Healthy Eating and Meal Prep Tips for Families

If you’re reading this, then you have probably started, or have already been, doing food or meal prep. YAY! It is an excellent habit and helps you in SO many ways when it comes to healthy eating.

Food Prep, making your food in bulk ahead of time, saves you time and energy during the busy week. It relieves the stress of “What am I/we going to have for lunch/dinner??” It makes meal time a breeze, and helps support the good healthy eating habits you are (or have been) working to implement. When you have the good, nutritious food in the house, AND it is ready to go, you are more likely to eat it, make better decisions with your food, and be less tempted by quick fixes, like take out or fast food.

But what happens when you are in charge of cooking for multiple people? Healthy Eating and Meal Prep for Families can be a challenge. Maybe you have a spouse, children, parent or siblings that also live in the same house and need to eat too! Not everyone has the same food preferences, schedule, or health goals. It can be challenging when you personally have specific dietary needs and health goals that are different than the rest of the household. I hear a lot that “My husband doesn’t eat or like the same (healthier) food as me”, or “my kids are picky eaters and I have to make two separate dinners every night”. It doesn’t have to be that complicated or frustrating!

Here are My Top Tips on Healthy Eating & Food Prep for the Whole Family:

• Communicate with your household, and take an inventory on the foods that they like and their favorite meals. Find a common ground and make a list of the foods that everyone likes.
• Consider healthier options of any not-so healthy items that they like. As far as junk food…if it isn’t there, they can’t eat it! For instance, if they like chips, consider buying grain free tortilla chips, lentil chips, gluten free crackers etc. Dark chocolate, mini Kind or Rx Bars are great options for a sweeter option. There are MANY options out there that are better choices, so that everyone is happy and no one is deprived.
• Shop in Confidence; it is perfectly okay to speak up and ask for the items that you want in the house (if you don’t shop). If you do the shopping, make sure to keep buying what you enjoy. Remember, what you consume has a profound impact on your health. Plus, you are setting a great example for the rest of the house!
• Batch Prep your Food. You are probably already doing this, but they key here is to keep everything SEPARATE. For instance, prep a few veggies, complex carbs, and proteins, then keep them in separate containers. This allows each person in the house to “build their own” meal.

This is a GREAT technique that I’ve done in my house for years. My husband rotates shifts every week, so 90% of the time we do not have meals together. Furthermore, we have different eating habits and styles (I am WAY more of a foodie and adventurous than he is…a big surprise being a nutritionist, right??)

So before I go grocery shopping, I consult with him and see if there is any meal/food that he might want me to make the following week. I plan accordingly then do the batch prep.

Staples in our House include:

• Chicken breast
• Ground turkey or chicken
• Roasted veggies: broccoli, asparagus, zucchini
• Brown or jasmine rice, lentil pasta, sprouted tortillas
• Cauliflower rice, squashes, sweet potato

When you Batch Prep and have Build your Own Meals, then each person can decide on how they like their specific meal. You have the same base (protein and veggie) but then the carb/fat is optional. You can combine and mix and match as needed!

For example, I rarely do grains and avoid gluten. So an example Meal for me includes: ground turkey, cauliflower rice, bell peppers, guacamole

For my husband: ground turkey, brown rice or tortillas, bell peppers, shredded cheese

This is by far I believe the most helpful way to food prep and have everyone choose healthy options while being satisfied and happy!

• Consider Meals/Recipes that you all enjoy. Some examples would be a chili, casserole, sheet pan dinner etc. Condiments and extras can be added on as needed. For example, my husband can add cheese to his chili, while I have mine with avocado.
• Lastly, keep everything VISIBLE in clear glass Pyrex containers. Not only is this better for you (and the environment) than plastic tupperware, it also allows everyone to see what is available in the kitchen.

I hope you find these tips helpful and that it makes healthy eating easier for you and your whole family! Continue building these healthy habits and over time, it becomes a routine, a lifestyle and you wouldn’t want it any other way!

I’d love to know what tips and tricks help you the most when it comes to food prep. Send me a message below!