Realistically, to create a delicious and "good for you" meal in the time it takes to get a take away delivered is possible. Of course, nothing can beat being organised and having the ingredients on hand.  That is where meal planning is so valuable and such a fabulous time saving resource.   These are meals that can be made in minutes from one mum to another.  
 
Dinner option No 1.
Roasts are very easy.  No one ever complains when I do a roast mid week.  Usually it is our Sunday evening treat where the in laws come over and we share a meal together.  The banter between all of us is priceless.  Mid week, sometimes  it gets to the point where I have run out of cold meats to pack in lunches a roast is an ideal way I can have plenty of left overs for lunch boxes the next day.  To save time,  I will butterfly chickens by removing the back bone, flatten and seasoning with salt, pepper, paprika, oregano with a dollops of coconut oil around the pan.  I will scrub my organic potatoes and parboil them (if I have time) and then throw them in the pan.  The juices from the chicken make the potatoes heavenly.  
This gives me at least an hour free to either help with homework, play a bit of soccer, put the washing out or get some veggies cut ready to steam or prepare a green salad.  Depending on how many of us, I will do two organic chickens to have plenty of left overs.  The carcasses I will put into the slow cooker with some chicken wings to make a bone broth.  A wonderfully healing broth perfect for any recipe requiring stock.

Dinner option No 2
Tray Bakes are amazing.  Throw it all in a pan, season, add tomatoes, anchovies, lemons, garlic, place bacon strips over the top  and a drizzle of olive oil and in 40 minutes, wow the aromas from this dish are mouth watering as well as tasting delicious .  This is especially good with chicken breast, but salmon also lends itself to a successful tray bake.  
Serve with a quick colourful salad and you have a meal in minutes.

Dinner option No 3
Butterflied Lamb.  I will place this on the BBQ or oven, on a tray.  I prefer a tray on the BBQ as the flames will blacken the outside of the lamb in seconds.  I will season, crush  garlic, rosemary rubbed into the skin with olive oil and 40 minutes later depending on how you like the lamb cooked, I have a wonderful meal waiting.  In summer I will serve with a colourful salad, or steamed vegetables in winter.  Once again, if I have time I will roast some potatoes in the pan as well.

Dinner option No 4
I have mastered a few curry recipes, that I make from scratch that take me 30 minutes maximum to cook.  One of these favourites is Butter Chicken.  Once you have the spices on hand then the sauce takes minutes.  Add the diced chicken and let it cook while you start the rice and get the veggies on.  For a vegetarian option add pulses and vegetables to the sauce.  Absorption method rice is also very quick and simple.  For 5 people I place 2 cups of rinsed basmati rice in a pan.  If it is brown rice I will add 4 cups of water, if it is white rice then I will add 3 cups of water.
Let the rice come to a rolling boil. Turn off and forget.  Do not lift lid as all that hot air will escape and the rice will not cook through.  So easy and mindless.
Serve with lots of colourful steamed vegetables.  

Dinner option No 5
Cook more than you need.  For instance when roasting vegetables, roast extra pumpkin and beetroot so that you can add to salads during the week.  Blanched beans are also delicious in salads with caramelised onions in balsamic vinegar.  
Adding seeds, pulses and cheeses such as grilled halloumi or  feta to salads bulks them up and are satisfying with the roasted vegetables and blanched beans.  
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For fail proof ideas, be organised.  Have some idea of what you are going to eat each night, allowing it to  fit around your schedule.  
Shopping can be a tireless, thankless task at the time, but when you are scouring online shopping lists, going to your fourth store in an effort to buy local, sustainable and organic items, then it will be worth it.
Your family and your tummy will be thanking you for all that extra effort you have made.



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1.  Not all snacks have to come out of a packet.  
Often, its best to feed the teenagers mini meals as snacks.  They will love coming home and heating up some lasagne or having taco's stuffed with chili and cheese.  As long it is something that they can get themselves without too much fuss and cleaning up, your teenager will be forever grateful for their full tummies.
Here are some ideas:
Taco's - with a chili meat or bean mixture, grated cheese and salsa
Lasagne - beef or vegetarian
Spaghetti bolognese with lots of hidden vegetables
Bircher muesli
Container of chopped up veg, boiled eggs, cheese cubes
Popcorn (Homemade)
Protein balls using a good protein powder
Tamari flavoured nuts in a jar
Roasted chili chickpeas
Trail mix with pepitas, sunflower seeds, craisins, almonds
Homemade Banana Bread, Zucchini Bread, Pumpkin Breads
Avocado and Corn Chips (non GMO)
Pizza bases kept in the freezer so they can top with what ever they like.  

