1. Start Saving Money
Dinnertime with a family can be an extremely difficult time when battling differing tastes, opinionated children and a grocery budget. This often makes healthy meals seem like a nearly impossible task. Luckily, creating healthful family dinners is not as difficult as it may seem, and can be achieved with a positive attitude and a little bit of trickery. To begin, it is crucial to start making healthy decisions from home (before ever entering a grocery store) when planning the grocery list. Try writing down foods that can only be found in the outer perimeters of the store, such as vegetables and fruit, whole-grain breads and pastas or fresh meat and dairy. You can research coupons or specials at local grocery stores to help try and cut the costs of eating healthy.
2. Plan and Prep
Try to plan ahead when creating a healthy family dinner, which helps prevent the urge of resorting to the pizza delivery guy when schedules become hectic. Try to plan a weeks' worth of meals that can be created using healthful ingredients more than once. For example, tomatoes can be used atop whole-grain spaghetti one night, and can be spread over natural tortillas and sprinkled with skim cheese for home-made pizza the next. Lean chicken breast can be eaten with steamed vegetables and brown rice for dinner, but it can also be chopped and stir-fried with Asian produce and light soy-sauce for another evening.
3. Hit The Buffet
Another way to keep family dinners fun (while still being healthy), is to have "Create Your Own Meal" nights. Set up a basic buffet style dinner, where children and spouses can assemble their own tasty meals, without realizing the nutrient value of their choices. Try a "tasty taco" night using corn taco shells, shredded lettuce, natural salsa, skim cheese and chopped chicken meat, instead of fatty sauces and beef. Let your family build their own sandwiches with whole-grain bread, deli turkey, grilled vegetables and low-calorie dressings (instead of ordering over-sized submarines.) Another easy way to create a healthful dinner is by cooking a large pot of vegetable soup, and letting children top with all of the vegetables, skim cheese or shredded pumpernickel bread they want.
4. One Pot, Many Benefits
Although families love buffet style dinners, sometimes the chef at home simply does not have time to create elaborate meals. Instead of turning to Chinese takeout for a quick fix, try creating one pan or one pot dishes by adding tomato sauce, lean meat and fresh chopped vegetables to a crock pot to create a warm stew. Another healthful option during hurried moments is a tasty stir-fry, as long as you skip beef and fried ingredients in favor of fresh produce and shrimp (and a sprinkling of almonds for garnish). If all else fails, try letting your family have breakfast for dinner. Fill their bowls with fiber-rich whole-grain cereal and skim milk, and let them choose between toppings of sliced fruit and nuts. Try creating other "breakfast for dinner" meals like omelets with skim cheese, whole-grain waffles with one tablespoon of peanut butter or lean turkey sausage with fresh berries.
