Healthy Family Dinner Ideas

When clients meet with me, I almost always ask "what did you have for dinner last night?". This sometimes throws people off guard and they can't remember. For my long standing clients, they say "I knew you were going to ask that!". I ask this question because sometimes it is very telling in terms of what types of foods they have in their house. Sometimes, they tell me an excuse of why they ate poorly, and we try to come up with a plan to help make a better choice next time that situation occurs. I do find that people struggle with coming up with fun, interesting, and healthy meal ideas that they want to make and that the family will eat. So, I find myself rattling off what I made for dinner that week so far to give them ideas. I recently realized that I should just write a blog about this to provide my readers with ideas, and I can even send my clients to this post to have the ideas at their fingertips. Below are meals that I make on a regular basis... and some that I don't make all that frequently, but I have made. I've also included some that are maybe not 100% healthy, but hey, you have to live a little, and it's a heck of a lot healthier to eat these than to eat most takeout or frozen pizzas.

MEAL IDEAS YOU CAN MAKE EVERY WEEK:

• Turkey Meatloaf with a side of mashed butternut squash and a steamed green vegetable (green beans, broccoli, etc.) OR mashed cauliflower
• Air Fried Salmon with air fried Brussels sprouts and sweet potato or parsnip wedges
• Lentil Loaf with a side green salad*
• Lentil Curry (I use "light coconut milk") over quinoa/farro/barley
• Chicken sausage with cauliflower gnocchi (like Trader Joe's or Green Giant) and pan fried cabbage (in a touch of oil with chicken broth)
• Homemade Greek Salad with grilled chicken or chickpeas and farro
• A Mostly egg-white omelet or Frittata with LOTS of veggies and a slice of whole wheat/grain toast
• Shrimp Stir Fry with frozen stir fry vegetables over cooked quinoa
• Lentil Pasta Primavera with marinara sauce and lots of cooked veggies (zucchini, peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, etc.)
• Grilled chicken and veggies - served with side sweet potato or grain
• Turkey Burger on a 100% whole wheat bun with grilled or steamed veggies
• Kelly's Turkey Pumpkin Chili
• Kelly's Bean Pasta Casserole
• Tacos or Fajitas made with ground turkey, chicken, or beans. Wrap with an organic whole wheat pita and lots of veggies. Serve with fresh salsa and plain Greek yogurt.

"FUN"/EASY MEALS FOR THE WEEKENDS OR OCCASIONALLY

• Bagged salad (eg: kale salad from Costco) diluted a LOT with other greens and veg (arugula, spinach, chopped broccoli, cole slaw veg) and served with leftover or Rotisserie chicken breast
• Cauliflower Crust Frozen Pizza with a side salad*
• Tastybite Lentils/Chickpeas served over cauliflower rice
• Veggie Burger (I look for ones with >10 g protein, <150 calories, and mostly bean ingredients) with a side salad, 1/2 whole wheat pita (I like Wegman's Organic 100% Whole Wheat) with hummus.
• Green Giant Protein Bowls (freezer section) with additional frozen non-starchy veggies added
• Breakfast for dinner- Kodiak Cake Whole Grain pancakes with a side of an egg white veggie omelet
• BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches with a side of sauteed Brussels Sprouts
• Turkey Sandwich/wrap (on 100% whole wheat/grain bread/tortilla) with a side salad*

*For side salads, I recommend using a healthy green base such as arugula, spinach, or spring mix. Add lots of solid veggies (tomatoes, cucumbers, steamed broccoli, celery, broccoli/cole slaw) and a homemade dressing (oil, vinegar or lemon juice, mustard, salt OR plain Greek yogurt mixed with salsa), or Bolthouse Farms yogurt-based dressings (found in the refrigerator part of the produce section).

Hopefully this helps provide you with some healthy meal ideas going forward the next few weeks. And maybe, just maybe, some of these ideas helped you brainstorm and come up with your own meal idea that your family will enjoy. 

Lentil Pasta Pasta Salad

I apologize for the lack of posts... this year has been quite busy and I am now a mother of two! I had my baby boy "Tommy" on October 7th, who is a superstar baby. That being said, I haven't been doing much besides breastfeeding, laundry, and changing diapers. However, I make sure to get out for stroller walks (for not only exercise, but fresh air, sunlight, and to see the world!) and have been cooking a ton! Cooking is very therapeutic and fun for me, and it is something that keeps my whole family healthy and exposes my daughter to new flavors and cuisines. At the end of my pregnancy, I bought a lot of (healthier) frozen dishes and packed items like the quick cook Tastybite packs and quick cook quinoas. However, I found I haven't even used them since there is enough time to make quick meals almost every day.

