A healthy diet for you and your family

Written by Nigel Denby, dietician

Family healthy eating menus need to be simple, flexible and fit in with everyone's routine.

Feeding a family and keeping everyone healthy can feel like a daunting task.

The trick is to plan ahead and work smart.

To shed a few pounds, simply follow the healthy menu below and combine it with a small increase (about 30 minutes) of daily walking. It's that simple, and you should lose between ½ and 2lbs per week.

Family healthy eating menus need to be simple, flexible and fit in with everyone's routine.

These meal ideas are guaranteed to have a short preperation time and will not break the bank. They are a combination of traditional family foods and some new ideas – feel free to swap them around from day to day to fit in with your family's schedule.

This menu is suitable for toddlers, school children and adults. It ticks all the healthy eating boxes: plenty of fruit, vegetables and oily fish once a week, with a good mix of other proteins and carbohydrates to help keep you feeling fuller for longer – so you don't have to worry.

Day	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner
Monday	Cereal or toast.	Hummus and red pepper. Granary rolls.	Chicken and leek stroganoff. Carrot and cucumber sticks.
Tuesday	Cereal or toast.	Moroccan vegetable stew with rice.	Jacket potato. Baked beans. Cheese coleslaw.
Wednesday	Cereal or toast.	Minestrone soup. Bread. Banana.	Cottage pie, green salad. Mixed berry compote and crème fraiche.
Thursday	Cereal or toast.	Mini falafels and pita bread. Dried fruit. Yoghurt.	Salmon Fish cakes and parsley sauce. Mashed potato. Mixed vegetables.
Friday	Cereal or toast.	Chicken guacamole sandwiches. Fruit salad.	Sausages and mash. Homemade tomato and vegetables sauce.
Saturday	Cereal or toast. Fruit scones.	Baked fish. Potato wedges. Minted peas. Cherry tomato salad.	Pizza evening. Ice cream.
Sunday	Porridge with apricots.	Roast chicken, roast potatoes, glazed carrots and broccoli. Baked apple and custard.	Boiled egg and soldiers. Fruit salad. Yoghurt.

Tips for avoiding diet pitfalls

Monday

Hummus is made of chickpeas, which are filling and great for preventing the afternoon munchies.

Tuesday

The Moroccan stew is a perfect way to help you get your five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. There's no need for pudding every day, so keep some yoghurts or fromage frais in the fridge and plenty of fresh fruit around.

Wednesday

Soup is not just wholesome and filling, it's also cheap to prepare. With basic ingredients – such as a tin of beans, left over vegetables, a few rashers of bacon and pasta – you can serve a thrifty balanced meal.

Thursday

Don't get bored with the same old meals. Falafels are perfect for a break from lunchbox sandwiches. These are oven baked, not fried, to cut calories. Try them with a healthy mint and cucumber dip.

Friday

Sausages are processed meat, but varieties with at least 50 per cent meat contact are fine once a week. They are easy to prepare, grilled being the healthiest option, and are a good source of iron. Try them with a homemade vegetable sauce, instead of gravy.

Saturday

Try baked potato wedges with fish, instead of chips. Get your children involved, with preparing their own pizza. You could either make your own pizza base or buy them. A homemade tomato sauce is good for pizza, or try using passata from a jar. Toppings like ham, leftover chicken, tuna, peppers, onions, sweetcorn, mushrooms and pineapple are all great.

Sunday

Sunday's a must for a roast. The good news is they don't have to be a fat fest! Skim meat juices before you make gravy, and try roasting part boiled potatoes with a spray of sunflower oil to save on fat and calories. After lunch how about a family walk to keep everyone active?

Healthy recipes for all the family

Mini falafels

• 400g tinned chickpeas, rinsed and drained.
• 1 small onion, finely chopped.
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped.
• 1 tsp ground cumin.
• 1 tbsp fresh coriander chopped.
• 1 tsp ground coriander.
• 2 to 4 tbsp flour.
• 1to 2 tbsp olive oil.

Time guidelines

• Cooking: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Serves: 4 to 6

• Place the chickpeas in a food processor with the onion, garlic, cumin and both types of coriander.
• Blend until you have a smooth puree. Let the mixture rest for at least 30 minutes.
• Take walnut-size portions (bigger for adults) and shape them into small, flat rounds 1cm thick.
• Roll the falafels lightly in the flour and chill for 15 to 30 minutes.
• Brush with a little olive oil, and bake in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until sizzling.
• Serve with mint and cucumber yoghurt dip, cooked pasta shapes and slices of cucumber and red pepper.

Mint and cucumber yoghurt dip

• 150 ml natural bio-yoghurt.
• 1 clove garlic, peeled & crushed.
• 2 tbsp light mayonnaise.
• 2 tsp chopped fresh mint (optional).
• Juice of ½ lime.
• A pinch of salt.
• ½ cucumber, chopped.

• Place the yoghurt, mayonnaise and lime juice in a bowl and whisk with a fork.
• Add the cucumber, garlic and mint – mix well, adding a pinch of salt to taste, if necessary.
• Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving to allow the flavours to intensify. 


Moroccan vegetable stew with mashed potatoes

• 1 aubergine, sliced thinly.
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and halved.
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and halved.
• 2 tablespoon of oil.
• 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped.
• 1 clove garlic, crushed.
• 1 teaspoon of mild chilli powder.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
• 100g green lentils.
• 225g can of chopped tomatoes.
• 150ml vegetable stock or tomato juice.
• 225g Greek yogurt (22.5g per tbsp).
• 5 large potatoes.
• Milk.

Time guidelines

• Cooking: 1 hour
• Serves: 4 to 6

• Place the aubergine in a colander and sprinkle with a little salt. Cover with a weighted plate and leave to stand for 15 minutes.
• In the meantime peel and chop potatoes for boiling. Cover with water and place on the heat.
• Place the peppers in a hot oven, or under the grill, until the skin begins to char and blister. Leave the halves to cool.
• In a large pan heat the oil, add the onion, garlic, chilli powder and ground cumin and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Rinse the aubergine slices and cut in half, add to the pan along with the lentils.
• After 1 to 2 minutes, add the tomatoes and stock or tomato juice. Bring to the boil and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, peel the skins from the peppers and cut into small pieces.
• Add the peppers to the stew.
• Mash the potatoes with some milk.
• Serve 1 to 2 scoops of potato, with a similar amount of stew and top with ½ a tablespoon of Greek yogurt.

Mixed berry compote with crème fraiche

• 500g (16oz) frozen fruits of the forest.
• 50g (1/12oz) sugar.
• Crème fraiche.

Time guidelines

• Cooking: 15 minutes
• Serves: 4 to 6

• Put all the fruit into a heavy saucepan.
• Sprinkle the sugar over the top.
• Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.
• Serve hot or cold, with vanilla ice cream.