Nourishing Nutrient Dense Winter Meals for the Family
Author: Ana Robinson, Certified Nutritionist
An incredible way to nourish our family’s immunity during these winter months is through a wide variety of whole-foods. Creating warming, nourishing winter meals with many whole-foods can be very beneficial for our health.
Did you know most children don’t meet their recommended daily veggie intake? I know this can be hard and at times overwhelming but there are many ways we can increase our family’s veggie and whole-food intake without the stress.
Whole-foods like veggies, fruits, poultry, meat and dairy are full of nutrients that support our children’s health and immunity. It’s important we include more of them into our family’s diet. Getting all of these nutrients in doesn’t need to be complicated and hard. Below are some of my easy tips to boost your family’s veggie & whole-food intake.
Grate, Chop & Dice a Variety of Veggies for Casseroles, Sauces, Curries & Pasta's 🥕
Boost the nutritional value of these meals with a variety of finely, chopped or grated veggies. For example I like to add grated, carrot, grated zucchini, chopped mushrooms and frozen spinach to our bolognaise sauce. Le Puree has an amazing range of frozen nutrient dense puree cubes. Making it so easy to throw into your sauces for an incredible boost of vitamins and minerals.
Blend Veggies to Make Sauces & Warming Soups 🍜
Blended veggie soups are a great way to get a good amount of veggies in and they also work so well with kids of all ages. Instead of using one veggie use a combination of a few. For example my pumpkin soup recipe includes…pumpkin, sweet potato, carrots and onions. When making a pesto pasta, blend together green veggies like peas, broccoli and spinach. Again, Le Puree has an amazing range of blended cubes which include a variety of whole-foods, that you can easily throw into your soups.
Buy More Frozen Veggies ❄️
Frozen veggies are just as nutritious as fresh ones and in some cases they can be even more nutritious, especially if they have been ‘snap frozen’. Buy some extra bags of frozen veggies so when your low in the fridge you can still make up meals with veggies. Frozen veggies work so well in stir fry’s, fried rice and casseroles.
Pre-Cut Veggies and Store Them in The Fridge 🙌🏼
Spend some time at the beginning of the week cutting up some veggies so you have them ready to go in the fridge to cook with. This makes such a big difference when your in a rush. Having ready to go pre cut veggies that you can roast, add to your slow cooker or steam will make it easier to make those warming winter meals.
Spend Some Time Making A Freezer Stash of Warming Winter Meals 💗
Warming meals like casseroles, sauces, bolognaise, curries and soups are your freezers best friend. These types of meals are extremely freezer friendly. They can take a little time to make but the pay off on those busy days with kids is so worth it. Set aside some time to make a freezer batch that you can easily heat up. This way you are less likely to turn to take away options, knowing you have a nutrient dense meal ready to go for the family.
We all want to raise healthy, happy, thriving children but sometimes it can be easy to get overwhelmed by it all. Bringing it back to basics and finding ways to make your life easier is so important. Prioritising simple whole-food ingredients in your family home ensures you are filling your meals with a load of essential nutrients.
