Healthy Dinners

These instructions guide families in planning a healthy, balanced, and delicious dinner for their children.

Important information:

Dinner is a good time to promote healthy eating habits. A healthy, balanced dinner should consist of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy.

Instructions for Meal Planning:

• Cook meals at home more often. Limit take-out or fast food to once a week or less.

• Make dinner easier by cooking 2-3 dinners per week and making enough for leftovers. Most leftovers can be safely kept in the refrigerator and eaten up to 3 to 4 days after cooking  

• Plan meals ahead of time.  Create a list of meals on a whiteboard, chalkboard, notebook, calendar, or phone.

• Create a grocery list for dinner. Having necessary meal ingredients in the house will make it easier to stick to the meal plan and avoid choosing fast food. 

Time Savers for Preparing Meals:

• Jarred garlic and other herbs

• Bagged salad or stir fry mix

• Canned or frozen vegetables (low or no sodium)

• Pre-cooked grains

• Frozen pre-cooked meats

• Frozen fruit (no sugar added)

• Prepare parts of the meal a few days ahead or the night before.

• Clean and chop fruit, vegetables and herbs and keep them in the refrigerator.

• Cook and portion meat, grains, and pasta. Then freeze or refrigerate to use for meals later in the week.

• Cook soups, stews and casseroles and freeze them. Heat up leftovers for a quick homemade meal.

Cooking Tips:

• Add salt at the end of the meal instead of while you are cooking.

• Instead of French fries, bake fresh cut potato wedges in the oven.

• Use flavor enhancers such as low-sodium soy sauce and broths, olive or avocado oil, herbs, and spices.

• Try making a one pan meal by roasting chicken, vegetables and potatoes on a sheet pan or stewing beef, vegetables and potatoes in a slow cooker or pot.

• Use a pressure cooker to speed up the cooking process.

Tips for balanced dinners:

Divide your plate into 4 equal sections. Each section should contain: ¼ fruit, ¼ vegetables, ¼ protein, ¼ grains and a side of dairy. Choose 1 item from each of the following categories to make a balanced meal:

Carbohydrate/starch - choose whole wheat or whole grain 

• Bread, tortilla, biscuit, muffin, naan, chapati, roti, flat bread

• Potato, sweet potato, yam

• Corn, cassava, butternut or acorn squash

• Pasta, couscous, egg noodles, soba noodles, rice noodles

• Wild rice, brown rice, bulgur wheat, quinoa, faro

Meat/protein

• Lean beef, ham, turkey, pork, chicken

• Low sodium deli meats

• Salmon, haddock, cod, tilapia, tuna

• Shrimp, scallops, mussels, clams, oysters

• Lentils, peas, chickpeas, kidney beans, black beans, navy beans, cannellini beans, refried beans

• Hummus, seitan, tofu, tempeh

• Sunflower seed, pumpkin seed

• Cheese, cottage cheese, paneer

• Nuts, nut butter

• Egg, egg white

• Vegetarian meat alternative

Vegetable

• Broccoli, spinach, kale, collard greens

• Carrot, cucumber, peppers

• Mushroom, tomato

• Zucchini, summer squash, eggplant

• Green beans, peas

• Asparagus, brussels sprouts

• Beets, radish

• Salad greens, cabbage

Fruit

• Banana, apple, peach, pear

• Strawberry, blueberry, blackberry, raspberry

• Cantaloupe, melon, watermelon

• Avocado

• Plum, cherries, grapes

• Orange, pineapple

• Mango, guava, papaya, kiwi

Dairy/ dairy alternatives

Choose low-fat dairy, meaning 1% or 2% milk products. 

• Cow's milk

• Plant-based milk (nut, soy, oat, hemp, or pea milk)

• Yogurt, kefir

• Cheese

Try these dinner ideas:

• Vegetables sautéed with salsa, cooked diced chicken, and brown rice

• Whole wheat pasta and marinara sauce mixed with lean ground turkey and vegetables

• Green spinach salad with diced egg, cheese, cannellini beans, and tomatoes

• Cooked wild rice with sautéed vegetables and tofu, shrimp or chicken, and seasoned with soy sauce

• Grilled turkey and cheese sandwich on whole wheat bread and vegetable soup

• Roasted salmon, cauliflower, and sweet potatoes

• Turkey burger on a whole wheat bun with carrots and hummus

• Vegetable fajita with sautéed peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and onions on a whole wheat tortilla with shredded cheese

• Pizza with homemade or store-bought crust, English muffin or bagel, marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese and topped with your favorite vegetables

• Black beans, rice, ground chicken, sautéed pepper and onions

• Grilled fish on whole wheat tortilla or corn taco topped with shredded cabbage, guacamole, and salsa

• Vegetable chili with chickpeas, black beans, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, corn

• Tortellini soup

• Turkey and cheese wrap with lettuce and tomato and side of fruit.

• Grilled chicken, corn on the cob, and spinach salad

• Shrimp and orzo with olive oil, lemon juice, and shredded parmesan cheese

• Cooked lentils over faro and green beans

• Salad with chickpeas, feta, cucumber, olives

• Chicken meatball sandwich with a side salad

• Eggplant parmesan with whole wheat pasta

If time is limited, choose pre-packaged food options that have the following:

• Lower in added sugar (8 or less grams of sugar)

• Whole wheat or whole grain and higher in fiber (3 or more grams of fiber per serving)

• Lower in total fat (4 or less grams of fat)

• Lower in saturated fat (2 grams or less)

• No trans fat

Reviewed March 2026 by Nathalie Javier, RD, Alexandra Zepp, DTR, RD