Hennys Recipe Book | Trusted, Healthy & Quick Recipes for Young Families
An index of trusted from-scratch, easy recipes for young families, that focus on healthy, basic whole foods.
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Our healthy family dinner ideas are plentiful and ideal for toddlers and mum and dad alike.
Now that we have a family I am experimenting in the kitchen more than ever before. My focus is on healthy, whole foods. More often than not my recipes can be made in bulk, for future use. I strive to introduce as much variety as possible into our meals, in the hope that my children will enjoy a wide range of foods as adults. My husband and I love our food, and are definitely not picky eaters. While my husbands talents lie (far) outside the kitchen, I grew up surrounded by home cooks. Influenced heavily by both my mum, grandma and auntie, my recipes are family focused.
Our house is always short on time (who isn’t), so our no-fuss recipes are simple and quick to put together. Our recipes have been created with young families in mind. They are purposefully easy recipes that can often be made ahead of time and served later. Simply freeze and reheat on the hob (or in the microwave).
With little children under foot our low-salt family dinners can be shared with younger mouths. If your little one isn’t quite ready for chicken and leek pie or veggie-packed bolognese, then check out our toddler specific recipes or our baby weaning ideas. Now that I have two daughters I am more aware than ever that the needs, like and dislikes of each child can be wildly different. My first born had absolutely no interest in baby-led weaning (feeding herself). I think she saw this the slowest way of getting food from plate to mouth… and speed of consumption was her top priority. On the other hand my second daughter has much preferred the independence of feeding herself since food was first introduced. With such different personalities and preferences I have had to think on my feet with regards to meal ideas for my babies. While Felicity was happy with any sort of purred food, Primrose has preferred food that can be pincered by her little fingers. Happily both of my girls have accepted a wide range of flavours and textures, and both are keen to try new foods. While not everything has been a success first time, if motherhood has taught me one thing, its that persistence pays. I continue to expose them both to as wide a variety of flavours as possible. There have been times and phases where food has been rejected (and thrown). However experience has taught me that a refusal one day does not mean a refusal the next. I continue to offer sometimes rejected foods, and more often than not find that it is eventually enjoyed.
Since our first daughter started eating solids I have tried and tested a lot of recipes and experimented with different ways of cooking. Let’s face it, I don’t have time to prepare a from-scratch meal every day, so I always make more than I need. I freeze the leftovers into individual portions that can be used on days where time is short. Most of our recipes, especially those created specifically for toddlers can be made ahead and frozen for use later. Simply place the frozen portion on the hob with a little water and heat until ready to serve. Like so many aspects of motherhood, the key to success and patience in the kitchen, (particularly where toddlers are concerned) is preparation. I have found my toddler trying in the kitchen at times. “Why did you throw the food? How come you liked the same dinner last night? What do you mean its ‘yukkie’?” All phrases that have come out of my mouth more than once. Now my toddler is older, and I have a second little mouth to feed I find it easier. I’m less frustrated by the rejections, and less quick to offer alternatives. If its a food I know is normally accepted, but refused (for whatever reason) in that particular moment, I wrap it up for tomorrow. I now know that my toddler won’t starve. If she is really hungry she will eat. As long as she goes to bed happy and having had plenty of fluids that day, then I am happy. I now know that a toddler will be ravenous one moment, and then completely disinterested the next day. Experience and hindsight are wonderful things. I hope that if you are reading this, feeling frustrated because your toddler has refused another meal, that you find peace knowing that it is a phase. The hard moments pass. They will eat again. No, you don’t need to let your toddler dictate your meal plan. And most importantly, you are doing a great job. It can be hard. It will get easier. Toddler meal refusal is normal. It’s hard. Don’t let it stress you out.
Our family meals are made to suit younger mouths as well as mum and dad. If you are navigating joint family meals for the first time, you should hopefully find something to suit all tastebuds. Vegetables are plentiful and are finely chopped to prevent choking. Most of our family dinners can be made ahead of time too. Our easy dinners are quick to put together, but flavourful. At the time of writing my husband and I often prefer to eat together after the girls have gone to bed. That being said, wherever possible I try to make one meal that can be portioned out, frozen and used to feed the whole family.
Our first daughter isn’t afraid to try new things, and like her mum, she loves her food. (Asides from broccoli and sprouts) there is very little she won’t eat, including curry and goats cheese! From the very beginning we have put everything and anything on her plate, and for the most part it has all been gobbled up. This has made eating out much easier. We rarely order from the kids menu, instead we share our dishes between the whole family. For me, the hardest part of cooking for toddlers has definitely been finding time to create as much variety in their diet as possible. Now that I have a catalogue of recipes under my belt, I’m sharing them to make it easier for other families. Like my own family, I hope that you will see the benefits as your children are willing to try and share more of your own food. It really does make eating out, at new locations and on holiday so much easier.
As the cost of food continues to rise I have found myself creating recipes that are more budget friendly. Bulking out meaty meals with lentils and grains has made our dinners go a lot further, while keeping costs low. Most of our recipes can be made using foods you will likely already have in your pantry. We’ve noted where fresh ingredients can be swapped with dried, canned or frozen foods. Don’t have any leeks in the fridge, but do have onions? No problem! I’ve suggested swaps wherever possible, to make sure you use up every last vegetable in the fridge.
The staple ingredients used in our recipes are likely already in your kitchen, with a focus on using whole foods. (IMHO) branded sauces and jars are expensive and usually filled with salt and preservatives, something that I am reluctant to use, especially when cooking for children. Our meals are well balanced; healthy recipes that will still fill you up after a long day chasing your little ones around.
As I’m about to enter the postpartum stage again, I’m sharing my collection of homemade postpartum snacks, designed to be quick for breastfeeding mums to eat, and support breast milk production. Most of them can be stored in the freezer. This is perfect so that they can be made well in advance, during the inevitable nesting stage. Then when postpartum hits, your armed and ready. Fair warning my husband also helped himself to most of these, so I recommend making double!
Another essential aspect of my postpartum period has been freezer dinners. During the postpartum period cooking from scratch each day just isn’t possible. (My husband is very talented, but those talents don’t lie in the kitchen!) So freezer meals during the newborn stage are a must! Since going through the postpartum stage again, the necessity of homemade freezer meals has been highlighted again. I now consider myself a master of the make ahead dinner. We have two freezers, and honestly I could fill a third. Knowing that most women will have low iron, many of my recipes prioritise iron-rich ingredients.
I hope that you find this catalogue of family focused recipes a useful source of information. Each week I will continue to update and provide new recipes with a different phase in mind. I’ll share as many tips as I can to make feeding your own family as stress free and healthy as possible. From our family to yours, bon appetite!
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