Mum of 5 (soon to be 6) shares the fail safe recipes she has on repeat plus great tips for feeding a big family!
Healthy Mummy Jessica Magill knows all about managing dinner times for a big family. With her husband and 5 kids all under the age of 7, Jess reveals that the Healthy Mummy App has been a lifesaver.
This busy mum has been part of the Healthy Mummy Community for 6 years and has not only lost 20 kilos with the 28 Weight Loss Challenge but has also enjoyed 3 healthy pregnancies as a Healthy Mummy and has loved the journey.
And now, Jess is happily expecting her 6th baby, and is looking forward to her fourth Healthy Mummy pregnancy!
Jess shares her Top Healthy Mummy Meals to feed a family of 7 below!
Jess is 28 from Lake Maquarie with 5 children aged 7, 6, 4, 3 and 18 months.
While Jess has been using the program for 6 years and loves the variety of choice of over 6000 different family friendly recipes and meal plans, she admits that she often repeats the same 10 FAIL SAFE recipes she originally started with. That is until recently where she had to add the 11th!
Jess says ‘After seeing so many pictures of the the Tikka Masala Chicken Koftas in the Healthy Mummy Community, I added them to my meal plan and holy moly it was delicious! Hubby licked his plate, the kids raved about it and it was budget friendly and heaps easier than I anticipated!’
‘Now I can rotate 11 meals!’
Jess FAVOURITE 11 Healthy Mummy Meals
1. Sausage and veggie pasta bake
‘This is a hit with the entire family and a meal regularly enjoyed in our house, particularly by the kids.’
2. Meatball subs
‘My littlies have these deconstructed but miss 6 and mr 7 love them the “grown up way.’
Get this recipe on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge
3. Easy chicken nachos
‘We often sub chicken for chickpeas in this one! Makes it even quicker and cheaper.’
4. Bean and corn tostadas
‘Some of kids like theirs platter style and others like it the “grown up way”’
Get this recipe on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge
5. Peanut butter chicken curry
‘We add loads of veggies and chickpeas to this one and the kids love it!’
Get the recipe on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge
6. Curried cauliflower soup with cheesy rolls
‘I leave the curry powder out of this one to make it kid-friendly and it is an all time favourite with my kids, they ask for it for their birthday dinners.’
Get the recipe on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge
7. Spiced chickpea nourish bowl
‘Kids have theirs served as platters so things aren’t touching!
8. Kid-friendly healthy meat pie
If I can’t be bothered with little pies we just have a big family one!’
Get the recipe on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge
9. Cheesy taco pasta
10. Root vegetable soup
Get the recipe on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge
11. Tikka Masala Chicken Koftas
‘I add extra sour cream for the kids that don’t like too much spice, and server theirs with peas instead of spinach so they got their green veggie in.’
Get the recipe on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge
How Jess manages feeding a big family
Jess admits that it’s not always easy when family members like different things but having a list of fail safe recipes up her sleeve is a massive help.
Jess says, ‘It’s hard to cater to 7 different people’s tastes and needs while on a tight budget, but these meals are always a hit with our family! My kids are aged 18 months to 7 years and we’ve got sensory issues mixed in for a couple of kids too.’
‘My kids have definitely gone through fussy stages and still have foods they refuse, which is okay with me because there are foods I don’t like as an adult, but Healthy Mummy has helped me find ways to hide veggies in yummy meals as well as offer a variety of foods I wouldn’t have otherwise tried.’
Jess’s Top Tips for Feeding a Big Family
- Deconstruct meals for fussy eaters so they can choose to mix things/dip in sauces/try together but they also have the option of tasting each thing separately
- Offer but don’t force otherwise it becomes a power struggle here. I always make sure there’s at least one thing on each persons plate I know they like, and it makes the “new” foods less intimidating.
- Swap passata in recipes for homemade pasta sauce loaded with blended veggies! I bulk cook a huge batch of this with zucchini, capsicum, garlic, onion, spinach and tomatoes and freeze in portions. Then I can use it for Meatball Subs, pizza sauce, pasta sauce bases, enchiladas, dipping sauce for meatballs/veggie nuggets etc.
- Get the kids involved in meal planning. We look through the Healthy Mummy app together or they request their favourite Healthy Mummy meals and if they don’t like dinner on Monday, they know their favourites coming up on Tuesday for example. We chat about everyone having different preferences/favourites and taking it in turns to eat them.
- If we are having a meal I know won’t go well with the kids (e.g. they all hate stir fries but hubby and I love it) they are given a small bowl to try/pick at, and I serve it with a big green smoothie filled with the Healthy Mummy kids smoothie mix, frozen banana, baby spinach, frozen zucchini, cocoa powder and a scoop of peanut butter. They think they’re getting a big chocolate milkshake and I know they’ve had something nutritious, win win!
Join Jess on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge and get access to over 6000 Healthy Recipes!
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