How to wing a healthy meal your family will love

The chances are that if you’ve searched the internet for how to eat healthy, family-friendly healthy meals or similar, you’ve run across loads of really good-looking meals. They come with Instagram-ready images, promises of 30 minutes to get it on the table, just one day of prepping and cooking for a smooth week, or enough freezer meals to defrost and cook all month long. 

When you’re browsing Pinterest on a Saturday morning, these beautiful recipes all may sound like a smart way to finally tame the weeknight chaos. It’s a different story when it’s 5 pm on a Tuesday, and the last thing you want to do or have time for is making one of the dinner recipes you saved. 

The truth is, winging it is the new meal planning!

We’ve been conditioned over the years to think that rigid meal planning using certain “good” foods is the ONLY way to really create healthy meals at home during the week and that “winging it” means a bowl of cereal or takeout… again.

If you are a pro meal planner, feeding your family healthy dinners every night, we celebrate your dedication. 

For everyone else, whipping up a last-minute dinner that feels good, tastes good, and doesn’t create more stress is 100% possible. No cereal or takeout menus required.

3 steps to wing a healthy meal your family will love

Life is busy, time is valuable, and plans always seem to change. This three-step formula gives you the framework to make unplanned dinner easy, delicious, and tailored to what you’re craving, all without the overwhelm.

It helps you wing it with confidence.

Throw together your game plan while you’re on your way home from work, picking up the kids at school, jotting down some meal ideas on Sunday night for the week ahead, or at 5 pm when you’re taking stock of what you have in the fridge. 

Here’s the 3-step mix and match formula that will change your weeknight dinner rush for the better:

1. Pick your how - Our favorite cooking methods have minimal hands-on time and equipment and are easy to clean up. Consider:

   • Sheet Pan Meals in the oven

   • Grill or Grill Pan on the stove

   • Pressure Cooker

   • Slow Cooker

   • Dutch Oven

   • Microwave

   • Stir Fry/Wok

2. Choose your ingredients: Once you’ve figured out the how think about the ingredients. Focus on veggies, whole grains or beans and lentils first for maximum flavor and nutrition. Then add the protein to help everyone feel full and satisfied after dinner. Stock your fridge and pantry with choices like these for quick unplanned dinners:

   • Plants:

     • Fridge - broccoli, bell peppers, eggplant, carrots, asparagus, mushrooms, green beans, lettuce/greens, pre-cut veggies

     • Freezer: frozen spinach, mixed veggie blends, peas

     • Pantry: whole grains, beans, onions, potatoes, squash

     • Counter: tomatoes, avocados, lemons/limes

   • Proteins:

     • Plant-based - choose whole food forms first, like beans, lentils, whole grains, soy, tofu, seitan, tempeh. If you’re getting the “fake meats,” read labels and choose things with more whole foods and less processing and preservatives.

     • Animal-based - Generally, choose items with lower amounts of saturated fats like fish and seafood, skinless/boneless poultry, smaller lean cuts of meat.

3. Kick up the flavor - Here’s where you make it your own and create something everyone will want to come to the table for! Whether it’s grab-and-go simmer sauce, herbs and spices, or everybody’s favorite condiment, have some fun with the flavor. Try:

   • Herbs/Spices like Italian blend, thyme, oregano, basil, turmeric, chili powder

   • Sauces like pesto, curry simmer sauce, teriyaki

   • Condiments like bbq sauce, different types of mustard, salsa, hot sauce

It’s time to tame the overwhelm and take back weeknight dinner, one unplanned meal at a time. What healthy meal will you wing tonight?