So, while I breastfeed, I search for recipes or just try to create some fun and different meals for my family (now of 4!) with ingredients I have on hand. My hope is to post about these meals more regularly than I have been to show relatively easy things you can create when you are busy with kids, work, and keeping the house in order.

An extremely easy meal that I often recommend to my clients to make in bulk and take to work is a pasta salad. However, this isn't just any pasta salad, it's made with a bean based pasta (I use Barilla's Lentil or Fusili penne) and tons of veggies. So it's full of protein, fiber, and super healthy. You can make a big batch of this, and since you eat it cold, it is an easy and well-balanced meal to keep on hand for a quick meal. You can really use whatever vegetables you have on hand (or like in a pasta salad), but I provide some ideas below.

PASTA SALAD BASE INGREDIENTS:

1 box bean-based pasta (such as Barilla Lentil Penne or Fusili)

1 cup grape tomatoes- sliced in half

1/2 bunch of kale, mustard greens, or Swiss Chard (optional) - chopped into bite size pieces

1 - 8-10 oz container raw arugula

2 cups other veggies such as blanched broccoli, cauliflower, carrots

1 cup reduced-fat feta cheese, chunked or cubed

1/2 c black or kalamata olives, sliced in half (optional)

DRESSING:

1/3 c olive oil

1/4 c red wine vinegar

1/4 c water

2 tsp garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp each fresh cilantro and parsley (or herb of your choice!)- chopped fine

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta according to box directions

2. Cook down kale/collards/Swiss chard in pan or steam then chop. If blanching other veggies, do so at this time.

3. Let pasta and greens cool while you whisk together dressing ingredients in a jar.

4. Combine pasta and veggies in large bowl. 

5. Mix in Feta and olives.

6. Pour dressing over pasta mixture and stir until everything is dressed.

7. Chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Serves 8. NUTRITION LABEL BELOW (using Diet Master Pro software)

Winter Vegetable Stoup

This soup can be modified to suit your tastes and can use whatever vegetables you have on hand. It is a hardy soup that can be made more like a stew, hence the name "Stoup". It is well balanced with vegetables, healthy carbs, fiber, and protein that everyone in the family will hopefully like. I made a big batch and froze half of it for when future Kel is craving a soup but doesn't have hours to make one.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 medium white onion, chopped

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 cup carrots, sliced into small pieces

1 small head broccoli, sliced into bite size pieces

1 small container white mushrooms, sliced into bite size pieces

2 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tbsp. oregano

1 tbsp. parsley

1/4 c lemon juice

6 cups vegetable broth

1 cup of Trader Joe's Organic chickpea & red lentil Risoni (can sub 1 cup of any other "bean" based pasta)

1 - 15 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 - 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (can sub cannelini or any other bean you'd like)

1/2 medium butternut squash (optional, see "optional" directions)- sliced lengthwise and seeds removed

DIRECTIONS

OPTIONAL: Heat oven to 375 F degrees. Drizzle a touch of oil over the butternut squash and roast until soft, about 40 minutes. Cool on pan. Once cool, take a spoon to scoop out flesh into a bowl. Proceed to step 5 below:

1. Sauté onion, celery, mushrooms, and broccoli in oil with garlic, oregano and parsley for a few minutes in a large soup pot.

2. Add lemon juice to pot once veggies start getting soft and let cook for another minute or two.

3. Add vegetable broth, diced tomatoes, chickpeas, and risoni. Let simmer for about 10 minutes.

4. Using a soup ladle, remove about 2 cups of the soup including broth and all solid bits.

5. With an immersion blender or regular blender, blend the soup from step #4 until thick and almost uniform in texture. (NOTE: You can add the butternut squash at this step)

6. Add back pureed soup into big soup pot.

7. Simmer soup up to an hour longer to allow flavors to marinade. Season with salt and pepper as needed.

8. Enjoy!

NUTRITION INFO:* Makes about 10 cups:

Per cup: 180 calories, 4.5 g fat, 27 g carb (5.5 g fiber), 593 mg sodium, 8 g protein

*nutrition includes butternut squash and was determined using DietMaster Pro software