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I’m back and excited to answer the question “how can I make simple, healthy dinners for my family?” in today’s post.
The systems and strategies that I’m sharing are things that have been on repeat in our house as we have moved across states, got ready to start school, and then started to kids in their new schools.
I’ll share all of my best tips, tricks, and strategies in the post and video below.
Secret #1: Quit Using Recipes
The first secret to making simple, healthy dinners is to stop using recipes.
Ok, I don’t mean that literally. After all, it wasn’t so long ago that I couldn’t even imagine cooking without a recipe and I know that some of you are in that boat too. That said, if you are searching Pinterest endlessly for new recipes, then you are making dinner harder than it needs to be.
Rather, what you want to seek for most weeknight dinners, is a meal that’s so easy to make that you don’t even need a recipe. Think of it as more of an idea or formula and look for something so simple that you won’t need to refer to it every step of the way.
I think of these types of recipes as ideas or a framework for building a meal. Basically, they’re my inspiration and jumping-off point but they’re not so exact that I’m apt to ruin it. Bonus is that they can be combined in many different ways to inspire future simple, healthy dinners.
Here are some examples:
- Roasted Vegetables and Sausage (plus other sheet pan meals)
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Chili (you could switch out the buffalo sauce for salsa and white beans for black beans and you’d have a taco chili!)
- “Garbage” Stir-Fry (which can help use up anything in your fridge)
Secret #2: Keep Staples on Hand
Having staples on hand is an easy way to get simple, healthy dinners on the table. Not only does it keep you from having to run to the store, but it can also provide much-needed structure and inspiration.
Some examples of things we keep on hand are:
- Frozen wild-caught salmon burgers from Costco
- Beans
- Pasta
- Frozen broccoli (and other veggies)
- Eggs
- Frozen breakfast sausage
- Tomato sauce (always Rao’s)
Secret #3: Make Use of Leftovers
We are not a huge leftover family. What I mean is, we don’t love eating the same thing over and over again. But I have found that if I’m a little creative, I can use leftovers as a short-cut without burning us out on chili forevermore.
Here’s how:
- Freeze leftovers like chili and stew for future simple, healthy dinners
- Make over leftovers by changing them up a bit – for example, I used shredded salsa chicken to make chicken enchiladas
- Prep basics like sliced bell peppers and cucumbers to supplement other main dishes (especially for kids)
Bonus: Change your Mindset to Make Simple, Healthy Dinners
This might be the most powerful secret of all. The best way to make simple, healthy dinners is to change your thinking on what dinner should look like.
By embracing the “smorgasbord” concept of dinner where everyone has at least on thing they like, I’ve drastically simplified my dinner routine. This means that not everything is gourmet and usually veggies are served separately from the “combined” dish, but the upside is that now meals are much simpler while still being healthy.
Here are some examples:
Want more simple, healthy dinner inspiration? Pop on over to my Instagram stories to check out what we’re eating each night.
Conclusion: Get Started Making Simple, Healthy Dinners
I hope that these secrets helped you to think about how you too can start making simple, healthy dinners. After all, I know that you have better things to do with your time than spend hours cooking and cleaning every night!
Want some more inspiration? Sign up for my email list and I’ll send you a PDF of my 5 favorite simple, healthy dinner recipes.
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