2.  Meal Plan, Meal Plan, Meal Plan, Shopping Lists, Shopping Lists, Shopping Lists.
Yes, I may be repeating myself, but without an idea of what you are going to feed the teenager, well, that becomes difficult to shop for, and yes, sets you up to an instant "What's to eat mum".  Here is a link to my Meal Planner and Food Inventory List  to help you with your planning and shopping.  To make it work have that conversation with your teenagers of what they would like, and offer a few suggestions from the above list.  All you need is to agree on two dishes that they can heat up after school.  

3.  Double, Double, Double
Spend a couple of hours cooking extra meals and snacks every week.
Ok, so now you have worked out what your teenagers would like to eat after school.  Now lets add all these to the shopping list and set some time aside to cook.  When your teenagers come home from school they will now be eating a dish of lasagne or heating up some taco's in the oven or even poaching an egg on toast.  Its great, it creates independence and self sufficiency in the kitchen.  If you are worried about them using the oven, well encourage them to use the oven while you are around, and when you are confident that all is well, then they can use the oven when you are out.  It's a trust thing.  The only part that I would strongly encourage is the washing up.  Lets face it, it's not a good thing to be coming home to a mess.  Urghhhhhhh

4.  A balanced diet for a growing teenager
A balanced "just eat real food nutrition" is what growing bodies need to thrive.  So, if you are baking cakes and breads use organic flours, free range eggs, whole milks.  Choose the best ingredients possible to make your snacks nutrient and energy dense.  Provide an array of foods, that are in season and locally sourced.  Balance is the key.  Often filling up on complex carbohydrates are needed to curb that hunger.  What are complex carbohydrates?  Foods that have had minimal processing.  Like brown rice, wholewheat flours, whole grains, vegetables, fruits.  They take longer for the body to break down so the blood sugar remains stable and is less likely to be stored as fat.  Hence, a satisfied and happy teenager...I hope.

5.  Packet food is a sometimes food
If I had it my way, my kids would not eat any packet foods, but that is unrealistic.  I don't buy packet snacks and feel if that is their choice when they are out, then so be it.  I try to empower them through conversation. We discuss why packaged foods are unhealthy with balanced discussions on transfats, sugar and high fructose corn syrups, and GMO products.  My message is for them to  understand that these foods are addictive, unhealthy and a poor food choice.  Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution series was the turning point for my kids.  After that they no longer wanted to eat fast food.


In Summary
Just remember, to start the conversation with your teenager about what they would like to have for snacks.  Provide them with suggestions of a nutritionally balanced plan.
Shop and meal plan accordingly.  Its so important to plan your shop so that you are not rushing out to buy ingredients at a moments notice.  Otherwise, nothing will get done.  
When you have all the ingredients, plan to batch cook, either doubling up on what you have for dinner or setting aside some time to do a batch cook on the weekend where everyone can help.
Empower your teenager.  Let them loose in the kitchen.  Teach them how to use the oven and stove top.  And most of all, let them know how important it is to clean up after themselves.  (Totally! for mum's sanity)

Some mornings breakfast can be a diabolical disaster.  I become the short order cook from hell, trying to make all the kids eat a healthy breakfast with all the necessary protein and fats needed for their brains to stay focused and on task.   When the cereal boxes were removed from the pantry, the routine changed.  No longer was I calm, tidy and organised.  Now I have a sink full of frying pans, benches covered in egg shells and dirty plates while the dog is hovering around for the bacon rind.  What have I done?  Is this nutrition gig worth it?  Yes.  It is.  It just takes time to create that new comfort zone, because there are easy alternatives without turning to 101 ways with bacon and eggs.  

