Which quick, healthy meals do you rely on most often? £100 voucher & Deli Kitchen products to be won

[MaddyMumsnet]

Life can be busy, and finding the time to prepare something both healthy and tasty can feel like a challenge – especially when you’ve got little (or not-so-little!) ones to feed as well.

Whether it’s breakfast before the school run, a speedy desk lunch, or a no-fuss dinner after a long day of juggling work, homework and after-school clubs, we’d love to hear your go-to meals that tick all the boxes for speed, nutrition, and flavour!

Everyone who comments below by 15/09/25 will be in with a chance to win a £100 VEX voucher & x5 Deli Kitchen products of their choice, that’ll be delivered in a straw tortilla basket (T&Cs apply).

I batch cook lasagna so I always have a frozen family sized portion in the freezer. I also keep cook and keep frozen portions of dal, curries and home made flat bread in the freezer for those busy days when I won't have time to cook from scratch. Sheet pan dinners are also a winner with us. Roast whatever veg you have in the oven with your chosen protein source and serve with some rice or quinoa. Or put it into a wrap.

Mine have always had a good varied appetite from weaning - our go to is enchiladas with some chicken from the weekend, some salsa and spice and lots of grated cheese - in the airfryer it's really quick and tasty for them - after a school club a great protein hit

Our go to meals are different types of curry and rice, chicken fajitas, salmon pasta, and stir fry.

I like reading these threads for other ideas, it's easy to get stuck in a rut with cooking.

Pasta with pesto, green beans and cherry tomatoes. Leftover chicken if you have it.

noodles with prawns and veg from the freezer with some soya sauce, honey and chilli paste

peppers, chicken and salad in wraps

couscous with chicken and veg or chickpeas and veg

Boil rice. at the same time cook Thai chicken, fish or veg curry using a good Thai paste and coconut milk. Add chopped coriander and squeeze of lime if you have it.

I marinate enough tofu in soy sauce with garlic & ginger at the weekend for 3 meals, then have it for weekday lunches air fried with sweet potato chips, or stir-fried with chickpeas, spinach & whatever other veg I’ve got in the freezer.

Can I say that with over half of the commenters have DC's who will eat anything given to them is really encouraging.
My go-to meal are wraps, with meat finely sliced lettuce, spring onions and peppers with a flavoured mayo, with french fries - quick easy to eat with small hands, and filling.

Salmon in the grill for 10min, microwave brown rice and avocado or boiled broccoli.

I batchcook pasta sauce (roasted onion, garlic, red pepper, carrot, courgette, tomato blended with tomato paste) and freeze. Then make pasta bake with it as our quick go to, it is always a hit.

Fridge surprise! Whatever veg are in the bottom of the fridge,tin of tomatoes, some random spice or herbs. Stir fried or roasted, served with pasta.

I always have a pot of soup on with whatever veg is on the allotment or in winter what's seasonal in the shops, and have that for lunch (or breakfast)

And I batch cook four days dinners at a time, this week it's slimming world meatballs, and each night do a different carb and veg or salad with it so it's not always exactly the same thing.

A jacket potato started in the microwave but finished in the oven for a crispy skin topped with frozen sweetcorn and mixed peppers and a bit of cheese - always enjoyed and easy to make.

Pesto pasta with baby spinach thrown in.
Also salmon fillet paired with a tinned pulse salad. Very quick.
Greek salad is a quick one too. Always make sure to have feta, cucumber and tomatoes in house.

The quickest meal I make is baked potatoes. Usually with tuna & cheese or beans and cheese served with a big salad. Can have it on the table in 5 minutes flat using frozen ones - perfect for after swimming lessons.

I love a good traybake, fuss free and chuck everything in! Our families favourite is salmon, pesto, wedges and broccoli 😍😍

My quickest meal is tacos. I fry chicken in ketjap manis which gives it an amazing flavour. I put grated cheese, spring onion and coriander in little separate pots and we assemble the tacos ourselves so it’s a fun dinner.

I have two sen children who are so so picky. I make carrott batons and cucumber sticks pretty much every day as this is the only raw veg they will eat. I have no ‘heathly go to meal’. I wish!! I do always end with fruit as they also eat grapes and strawberries. And if that sounds like my kids are amazing eaters, then yes I am thankful that they eat some friut and veg as the rest of their diet is bread, nutella and pasta. One of them also eats mild cheddar. I feel like an almost constant failure when it comes to their food intake.

For a no-fuss fast dinner we have fish. Usually salmon terriyaki, cod in tomato sauce, fishcakes or steamed seabass with ginger. Really fast, tasty and healthy.

Toad in the hole is so easy. Make the batter in the morning before work/school and chill in the fridge all day.

Then just heat some oil in a pan and chuck in the sausages and pour over the batter.

I serve with carrots and broccoli that I chop and boil in a big pan together. You can prep these in the morning too if you want.

Just a very simple filling and healthy dinner

Vegetable and tofu noodle soup - peppers, baby corn, mange tout and any other veg, stir-fried with some tofu cubes. Then add kimchi and gochujang, noodles and veg stock.

I really rate recipes from Recipe Tin Eats, of which this is one.

A one pot meal such as tuna bake, or a slow cooked stew with some sourdough to accompany.

A slowcooker with mince, grated veg, chopped peppers, herbs and a tin of tomatos - when we come home it's a spag bol, oven chips, or a jacket potato with the mince - I'll make a lasagne for the next day - a roux then grated cheese for the sauce.

Tofu in the air fryer is an absolute game changer. Ten minutes in there and then it can form the basis of a range of meals.

Our favourites with it are:
Thai curry with the tofu, a packet of bean sprouts and some tender stem broccoli

Bibimbap- rice (done in the microwave rice cooker), chopped raw vege, gochugang sauce, fried egg

Poke bowls - rice, spicy sauce, red pepper, edamame

A large traybake of chicken thighs, chopped peppers, red onions and a teriyaki sauce, with a pan of noodles - really easy and great for lunch the day after, or chopped on a wrap with salad.

Cous course traybake topped with a loaf of roasted veg (whatever is in fridge usually red onion, peppers, kale, carrot) topped with sliced roasted chicken breast and a drizzle of some kind of sauce (maybe sciracha mayo / salsa / balsamic vinegar / tahini or tobasco. That’s my go to dish when I’m in a rut!

Pasta with pesto, some grated cheese and a bagged prepared salad. I hate cooking and food prep.