How to make a meal plan for family?

Here are six steps to making a meal plan: Give yourself time to plan. Set aside time each week to make a meal plan. ... Check what you have. Check what ingredients you already have in your cupboard, fridge or freezer. ... Include some of your favourite meals. ... Use up your leftovers. ... Cook in bulk. ... Make your ingredients work.

What is the healthiest fast food for kids?

Wendy's stands out as the frontrunner, offering a meal with just 246 calories, while Burger King ranks last with meals averaging 475 calories. A typical healthier meal for children usually includes milk, chicken nuggets, and a side of applesauce or fresh fruit.

What do kids eat to lose weight?

Replace highly processed foods with whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Instead of sugary sodas, serve water, low-fat or fat-free milk, or fortified nondairy beverages. Place healthy foods and beverages where they are easy to see and reach.

What are 5 small meals a day?

Five meals a day equals breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks . To do this right, you need to plan what you'll eat every day for each “meal.” And you need to schedule eating every 2 to 3 hours. Stock up. Face it: You're going to grab whatever food is closest.

What is a family style meal?

“Family-style” is a method of dining where servers place all components of a meal on the table and allow everyone to serve themselves . They place large serving dishes in the middle of the table. In this way, everyone can reach the offerings and choose what they want.

What foods cannot be meal prepped?

What foods should you not meal prep? Food Reason Egg-based sauces and mayonnaise The ingredients may separate or curdle when defrosted or reheated. Cream-based products, such as custard and yoghurt The ingredients will separate when frozen and the texture will change. 9 more rows Sep 1, 2022

How to plan a meal for kids?

Here are 4 ways to get ready: Decide on meals. Make a simple weekly menu of meals your family enjoys. ... Check for ingredients at home. See what you already have in your pantry or fridge. ... Set aside time to shop and cook. ... Make a shopping list with your budget in mind.

What is healthy food for kids?

grain (cereal) foods, including breads, rice, pasta and noodles, mostly wholegrain or high cereal fibre types. lean meat, fish, poultry and/or alternatives. milks, yoghurts, cheeses or alternatives — children under 2 should have full-fat milk, but older children and adolescents should choose mostly reduced-fat ...

What is healthy eating for a child?

Aim for your child to get most of their calories from foods like fruit and vegetables, and starchy foods like bread, potatoes, pasta and rice (preferably wholegrain versions) . They should also have some beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein foods, and some dairy or dairy alternatives.

What is an ideal meal for a child?

Children need a balanced diet with food from all 3 food groups— vegetables and fruit, whole grain products, and protein foods . Children need 3 meals a day and 1 to 3 snacks (morning, afternoon and possibly before bed). Healthy snacks are just as important as the food you serve at meals.

What are 5 healthy eating habits for kids?

Healthy Eating Have regular family meals. Serve a variety of healthy foods and snacks. Be a role model by eating healthy yourself. Avoid battles over food. Involve kids in the process.

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (2024)

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Need a 20 minute meal that’s kid friendly? Here are 12, 20 minute meals that are Kid Friendly, and you can have READY IN 20 MINUTES OR LESS for busy weeknights or when dinner time simply sneaks up on you! Um. Like tonight. And maybe tomorrow tonight.

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Grab the FREE 18 Meal Ideas CHEAT SHEET Here!

I’m not gonna lie. 20 minute meals are more of a regular event at our home than not. I am a big fan of fast, delicious meals that are quick to pull together in under half an hour or less. Less is always better.

I know dinner time can be hard.

Coming back from work or after school activities often leave you with little time to prep and cook healthy dinners from scratch. Stopping at the local take out seems like the easier option. Thing is, it’s not good for your health, waistline or budget.

With a few easy, quick, kid friendly meal planning tips and fast meal ideas, you can get your family eating healthier and save money – in less time that it would take to get through drive through. Just a give it a go for one week.

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Healthy Family Dinners

But don’t worry – just because it’s a quick dinner, it doesn’t mean you miss out on flavour. Here are 12 of our families favourite 20 minute Dinner Recipes that will please even the fussiest palate. What’s special about these recipes? They’re full of kid-friendly flavor, no one likes a bland dinner but kids can sometime be…picky, shall we say, about the flavors they’ll eat.
These are perfect, and please the whole crowd. And that’s a good thing in my book!

Download myFREE Dinner Time Cheat Sheet below, it’s really handy and will give you a head start!

