Share your tips and tricks for harmonious family meals - £200 voucher to be won

[EllieSmumsnet]

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We all know how busy family life can get, so mealtimes can be a great way to come together, bond as a family and share great food, but it isn’t always easy; picky-eaters, wasted food and a lack of time to think of and prepare healthy meals that the whole family will enjoy. How often does your family eat together? What are your best tips and tricks for happy, healthy family meals and empty plates?

• Share your tips and tricks below for happy and harmonious meal times
• One lucky MNer will win a £200 voucher for a store of their choice.

Here’s what Veg Power has to say:

“Half of mums tell us that they struggle to get their kids to eat more vegetables, with many admitting that they have given up trying. Our mission at Veg Power is to get kids excited about vegetables and to help parents and carers serve up those vegetables with confidence. Families enjoying positive meal times together is an essential part of that and sadly in many homes that's a challenge. Although we're supported by an amazing panel of nutritionists, psychologist and chefs we find that the best ideas often come from parents. We'd love to hear your views.”

Midweek pasta is a my friend, whip up a tomato and vegetable sauce with passatta sweetcorn, button mushrooms, chicken, and peppers, with different pastas, (I used to buy a teddy bear pasta which I cannot get any more ) It's quick, easy, filling, and I can take leftovers for my lunch the next day.

Make the full use of your slowcooker, you can roughly chop everything, add some cubes of meat, and a stock cube - your meal is ready, and slow cooked often more tasty - the aroma around your home should encourage an appetite, I put my slow cook pot in the centre of the room so they can take the amount they feel they can eat, lessening the pressure, and they know they can get seconds. Adding herbs can add to the flavour and aroma - I use a bay leave most times.

I make a vegetable soup, blended and serve with some warm buttered sourdough - our favourite dinner, and make a large bolognaise at the weekend to add to pasta, airfried wedges, and with mashed potato. They try most things, but I will always try a food stuff another way if it's not eaten.

I feel that discussing your weekly shop and what we can eat for dinner every evening, and if they play a part in discussing what the family is eating they feel more in control, also using a serving bowl and letting them choose how much they can eat, also keep an eye on if they want a snack after school which I will deter - I know from experience this means they are less likely to want dinner at 6.

I try bribery with stickers and rewards, I know they like the food I make, they would much rather be playing/watching TV or eating sweets, I don't give them too much, and offer a desert too. Quick meals pasta and stir fries, and using my slowcooker for minced meat meals, with lots of veg and herbs and garlic.

Bribery also works, we have a takeaway every Friday, IF we have had good manners and good eating and trying something new, it gives them something to focus on and I think there has been only one occasion the Just Eat driver did not visit our house. (I look forward to a night off from cooking so it's a bonus for me)

Slow cooker! Then it fits in with the kids being ready for tea at different times, due to different clubs

The use of slow cooking and airfrying can give a whole new flavours and with herb and infused oils can make mealtimes tasty and not hard work for you.
Our fave is parboiled carrots and potato chips, drained, a spray of garlic oil and air fried with a chicken (also done in the Ninja for 40 minutes). Keep it colourful tasty and easy. No TV in the dining room and no phones or games at the table.

My 2 are quite fussy but annoyingly about opposite foods. We take it in turns as to which one gets the meal they're not as keen on. Although I won't cook separate meals for them I will cook different veg depending on their preferences. Because of DH's work we only really sit down altogether to eat at weekends, though I will sit with them at the table in the week even if I'm not eating. We encourage them to try a bit of our food if we're eating something out but don't make too much of a fuss if they don't like it. As long as they're getting plenty of fruit and veg and not too many sweets I'm generally happy.

Midweek my slowcooker is my saviour, I put a selection of veg, chicken or beef cubes, a stock cube, herbs, seasoning and leave to do it's magic until tea time. I find they very rarely pull their noses up at a fragrant tasty meal (only when I used Lamb and it was 'too sweet' yes slow cooked lamb does have a sweeter taste so avoid that.

My tips are to all eat together from a very early age, even when they are not eating your dinners, they see and pick up on your diet, eating, chewing, holding utensils - if this is done, and you include and evolve from pureed food to small amounts of family food, it's a natural progression - be patient, give them time, encourage and try new things when you can.

My DD12 is a picky eater and if I dish her up a dinner with everything on the plate, she'll always find something to moan about. So I changed to putting the food on to serving plates or bowls so she can choose what she wants to eat at the table. I found this way made her more likely to eat veg as it was 'her' choice, rather than feeling forced to eat it. I think it also made her feel more grown up which in turn made her behave more responsibly at the dinner table.

@EllieSmumsnet is this thread going to close soon ? Will you be choosing a winner ? 😄

Our little one has many severe food allergies but we try to have a meal he can eat too.

For example, we'll make home made pizza (his has vegan cheese) and then we can use any safe topping we like.

If the kids get involved, they always eat more.

Being adventurous with food. Adding spices and introduce cuisine from around the world so they broaden their palette. Get them involved in choosing and preparing.

Chopped Veg that they can choose from.
Chopping up fruit and serving with yoghurt and chocolate shavings. Dipped fruit in chocolate.

Telling them about processed food and how so much nicer to make homemade. My son bakes cookies by himself now and my daughter likes making flapjacks.

Congratulations @littlecottonbud you are the winner of this discussion!