles with Yogurt and mint Please!!!!
  • TrishAnn08
    TrishAnn08 Posts: 13 Member
    d6melanie wrote: »
    Crockpot - Onions, carrots, sweet potato, mushrooms, Pot Roast, and garlic, salt and pepper, and herbs. If I want it to be stew I'll add a can of diced tomatoes and a cup of stock. (I make this open and pour and let it go meal at least once a week.)

    I usually pre-cut (or buy pre-cut) veg so for dinner tonight I'll toss them in olive oil and herbs and pop them in the oven to roast while my husband grills us some meat (usually chicken.) Usually while the veg is cooking I have time to empty the dishwasher, rotate the laundry or something. :)

    Also if I just failed to plan anything and all I have is ingredients and no heart to make them then we head to Chipotle or we have scrambled eggs. :)

    How long do you cook for veggies for and what are your favorite veggies made this way?
  • dukesangel
    dukesangel Posts: 45 Member
    This weeks meals have been:

    Monday - hot dogs, mac n cheese, side salad
    Tuesday - chicken and broccoli casserole
    Weds- pulled pork, steamed broccoli
    Thurs - chicken enchiladas with refried beans
    Friday - Grilled chicken with rice and steamed broccoli.

    I always plan a weeks worth of food. Which makes it easy to cook. The pulled pork is done in the crockpot. So this morning I threw it in there with some sauce and its done by the time I get home. I'll make enchilada sauce tonight and then tomm soak the beans while I'm at work then throw into a pressure cooker while I get the enchiladas made. It's all pretty healthy stuff. (mac n cheese and hotdogs might be on somebodies no no list. Not mine! lol)
  • independant2406
    independant2406 Posts: 447 Member
    This recipe is pretty awesome. I usually use the leftovers to make chicken noodle soup

    http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/perfect-roast-chicken-recipe.html

    I'm also a huge fan of these:
    http://www.savingyoudinero.com/2012/06/12/1-hour-1-mess-5-crock-pot-meals/
    http://www.skinnytaste.com/p/cookbook.html
    http://damndelicious.net/
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Lately my family has been liking this Italian Chicken, Potatoes and Green Beans meal:
    Get a bag of new potatoes and halve or quarter them - place them on one side of a 9x13 pan. Next to those, in the middle of the pan, lay 4 chicken breasts, and next to that, a bag of fresh or frozen green beans (or broccoli or carrots or whatever veg your family likes). Then sprinkle a packet of Good Seasons Dry Italian Dressing over the whole pan, and pour a stick of melted butter over the whole thing. Cover with foil and bake for 1 hour.
  • kristydi
    kristydi Posts: 781 Member
    edited October 2014
    Mains
    Chicken breast
    Tilapia
    Salmon

    I have a cast iron griddle that lives on top of 2 of my stove burners. All of the above get seasoned then "grilled" on the griddle. Everyone in the family likes those choices and they're quick and easy.

    Veggies everyone likes are microwave steamed broccoli, corn on the cob, sweet potatoes any way and oven roasted asparagus. Sauteed or roasted zucchini and squash or spinach sautéed with garlic and white wine the kids don't really like, but will eat them without much fuss.

    Taco night is pretty easy too. Grilled sliced chicken or shrimp and lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheese, jarred salsa and sautéed peppers and onions if I'm feeling energetic. Maybe some beans warmed up. Everyone can make their own tacos and if I don't have many calories left I can skip the tortillas and make a salad.

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