Yesterday I hosted a Google+ Hangout titled “Easy Ways To Feed Your Family Better (and Healthier)” featuring Elizabeth Ward, an award-winning registered dietitian, author and mother of three. Joining us were several experienced mom bloggers representing families with children of various ages: Dara Michalski (Cookin’ Canuck), Kim Kelly (Liv Life), Liz DellaCroce (The Lemon Bowl), Christine Pittman (Cook the Story), Elizabeth Ann Quirino (Asian in America) and Lisa Thiele (With Style & Grace).
Elizabeth explained MyPlate as a simple, practical visual guide to help people build balanced meals. The MyPlate message encourages filling half your plate with fruits and vegetables, one quarter with lean protein, one quarter with whole grains, and adding a cup of dairy such as milk or yogurt with meals.
MyPlate is simply a tool to help create healthy balanced meals
The conversation focused on practical, easy-to-implement meal ideas. Elizabeth offered numerous tips for healthy snacks, breakfasts for busy mornings, quick dinners for hectic nights, and creative lunches to break out of a packing rut. Her suggestions emphasize convenience, flavor and nutrition so families can eat well without added stress.
For more background and recipes, Elizabeth Ward’s book MyPlate for Moms: How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better combines personal experience with professional guidance to translate dietary recommendations into everyday practice. The book includes straightforward tips and roughly 60 easy, nutritious recipes suitable for families.
Below are several simple, healthy ideas that came up during the Hangout (the video contains many more):
- On-the-go breakfast: scramble eggs and tuck them into a whole wheat pita with a sprinkle of cheddar and salsa for a portable, protein-rich start.
- Banana dog for lunchbox variety: spread a whole grain hot dog bun with nut or seed butter and pack a peeled banana to place in the bun at lunchtime.
- Think of snacks as mini-meals: offer smaller portions of balanced foods such as half a sandwich, a hard-cooked egg with crackers and fruit. Bars like nut-and-spice varieties can provide fiber and protein with less added sugar.
- When traveling, center the meal on protein: choose a chicken sandwich and eat half the bun, or pack nuts, cereal and dried fruit to stay satisfied without relying on refined carbs.
- Use the double-barrel approach for picky eaters: require a single “no thank you” bite of a new food, while consistently finding ways to mix fruits and vegetables into familiar dishes (spinach in smoothies, pureed beans in soups, pumpkin puree added to chicken soup).
- If dinner feels impossible, try breakfast for dinner, pick up a rotisserie chicken with pre-cut vegetables and serve with quick-cooking whole wheat couscous, or prepare a simple 20-minute Chocolate Chili from Elizabeth’s recipes.
- Limit evening snacking to 100–200 calories depending on daily calorie needs; choose pre-portioned options and avoid eating while distracted by TV or screens.
We covered many additional tips and recipe ideas during the Hangout—watch the full video for the complete conversation and demonstrations.
For more MyPlate-friendly recipes and inspiration, I maintain a MyPlate for Moms Pinterest board with collections of simple, family-friendly meals that follow the MyPlate approach.