12 Super Fast Healthy Dinner Recipes

Here are 12 of our families favourite 20 minute Dinner Recipes that will please even the fussiest palate.

Chicken Pesto Fettuccine

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This super fast mid week Chicken Pesto Fettuccine is a winner with kids. The creamy Pesto sauce and tender chicken means clean pates all round! Pesto fettuccine recipe here!

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This beautifully colorful Thai inspired dish takes just 15 minutes to out on the table. Get the kids to help with chopping and make it even quicker! Thai Noodle recipe here!

Grab the FREE 18 Meal Ideas CHEAT SHEET Here!

Quick Soba Noodles

Try these 20 Minute, Hmmm MMMM delicious weeknight soba noodles. Tender strips of chicken, sautéed broccoli and a sweet and tangy noodle sauce. Soba Noodle recipe here!

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Crab Pasta {Especially For Kids}

This mild crab pasta dish is the perfect way to get some seafood in their diets. Its fresh, lemony and cheesy. Yum! Crab pasta recipe here.

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Chicken Donburi Bowl

This Clean Eating Chicken Donburi Bowl recipe is insane!! It’s simple, versatile and can be prepped ahead for an easy lunch or light dinner.

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Chicken Donburi Bowl

Healthy Chinese Fried Rice

I could eat this healthy Chinese fried rice all over again. And I will. There is a small lunch box of leftovers still in the fridge. Just enough for me and whoever catches me heating it up :)

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Chinese Fried Rice

This easy mid-week (or quick weekend lunch) Ham and Mushroom pasta uses cream cheese as a sauce and is a great way to use up any ham you have in the fridge. It’s a simple recipe, and especially good for littler kids who prefer their food slightly plainer than bigger kids (and us) might like. Feel free to leave the garlic out if you’ve got garlic haters in your house, or add extra to give it a bigger kick!

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Ham and mushroom pasta

Clean Eating Lasagne

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So what’s the difference between Clean Eating lasagna and your regular homemade lasagna? Shhh don’t tell anyone, but the answer is … nothing. The whole point to Clean Eating is making food using whole food ingredients. It’s not complicated and it’s something everyone can do.
Lasagne recipe

Chicken Piccata

This is a real Summery recipe, Clean eating Chicken Piccata: It’s quick, easy, fresh and lemony. You can have this ready in 10 minutes or so, making it one of the fastest healthy chicken dinners I make. We have this fairly often. I use chicken thighs for this, they’re really juicy and full of flavor as well as being a bit cheaper than breast meat.

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Chicken Piccata recipe

Cauliflower Broccoli Casserole

This Healthy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole is delicious, cheesy comfort food, super healthy and packed full of the good stuff. It’s a regular here, requested often and always eaten. I make this with mywhite bean cheese saucefor an extra protein hit and while it’s technically a ‘side’ dish, this is so good you’d be forgiven for eating it all alone and straight from the dish!

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Cauliflower broccoli cheese casserole

Grilled Fish Tacos

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Grilled fish Tacos

Fussy Eaters Fajitas

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Recipe Link

Quick family dinners

So, there you have it!

12 new and a little exciting easy recipes for dinner to add to your weeknight meal plan.

The best thing is that you can whip these little beauties up super fast using ingredients you’ve actually heard of! The next time you’re wondering what to fix for dinner (which I think is the reason you are here) – all you have to do it pick one of these!

To see the other posts in this 10 of the Best Meal Prepping Series series, check out the following:

10 Recipes You Can Make with a Pound of Ground Beef
10 Recipes you can make with a Jar of Pasta Sauce
10 Healthy Sheet Pan Dinners

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (2024)

Healthy Family Dinners

12 Super Fast Healthy Dinner Recipes

Chicken Pesto Fettuccine

Quick Soba Noodles

Crab Pasta {Especially For Kids}

Chicken Donburi Bowl

Chicken Donburi Bowl

Healthy Chinese Fried Rice

Chinese Fried Rice

Ham and mushroom pasta

Clean Eating Lasagne

Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata recipe

Cauliflower Broccoli Casserole

Grilled Fish Tacos

Grilled fish Tacos

Fussy Eaters Fajitas

Quick family dinners

FAQs

How to make a meal plan for family? ›

What are 5 healthy eating habits for kids? ›

Food	Reason
Egg-based sauces and mayonnaise	The ingredients may separate or curdle when defrosted or reheated.
Cream-based products, such as custard and yoghurt	The ingredients will separate when frozen and the texture will change.