Healthy Eating for the Whole Family

Often I have clients and friends tell me that they love what I cook but they can’t see themselves making it. They say their family would never eat it and they don’t want to spend countless hours in the kitchen making 3 or 4 different meals trying to make everyone happy.  

I totally get this. I am so fortunate to have a family that will eat whatever I make, (even if it’s really bad!) but I know this is not always the case.

As for the meals I post, you can alter any of them to fit your needs. If you are not interested in being plant based, you can add meat to any dish. If you are not interested in being gluten free, you can switch to an all purpose flour and get the same results. I think the key is to play around and find what works for you. 

There are simple ways to keep both you and your family happy. One thing we do in my house is to create a deconstructed meal. An example would be taco night. I make all the ingredients we like to put in our tacos. I set them all out on the counter so each person can choose to make a taco, nachos, or even a taco salad. It gives everyone a sense of autonomy over their meal. 

Another example would be a stir fry. You can make all the parts separately (veggies, protein, grain and/or pasta) and set them out for your family to choose. We do have a rule in our house that there has to be a variety of color on your plate. 

It does require a little creativity on your part. You can find ways to simplify your life by prepping ingredients over the weekend or even buying ingredients that have been prepped for you. My best piece of advice, is try to get your family involved in helping with at least one meal a week. Surprisingly, when others are involved in the process they are more likely to eat what they make. Spending time together in the kitchen makes your life easier but also gives your family more time to connect. 

Let me know in the comments what you do to make healthy eating easy for your family .