Here are my 5 top healthy breakfasts:

1. Smoothies:  Buy a Nutribullet or heavy duty blender.  You won't regret it.  You can add a ton of ingredients that the kids are not aware of, unless you get caught.  Some of the mixes that I like are ground flaxseed, ground seeds such as sunflower, pepita's, coconut whether as shredded, milk, or oil, the possibilities are endless.  For dairy free I like to use coconut water with a little added coconut cream to get the lovely rich texture, add frozen banana and berries.  The beauty of the nutribullet is that you can take the cup in the car.  Easy.
2. Porridge:  Believe it or not porridge is so easy to make, once again you can add extra ground seeds to the oats and whole milk for a very sustaining breakfast.  Serve with berries, whole milk and a little honey to sweeten.
   
3. Homemade Muesli:  Whether this be oat based or nut based for gluten sensitive or coeliacs, having a bowl of muesli with whole milk, nut milk or coconut water is  an easy alternative.  I prefer to avoid muesli with added dried fruit, as I would rather add fresh fruit without the extra sugar and preservatives.  Try soaking muesli in whole milk or milk alternative over night with grated apple, and added seeds for a bircher muesli.  Serve with dairy or coconut yoghurt for a delicious breakfast.
4. Paleo bread:   I am not a diet advocate, but believe in finding foods that suit your body.  Paleo bread is just simply delicious.  Perfect as a base for avocado, eggs, mushrooms or home made baked beans.  The options are endless.  Paleo bread is full of goodness that will keep you feeling satisfied till lunch time.  
5. CADA: This stands for coconut, almonds, dates and apple, but really take the four elements and substitute as desired.  I always use coconut and dates,  as I am partial to their texture and flavour.  As for the apple and nuts, I use whatever I have on hand. Sunflower seeds and frozen berries make an interesting mix.   As long as it blends into a lovely consistency I can top with yoghurt and pomegranate seeds adding extra nuts and seeds to finish.  I love this breakfast in summer, and when I am travelling, it is easy to make ahead to have later.

Don't let breakfasts wreck your morning.  Be prepared.  Have the ingredients.  Try not to rush.  Take a deep breath.  Allocate the washing up.
Remember its a team effort, not a mum effort.  Let everyone get involved and encourage independence.
I really must do that!

It Sunday afternoon, the kids have been playing in the pool, my eldest is meeting up with friends, my middle has spent the day looking for something to do and is now out skateboarding, and my youngest has two mates around.  This leaves me with a few short minutes to begin blogging.  Lets talk about Eggplants.  To chat about eggplants I have to take you back to a school BBQ that I organised at the end of last year.  Being the nutritionist that I am, any kind of foodie challenge is met head on.  Can't resist, so when the teacher asked if I could cater for a school BBQ for 30 people for $200.00, I couldn't resist.  I had a rather ecliptic mix of food intolerances/lifestyle choices so to accommodate those here is the menu.

• Grass fed minute steaks
  
• Roast Vegetables
  
• Hummus and crudites
  
• Bread rolls/thick sliced bread/gluten free wraps
  
• Watermelon, rock melon, apple
  
• Sliced cheese/lettuce/tomato/cucumber
  

I will let you know that the BBQ was a huge success, but the most tastiest idea were the roast vegetables.  This is where the eggplant came into it.  

I basically sliced up red peppers, zucchini, eggplant and onion into equal sized chunks.  Put them into a large bowl and drizzled a generous amount of olive oil, cajun spice mix, paprika, a dash of chill powder and Himalayan salt. I BBQ them on a flat plate till they were soften and coloured.  They were delicious. Since then, I have been slicing eggplant thinly and saturating in olive oil and adding paprika, chili and garlic then roasting them on a flat plate to make a eggplant stack with a beef burger amongst it all.  Once again the flavours were delicious.  

So these summer holidays, my memories are of the wonderful eggplant meals we have had whether we were camping, on holidays, or at home.

Here are some health properties of eggplants courtesy of Dr Josh Axe.

1.  Fights free radicals and cancer
2.  Helps lower high cholesterol
3.  Improve digestive health
4.  High source of bone building manganese
5.  Good source of vitamin B
6.  Prevent skin cancer

Eggplants are a member of the nightshade family along with potatoes and peppers.  Some people may have to reduce or eliminate their exposure to nightshades if they are intolerant to them.