Eat Better

Family Cooking

Finding time to cook healthy meals is not always easy. If you are new to cooking, start by keeping things simple. Building up your cooking habits and learning new skills slowly, will help you keep going if things get tough.

Try to involve your whole family. Children enjoy cooking and it’s a great way to get talking about new foods together.

Some children are more open to trying new foods if they have helped make it!

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Cooking and Recipe Ideas

Maybe you love to cook and are very confident, or maybe this is something new to you but you are keen to have a go. There are lots of recipes available online for learners and more experienced cooks.

Below there are some meal ideas or check out these sites which are full of recipes for family meals

Find out more about eating on a budget

Top Tips

Check your kitchen cupboards for ingredients you already have and can use. Visit Eating on a Budget for ideas.
Get your whole family involved in the food shopping and preparing meals. This can be a good way of getting them to try new things and learn about food.
Healthy habits that start young will last a lifetime - cooking is a great skill to learn.
Look though recipe books or online, to choose new meal ideas and recipes. Check out NHS Healthier Families for more some recipe ideas.
Sitting together to eat helps children to learn that mealtimes are important.
Try not to stock up on too much junk food. Having lots of unhealthy foods in the cupboard, can make it hard for everyone to make healthy choices.
NHS Healthier Families has a free Food Scanner app that brings food labels to life and helps you find out what's really inside your food and drink.

Healthy Start Cards

Healthy Start is a national scheme to improve health. You could qualify if you're on low income or benefits and are at least 10 weeks pregnant or have a child under the age of four. You also qualify if you're under 18 years old and pregnant.

Your midwife, health visitor or other health professional can support you to sign up. You will be sent a pre-paid card for cow’s milk, fresh/frozen fruit and vegetables and first infant formula milk. These can be used in local shops or supermarkets. You will also receive vouchers to exchange in pharmacies for:

Women’s vitamins (contain Vitamin C, D and Folic Acid) - available from week 10 of pregnancy up to baby’s first birthday
Children’s Vitamins (contain Vitamin A, C and D) – from ages 6 months to 4 years.

For families who are not eligible for the scheme, all Norfolk Lloyds Pharmacies sell Healthy Start vitamins at a cheaper price than branded vitamins.

Find out more about Healthy Start

Meal Ideas

Here are just a few ideas for of nutritious low-cost meals that you could try.

It might be tempting to cut breakfast out of the day, this is not a good idea. Breakfast is a very important meal for everyone.

Here are some low-cost healthy breakfast ideas to try;

Eggs - soft boiled, scrambled or poached with toast

Cereal and milk - something filling like Ready Brek, Weetabix or porridge. Supermarket brands are just as good!

Fruit - Fresh, frozen or canned

Toast - with a spread and/or butter

Always carefully check the nutrition labels when choosing breakfast cereals and yogurts, as they can be full of hidden sugar.

Visit the NHS Healthier Families website which has plenty of low cost breakfast ideas and recipes to try.
Try to give children as many different meals as you can during the week. School will provide nutritious meals but here are a few ideas for lunches at home.
- Baked beans on toast.
- Humous and vegetable sticks with pitta bread.
- Sandwich or wrap containing some protein such as; meat, cheese, egg, tuna fish, tofu, humous and salad or vegetables.
- Soft boiled egg and bread.
- Spaghetti bolognaise (meat or vegetarian).
- Sausage and bean casserole.
Try to avoid buying lots of luxuries like sweets, cakes, biscuits and fizzy drinks. This will help to make your budget stretch further and help your child have healthier teeth and be a healthy weight.

Find out more lunch box ideas
Here are just a few ideas for of nutritious low-cost meals that you could serve.
- Scrambled egg on toast.
- Fish fingers with mashed potato and baked beans.
- Pasta and tomato sauce perhaps with other vegetables, cheese or meat or tofu.
- Vegetable curry and rice.
- Baked potato with a filling like cheese, baked beans or tuna fish.
- Sausages and mash with vegetables.
- Chilli con carne and rice – minced meat or meat free.
- Corned beef hash.
- Cottage pie – with minced meat or meat free.
- Salad e.g. pasta salad, rice salad, egg salad, ham salad, tuna salad.
- Meatballs and pasta.
Check out BBC Food for more ideas and recipes.

Who Can Help?

If you are concerned about your child’s weight or eating habits and feel you need support, you can contact the Healthy Child Programme by calling Just One Number on 0300 300 0123 or texting Parentline on 07520 631590. Our opening hours are 8am-6pm Monday-Friday (excluding bank holidays) and 9am-1pm on Saturdays.

If you are 11-19 you can text ChatHealth on 07480 635060 for confidential advice from one of our team.

Alternatively you can go to see your GP to discuss concerns.

To speak to other Norfolk parents and carers, you can join our online community forum below.