Quick tips on adding easy, enjoyable and healthy elements to your family’s meals

Feeding your family wholesome meals that everyone enjoys can feel like a challenge, especially on busy days. With different food preferences and limited time to cook, it’s easy to fall into meal ruts where you eat the same thing over and over again.

It’s time to add a little color and creativity to dinners with meals that come with maximum taste and nutrition achieved with minimum effort. Here are five ideas to inspire healthy dishes the whole family will love, with extra nutrients you can feel good about:

Divide your plate

Let your plate be your guide in showing one of the easiest ways to make sure your family is getting enough good-for-you foods. In general, divide your plate into quarters. Half of the plate should be filled with vegetables like a salad or a combo of fruit and vegetables, such as steamed broccoli in one quarter and sliced peaches in another. On the other side, a quarter would be for whole grains including whole wheat toast or brown rice. The final quarter would be for lean protein, such as chicken breast, eggs or beans.

Utilize slaw kits

Packed with fresh produce, slaw salads are a wonderful addition to any meal that adds a satisfying crunch. However, most people don’t have the time or the know-how to make restaurant-quality slaw. Fresh Express makes dinner a culinary adventure. Their new, chef-inspired Premium Salad Kits include all of the ingredients for a gourmet salad. All you have to do is toss and serve.

Healthy hidden extras

It can be an endless battle to get kids (and adults!) to eat more vegetables. Try being creative when it comes to including vegetables into family favorites. For example, add a subtle sweet touch to your mac and cheese with a bit of pureed pumpkin or supercharge spaghetti sauce by adding finely chopped sweet bell peppers. For an extra nutrient boost without sacrificing taste, puree some steamed cauliflower and add to mashed potatoes to make them extra delicious and wholesome.

Creative twists

Sometimes you have to shake things up to keep meals interesting, but it doesn’t require trying out complex new recipes. Roll the new Fresh Express Asian Avocado Premium Slaw Salad Kit into a wrap for a great lunchtime meal. It comes with a blend of Napa, red and green cabbage and kale tossed with Asian Avocado dressing and topped with honey roasted sesame chips, crunchy wonton strips, and sweet dried corn. You can also pair it with a turkey burger or an avocado crab salad and you have a restaurant-quality meal.

Smoothies

Want to give your family healthy fruits and vegetables while they feel like they’re getting a treat? Whip up smoothies as an easy breakfast or a nourishing drink that works with virtually any meal. Try using frozen fruit as an affordable simple base for any smoothie. You can also add in vegetables like chopped frozen spinach for a vitamin boost you won’t even taste among all the fruit. Mix with ice and milk or juice and blend until smooth.

With these five tips and tricks, you’ll change your mealtime mindset and be able to shake up your family’s menu with healthful fare to please palates of all ages.