Do you have a meal planning strategy to keep family dinners both healthy and stress-free? - Win £200 Voucher

[rosiemumsnet]

Now that January is here, it's the perfect time to settle back into a routine and focus on healthier eating after the holiday indulgence!

We know that getting a healthy, stress-free family dinner on the table can be tricky with busy schedules and picky eaters. We’d love to hear from parents who have a meal planning strategy that works - one that keeps family dinners both nutritious and hassle-free!

So whether it's planning meals for the week, prepping ingredients in advance, or maybe you’re a fan of recipe box deliveries, we’d love to hear your tips and ideas for making mealtime easier!

Here’s what Mindful Chef have to say:

Mindful Chef is the UK's number one rated recipe box company, set up to make healthy eating easy. Our recipe boxes ensure our customers have the tools to conveniently eat high-quality, nutritious meals that help them feel far healthier and happier.

One lucky Mumsnetter will win a £200 VEX voucher for a store of their choice. All you have to do is post your tips or ideas in the thread below and vote in the poll to be entered into a prize draw. Good luck!

I probably need some of this advice!

I do try cook a meal so that we can eat leftovers the next day.

the day before food shopping is delivered is usually a fridge raid and cupboard staples day e.g. butter bean/black bean/black eyed bean curries but I add some Kale to the sauce and blend it before adding the beans for some freshness and adds to your 5 a day.

i do also buy frozen curry pastes which gives me flexibility as they don’t go off like jars which you end up with in the back of the fridge.

I have a list of meals all the children will eat. I have ingredients in stock for most all the time (they are picky), so they get one of those.

I can't imagine not meal planning! We sit down once a week and plan the week ahead before doing an online order. I try to avoid doing top up shops and this avoids waste and helps me keep on budget. I ask the kids if there are any meals they fancy and we all add things to the alexa shopping list through the week.

Usually on Mondays we do our family meal planing. We are writing down what we will eat what day and then placing our order online. I always buy some frozen food just in case. And that saves us money, as we are topping up in a week only on fresh milk and bread.

Using spices, herbs and things like lemon/lime zest to enhance flavour. Just lifts things up a bit in terms of taste and helps fresh foods taste a bit more special.

I leave it to my husband. He writes what he wants bought on the fridge whiteboard and I buy it.

Meals appear on the table.

Use quick and easy healthy recipes from bbc good food. 'Start with Plant' as main ingredient- cheaper and healthier.

I'm terrible for failing to plan meals these day. And the times I do I sabotage myself by not fancying what I'd planned, so ingredients go to waste. I was much better when my kids were young and I knew exactly where all of us would be at any time, but it's much harder with teenagers who might not turn up for dinner.

I did used to get meal ingredients boxes delivered at times when I lost interest in cooking (well, probably it's more like I couldn't be bothered to think and shop to cook) and they were very good and avoided food waste, but I hated all the packaging.

I meal plan, I have notebooks full of weekly meal plans as it’s something I’ve done every week for the last 18 years.

it’s the only way to keep costs down.

I also try to make one meal last 2 days, so if I make a chilli, I’ll make a big batch which half does one meal with rice, guacamole and salad, the the next day we have the other half in wraps and covered in a homemade sauce for burritos.

I also get the children to each cook a meal once a week so I get the ingredients and leave them to it.

they just have to make sure the meal is gluten and soya free and contains at least 3 vegetables to keep it healthy. They’ve found some great recipes!

Meal planning for sure and also shopping when sated/not hungry.

And, adding lentils, blitzed cannelloni beans or similar to dishes like shepherds pie, Bolognese, curry to increase the goodness and make the dish go further.

I make a weekly meal plan. Two of my children are fussy eaters and one has a dairy allergy so it takes a bit of planning. I make sure I always have a range of salad items and cooked pasta in the fridge so I can easily substitute parts of meals for the fussy eaters in the family.

Thank you everyone for sharing your meal planning tips (reading these has definitely made me hungry!). I hope you found this thread useful and took some ideas from eachother.

Overall, the main theme here seems to be a nice blend of practicality and health with a strong focus on reducing waste and accommodating the needs of family members. Many of you love to batch cook, use up leftovers, and love frozen food for convenience and cost!

Kindly note, that this post has now closed and the winner of the voucher has been contacted.

Thanks,
Rosie

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