If you're a mum, you already know that dinnertime isn't just about putting food on the table. It's managing different preferences, busy schedules, and growing appetites, all while trying to make sure everyone gets something nutritious. The last thing you want is to spend your entire evening cooking multiple meals just to keep everyone happy while your own dinner sits untouched and going cold on the bench.
Hi, I'm Ash Lane - founder of Train With Train and I live in a caravan with my husband and our 13-year-old son, travelling around Australia full-time. I run a business, coach thousands of women, and like most mums, there's always a lot going on. One thing I refuse to do? Cook separate meals for everyone.
Over the years, I've found a few simple strategies that make feeding the whole family well feel genuinely easy—not like another task on the never-ending to-do list. The good news? Healthy family meals don't need to be complicated, time-consuming, or a chore.
Here are my seven simple nutrition tips for making family meals simpler, more balanced, and a whole lot less stressful.
1. Cook One Base, Let Everyone Build Their Own
This is the single biggest game changer for family meals.
Instead of cooking completely different dinners, I make one base and let everyone customise it. Wraps, bowls, plates - same ingredients, different presentation.
For example, the other day we had steak and salad wraps for lunch. Our son? He doesn’t love a steak and salad wrap. So he got what we call a picky plate - steak cut up, cucumber cut up, tomato cut up, cheese cut up, wrap on the side. Same food. Same nutrients. Zero arguments.
Tacos, stir fry bowls, build-your-own pizzas - they all work the same way. One base. Everyone is happy.
2. Prioritise Protein At Every Meal - For The Whole Family, Not Just You
Protein isn't just for people trying to lose weight or build muscle. It keeps your kids fuller for longer, helps them grow, and stops the 3pm pantry raid.
I make sure every meal has a solid protein source - whether that's a banana protein smoothie or eggs at breakfast, chicken in a wrap at lunch, or mince in a bolognese at dinner.
And for me personally, I start most mornings with a Vanilla or Chocolate Happy Way protein shake because it's quick, it tastes good, and it means I've already hit a chunk of my protein target before the day even gets chaotic. I also throw a scoop into my son's smoothies - he always tells me they taste like a chocolate milkshake.
3. Stop Labelling Food As Good Or Bad
This one is huge - and not just for you. Your kids are listening.
If they hear you say "I can't have that, it's bad" or "I'm being naughty eating this" - they absorb that. And it shapes how they think about food for years.
In our house, no food is off limits. We have chocolate. We have ice cream. We also have veggies and salads and protein. It all fits.
When you remove the labels, you remove the guilt. And when you remove the guilt, food just becomes... food. That's the goal.
4. Add Before You Subtract
Most people start a health kick by cutting things out. No sugar. No carbs. No fun.
Try the opposite. Start by adding things IN.
Can you add some spinach to that pasta sauce? Can you throw some Greek yoghurt on top of that dessert? Can the kids have some carrot sticks next to their nuggets?
You'd be amazed how much your family's nutrition improves just by adding a handful of veggies or a serve of protein to meals you're already making - without changing anything else.
You can put Happy Way Protein Powder in pancakes, smoothie bowls, and even baking. The kids think it's a treat. I know it's fuelling them. Everyone wins.
5. Make It Easy Enough For Your Worst Day
This is something I teach my clients all the time. If your nutrition plan only works on a perfect day - it's not going to last.
You need meals that work when the kids are sick, when you're exhausted, when you forgot to defrost the chicken and it's 5pm.
A few of my go-to "worst day" meals:
- Scrambled eggs on toast with cheese and avocado (10 mins)
- Wraps with whatever protein is in the fridge + salad + sauce
- Frozen veggies + pre-cooked rice + 2 x mini tins of tuna or leftover mince
- A protein shake with banana and peanut butter when you genuinely cannot be bothered
None of these are fancy. All of them feed the family. All of them keep you on track.
6. Let Your Kids See You Enjoying Food
This might be the most important one.
Your kids don't need to see you on a diet. They need to see you eating a full plate, enjoying what's on it, and feeling good about it.
They need to see mum having dessert without apologising for it. They need to see mum eating a proper lunch instead of skipping it. They need to see mum being strong and fuelled - not restricted and miserable.
And if you're someone who tracks your food - don't hide that or feel guilty about it either. Tracking isn't restriction. It's making sure you're actually getting enough protein and nutrients to keep you strong. What gets measured gets improved - and that's a pretty powerful thing for your kids to see. Mum looking after herself on purpose.
The example you set now is the relationship they'll have with food for the rest of their lives. That's worth more than any number on a scale. And yes, you can still hit your goal while enjoying foods that bring you joy.
7. Health Is Not A Burden - It's Just How You Do Things
The biggest shift I made wasn't a diet or a meal plan. It was deciding that eating well wasn't going to be a separate project. It's just how we eat. It's how we shop. It's how we cook.
It doesn't have to be complicated. It doesn't have to be perfect. You don't need a 47-ingredient recipe from a wellness blog to feed your family well.
You need protein on the plate, veggies where you can, soul foods built in so nobody feels deprived - and a shake in the cupboard for the days when that's all you've got in you.
That's it. That's the whole plan.
