It can be so difficult to get your child to eat a meal, and even more difficult to make a meal the whole family will enjoy! I have a four-year-old and a 17-month-old and it is a struggle every day when meal time comes around.

Sometimes the good old kids’ meal of fish fingers and beans must suffice! But I have found a few meals that everyone in the family enjoys so maybe yours will too!

These meals are also relatively quick and easy to make; we don’t want to spend hours cooking every day so the quicker the better.

Here are five family meal ideas:
 

Who doesn’t love cheesy pasta?! This is a brilliant meal for kids because it sneaks in vegetables. The sauce contains butternut squash, and there are also peas and leek added to the dish. It is delicious and the kids devour it every time I make it. It’s great for fussy eaters and vegetable-hating kids. Recipe here. 

My kids don’t particularly like vegetables but with this beef stew, I can mash it all up together with the potato and they love it! It’s so filling and also very easy to make. It contains ingredients you most likely will already have in your cupboard and fridge. It does contain red wine but you can leave that out for the kids! Recipe here. 

3. Hidden Vegetable Spaghetti Bolognese
 

This is another hidden veg recipe. The vegetables are all blended together to make the sauce and it tastes delicious. There are veggies in the sauce such as onion, courgette, carrot and red pepper. You wouldn’t even notice the taste of the vegetables in the sauce. It’s another favourite in our house. Recipe here. 

As well as being a meal the family will love, it’s also a great activity. The kids love getting involved with the cooking when the opportunity arises. You can buy a regular pizza base or use a wrap or naan bread as a base. Use tomato puree as your sauce, add cheese and any other toppings! If you’re getting the kids to help, I find it easier to put all the different toppings in bowls so they can easily grab them and create their own pizza. It’s also a healthier alternative to regular frozen pizzas.

And for your after-dinner treat...

This is great for breakfast or as a snack after dinner. Mix a handful of oats, one egg and one banana in a bowl and you have your pancake batter! It’s really quick to make up and they are lovely hot or cold. The kids love them and they’re easy to hold and walk around with for my youngest son.

Lauren Kennedy is a SAHM of two boys, a business owner and digital creator. She is the owner and founder of Books and Charmsand blogs at Harmonize. You can follow her on Instagram.