At Crème de la Crème, we know how important it is for your family to eat healthy, well-balanced meals as often as possible. But sometimes, you and your family are so go, go, go that it’s a challenge to find time to cook a nutritious meal. You may also struggle to come up with new recipes to keep your dinner routine fresh and introduce your children to different cultures through unique dishes. So, we’ve put together this list of healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipe ideas that are perfect for your busy family.
Healthy Breakfasts for Busy Families
“Blueberry Muffins” licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Flickr by jshontz
You may not have time every morning to make or eat a delicious and healthy breakfast. But instead of opting for a less nutritious fast food breakfast, try one of these simple and quick breakfast recipes. What’s more, you can also prepare some of these dishes the night before, refrigerate, or freeze up to a few days, and pop in the oven the morning you’re ready to eat:
Breakfast Casserole
All you need is a bunch of eggs, your family’s favorite veggies and breakfasts meats, and a casserole dish. The best part is you can mix and match many ingredients for a new casserole each time. Here are a few of our favorites:
In addition to assembling the casserole a few days in advance and cooking later, you can also serve leftovers for a quick and healthy breakfast.
Blueberry Pancake Muffins
These are great for kiddos and parents who love pancakes in the morning but don’t have time to make the batter, cook ’em up, and serve ’em. You can get the Blueberry Pancake Muffins recipe here.
Slow Cooker Banana Nut Oatmeal
Don’t be fooled by the cook time of eight hours — all you have to do is mix the ingredients together and cook the mixture overnight in your favorite slow cooker for a yummy, hot breakfast that’s ready the next morning. Find this amazing oatmeal recipe here.
Breakfast Egg Muffins
Mix up some eggs, veggies, and breakfast meat (or no meat at all) and pour into a few cupcake tins to make these hearty “muffins.” They’re low in carbs, high in protein, and easy to sneak in some veggies. Make them the day before, put them in the fridge, and then heat them up in the oven or microwave for the perfect on-the-go breakfast.
Healthy Lunch Ideas for Busy Families
Whether you need to pack a healthy lunch for kids heading to school or whip up something quick for kids at home, these lunch recipes are sure to impress you and your children:
PB&J Apple “Sandwiches”
Replace bread with apple slices and you get this super-simple recipe that’s equally delicious and nutritious. It makes a good mid-day snack or feature item that pairs well with snacks like cubed cheese and veggies.
Spinach and Turkey Pinwheels
Packed with protein and rolled in a veggie-full wrap, these Spinach and Turkey Pinwheels work well as snacks or the main course paired with veggies and hummus or your kids’ favorite fruit.
Peanut Butter Strawberry and Honey Sandwich
Transform a few slices of toast with peanut butter, fresh strawberries, and a drizzle of honey. Slice the strawberries and refrigerate them the night before. Then, put them together in a few minutes for a quick lunch that satisfies the sweet tooth while providing whole grains and protein. You can make it for breakfast, too! Pair with some yogurt (even the dairy-free kind) for more protein.
Lunch Boxes
You can mix and match a variety of healthy items for a yummy and nutritious packed lunch for your kiddos. Here are a few of our favorite combinations:
- Hummus, pita bread, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, and a fruit.
- Spinach and turkey pinwheel, fruit, yogurt, and trail mix.
- Crackers, cubed cheese, grapes, and a protein bar.
Healthy Dinner Ideas for Busy Families
What’s great about many of these dinners is that you can also pack up any leftovers for sack lunches for parents and kids alike. Here are some of our favorite fast and nutritious dinners:
Quick Chicken Ramen Stir Fry
This dish takes about 20 minutes to make, and it substitutes pre-packaged ramen with those high-sodium flavor mixtures for a lower-in-sodium sauce that’s just as yummy. You can cook up your favorite stir-fry veggies and add-ins, including snap peas, broccoli, mushrooms, water chestnuts, green onions, peppers, and corn, with protein-packed chicken.
Ground Turkey Enchilada Stir-Fry With Couscous
Skip the tortillas, and pile this delicious concoction atop couscous for a healthy Latin American-inspired dish. You can also opt for brown rice if you and your family aren’t crazy about couscous. And by choosing ground turkey instead of ground beef, you’re lowering your family’s intake of unhealthy fats. Consider putting this together in the morning, refrigerating it, and then popping it in the oven for a few minutes after your family comes home from a busy day.
Sweet and Tangy Chicken Burgers
Homemade burgers can actually be quick to put together and cook. These Middle Eastern-inspired burgers take about 30 minutes to make and add a new dimension to one of your family’s favorite dishes. Lean ground chicken cuts down the fat content in this recipe and can help reduce your family’s intake of red meat. Choose thinner buns or even pita bread for different textures and even fewer carbs.
Garlic Butter Turkey Meatballs With Zucchini Noodles
Zucchini noodles, or “zoodles,” are a great pasta alternative for families eager to cut down carbs and sneak more veggies into their kids’ diets. This recipe elevates your typical spaghetti and meatballs using these veggie-full noodles and ground turkey instead of beef. You can make the meatballs ahead of time and even purchase zucchini noodles at the store instead of slicing your own to further cut down on prep and cook time on the day you want to eat this meal. What’s more, you can even use these meatballs in meatball sandwiches or on their own for other lunch and dinner ideas.
So there you have it, a collection of healthy meal ideas for busy families of all kinds. Do you have a favorite quick and healthy dish that your family loves? Contact us to share the recipe. We’ll be happy to add it to our growing list!