Lifestyle parenting blog of our outdoors family of 6 #freerangelittles
This month I have been reaching for our slow cooker or casserole dish and creating very simple family meals. My favourite meals at the moment are ones that are what I call healthy one pot meals. Dishes that I can make up that are quick and warming with added veggies in for the family to stay healthy in the midst of these colder, darker and vitamin lacking months.
To be organised with family life, I find that meal planning works for me. If you’re new to my blog then here’s how I meal plan. Each month I have a meal plan on my blog that links into my Pinterest meal plan board for that month. I simply add a couple of meal ideas each week from my board on to my weekly meal plan. I then plan out our weekly food with my usual go to dishes and then add in some from my Pinterest board and so this makes for more interesting family meals as I’m not stuck in a meal planning rut and I tend to then buy what is in season. This healthy one pot meal list works exactly the same, just add one or two onto each weekly meal plan for January and February.
The healthy one pot meal ideas are so handy at the moment. I’m all for recipes that can be prepped earlier in the day and either put in the slow cooker in the morning or the prepped dish can go in the oven when we’re home from school. It frees up my time for other family life commitments and we all get something comforting to eat without me having the hassle of cooking up a storm in that busy time after school when we have clubs and activities going on.
So here is a run-through of the one pot meals that are on my list and also I have included my Pinterest board for you to click on and find my original recipe inspiration.
Throw all your ingredients into the pan with your pasta and water, genius! I have made this simple pasta dish a few times now and it’s always a success with the kids. Mine generally have to have hidden veggie sauce for the fussier ones. Yet this meal they eat everything that has just been simply chopped and placed in. Either make it a veggie meal or add in some sliced chorizo. If you’re new to Donal, check out his recipe videos.
This one is perfect for when your cupboards are bare. Just reach for all those frozen veggies in your freezer, tinned tomatoes and healthy beans and pasta shapes.
I have made this before on the stove but never in the slow cooker. It’s slightly cheating as I made it with two pans, shhh!
Mine love sausages and you can use veggie sausages as an alternative if you prefer. Place in the dish potatoes, onions and red peppers and any other vegetable and it’s a quick evening meal.
To encourage our children to enjoy stir frys, it always helps that they have the sweetness from honey in the recipe.
I’m always experimenting adding in extra goodness to my basic chilli recipes. I mainly use meat free mince these days and always use black beans, as the kids tend to eat them with less complaints then red kidney beans. This added extra of sweet potato and quinoa sounds like the perfect healthy one pot meal.
I like to serve up a mild curry every so often to try and encourage the children to eat different dishes. This one sounds delicious and I’m sure with some careful concealing they wouldn’t notice the cauliflower. As with all the recipes swap the chicken for a meat free alternative such as Quorn pieces.
This lighter healthy one pot meal sounds welcoming for a day where you feel like you’ve overindulged the day before. Serve with rice if you haven’t any orzo pasta.
Not to everyone’s taste but we occasionally eat this one. We have also made it all in the one frying pan. This slow cooker recipe worked well when we had it in Autumn.
A big pot of veggies and lentils can really fill the family’s tummies up nicely. I usually have to blitz a lentil soup and then they just eat it with no questions asked. Serve with lots of crusty bread.
Make this dish with turkey, pork, beef or meat free meatballs. This is a really handy midweek meal.
A twist on my usual beef and white potato casserole
You could always spice this recipe up with some more herbs or extra vegetables.
I usually cook off some onion, garlic, paprika, chilli peppers and courgette then add in some tinned tomatoes. Then once heated through, crack in some eggs and cover until cooked the desired amount. Then serve ladlefuls onto soft tortilla wraps and load with cheese and avocado. They’re a bit messy but very enjoyable to eat.
I hope that this post has given you some different dishes to liven up your weekly family meal plans. If you’re also looking for a quick simple family bake then do also check out our banana bread recipe.
Tales from Mamaville