My Top 7 Easy Family Recipes

These easy family recipes are 7 of my favourites that I regularly come back to. Why? Because they are easy, all members of the family love them and they are healthy family recipes. I guess they are the standard that I measure meals up against.

I’m not a natural cook and so it’s not the most enjoyable thing for me to do. But I do love food and flavours so if I can find an easy way to make something delicious that everyone loves and will be healthy – it’s a winner!

Easy Family Recipe #1

Minestrone Soup (a great one to freeze up to 4 weeks in meal size portions & vary the vege’s as you like. I often make this at the beginning of the week and make up little dinners with the left overs for the kids for nights we have to eat later than them. It’s a great healthy family recipe)

¼ cup olive oil

2 leeks chopped

3 celery stalks chopped

¼ cauliflower chopped

1 broccoli chopped

2 large sweet potatoe chopped

1.5 L chicken stock

4 tomatoes

2 x 400g tin chick peas drained and rinsed

1 cup macaroni cooked till tender

1/3 cup chopped parsley

Grated parmesan

Step 1: Heat oil

Step 2: Add all vege’s except tomatoes. Add stock and bring to boil

Step 3: Add tomatoes and simmer 20 mins

Step 4: Add chick peas and pasta and cook for 3 mins

Step 5: Season with parsley & pepper – serve or freeze

Easy Family Recipe #2

Honey Mustard Chicken (sounds fancy but is an easy recipe and a delicious way to get kids eating their vegetables…)

1 cup carrots

1 cup broccoli florest

1 cup celery sliced

Cooking spray

500g raw skinless diced chicken breast

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 small onion

2 tsp chicken stock powder

1 Tb Dijon mustard (in jar)

2 Tb honey

1 Tb cornflour

1 375g evaporated light milk

Pepper

Microwave carrots, broccoli and celery with a little water on high for 5 minutes. In a large frypan, coat with cooking spray, sauté chicken and garlic for 3 minutes. Add onion and cook 2 min. Drain vegetables and add to pan. Cook another 2 min. Add stock powder, mustard and honey. Mix well. Blend conflour with evaporated milk, pour into pan stirring continuously until boiled. Add pepper to taste and serve on a bed of rice.

Use only lean meat and add as much vegetables as you want for a huge tasty healthy meal. Yum!

Easy Family Recipe #3

Tacos (A great family dinner recipe: messy finger food that kids love to eat because they make their own dinner!)

1 can of kidney beans

Cooking spray

250g very lean mince

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 onion diced finely

1 tin of no-added-salt crushed tomatoes

4 Tb tomato paste

1 tsp chicken stock powder

2 tsp taco seasoning

12 taco shells

1/3 cup reduced fat cheese

1 ½ cups fresh diced tomatoes

3 cups finely shredded lettuce

Extra light sour cream

Mashed avocado

Filling: Drain and rinse kidney beans. Spray frypan with cooking spray and sauté mince and garlic until browned. Add onion and cook 2 min. Add canned tomatoes, tomato paste, stock power and taco seasoning stirring well. Fold in kidney beans and simmer 3 minutes.

Taco Shells: follow instructions on packet

Assemble: Spoon meat mixture into shell and layer other fresh ingredients on top.

They are fun and messy to make and kids don’t even realise they’re eating salad!

Easy Family Recipe #4

4 Teaspoon Curry (just a simple, never fail curry that taste’s quite authentic)

Your choice of meat (3 sausages, meatballs, cubed chicken etc)

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp Garam Masala

1 tsp Tumeric

1 tsp Keen curry’s powder

¼ cup Sweet Chilli sauce

1 cup Carnation coconut milk

¼ cup cornflour / water mixture

1 tsp ginger

2 tsp tomato paste

2 cups chicken stock

1 onion sliced

Cubed vegetables’s: carrots, pumpkin, potatoes required. You can add peas too.

Spray large saucepan with cooking spray and add 4 dry spices. Stir till fragrant (couple of minutes)

Add onion and meat and cook till meat browned

Add all other ingredients and bring to boil.

Put the lid on and simmer slowly till vegetables are soft.

Usually takes about 40 minutes depending on how much you have made.

Freezes really well and I serve on a bed of Jasmine rice with papadoms.

Easy Family Recipe #5

Chilli Beef Pancakes (kind of like another take on taco’s or burritos)

400gm mince 1 onion diced

1 green pepper chopped

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp cumin

410g tin of tomatoes

225g tin of baked beans

2 Tb tomato paste

Shredded lettuce

Grated cheese

Pancakes 1 cup plain flour

1 ¼ cup milk

1 egg

Spray a large pan with cooking spray and brown mince. Add onion, green pepper, chilli powder and cumin and stir till onion is cooked.

Add tomatoes, baked beans and tomato paste and bring to boil. Turn heat down and simmer uncovered for 25 min or until thick. Make up pancake batter by mixing all ingredients together and beating until smooth. Make up as many medium size pancakes. (makes about 8)

Spoon hot mixture onto each pancake, roll up and place single layer in a shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and put in oven until cheese is melted.

I serve with lettuce and sour cream. Also works well by putting bok choy or spinach in with meat mixture inside pancake roll before putting in oven.

Easy Family Recipe #6

Pizza Pasta Bake (This is a healthy family recipe, tastes like real pizza and is absolutely delicious and nutritious)

2 cups dried penne pasta

Cooking spray

1 tsp crushed garlic from jar

1 cup green capsicum cut into strips

1 small onion diced

2 cups mushrooms sliced

1 cup 97% fat free thick sliced ham cut into strips

415g tin crushed tomatoes

420g tin tomato soup

2 Tb tomato paste

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

2Tb grated parmesan cheese

1 ¼ cup reduced fat tasty cheese

Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Get pasta cooking by following instructions on packet then put to one side. Spray large frypan with cooking spray and sauté garlic, capsicum and onion for 2 min. Add mushrooms and cook 2 min.

Place all remaining ingredients in pan except for pasta and tasty cheese. Once boiled simmer for 3 min. Fold pasta and ½ of tasty cheese into mixture. Pour into a lasagne dish and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Bake 30 – 35 minutes uncovered. Ooh yum!

Easy Family Recipe #7

Fish Mornay (serves about 6). If you love fish with a creamy garlic sauce and rice then this is for you!

750g boneless fish fillets

Cooking spray

½ cup diced onion

½ tsp crushed garlic (jar)

2 Tb cornflour

375ml tin evaporated milk

½ cup light cheese

3 Tb grated parmesan

Pepper to taste.

3 cups of uncooked rice

Selection of vegetables

honey

Set rice on to cook (I use a rice cooker which makes life so much easier. And my rice fluffier!) Cut fish into bite size pieces. Spray oil in pan and sauté onion and garlic for 1 min. Add fish and cook for 3 min. Combine cornflour with evaporated milk and add to pan stirring well. Add cheeses and combine. And add pepper to taste. It’s very quick!

Then steam your vegetable selection, mix in with a dessert spoon of honey. Serve over your steamed rice and enjoy!

These are just seven of my favourite easy family recipes that I have found all the children and adults love. They are not too demanding to make and I am guaranteed lots of praise at the end of the meal (very important to keep inspiring me to cook!) And I know that I’ve given my family a healthy balanced meal as well.

Look out for more meal ideas to come. Meanwhile don’t forget to check out the great Menu in a Box giving you a 100 Day Meal Plan, recipes and shopping lists. A kit designed especially for families.

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