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Embrace the changing of the seasons (or at least the promise that spring is coming someday soon!) with 4 weeks of healthy spring recipes for this month.
Spring Recipes
While it still feels like winter where we are, but I’m craving a change of seasons so bright flavors, berries, and greens are on my mind. This meal plan is designed to give you easy family meal ideas, plus homemade snack ideas to help round out what we serve to the kids.
Use all of the ideas here, pick and choose a couple to try, or come back to this post throughout the month when you find yourself without a dinner plan. Whatever your approach to meal planning, I’m here to help!
Free Meal Planning Templates
You can download my FREE templates, which include the sample weeks and a blank sheet so you can slot in your own recipes or themes, in my Resource Library.
Want even less work to do? Check out my new Happy Family Meals meal planning system, complete with grocery lists, menus, tips for batch cooking, and SO much more!
March Week 1
Add simple sides to main courses like Roasted Veggies, Cheesy Rice, and Kids Salads.
Breakfast Ideas
We mix in no-recipe ideas like toast, cereal, and freezer waffles with these ideas to keep it easy for everyone.
The base recipe makes a large amount so you can use it throughout the week. Feel free to cut it in half to make less, or just make one serving at a time using the instructions in the NOTES section below.
Serve up a simple, yet nutritious protein smoothie with three flavor options to choose from.
Very ripe (with brown spots) bananas will give these pancakes the best flavor. Dice them up or serve whole, according to how the kids prefer to eat them.
Snack Ideas
Find my list of favorite kids snacks to buy at the store to mix in with these homemade options.
These take at least an hour or two to set in the fridge, so plan to make them a little in advance of when you want to serve them.
Try to get them about 1/4-inch thick so they bake uniformly. If your milk, cheese, and butter are cold the dough should be easy to roll out between parchment paper. (If the dough seems too sticky, stick it into the fridge for 5-10 minutes.)
This is best on the day you make it, though you can store it in the fridge for 24 hours in an airtight container. If any liquid separates out, simply stir it up.
Lunch Ideas
I love to have a batch of muffins ready for lunch to pair with simple sides like fruit and cheese.
Taste the hummus and adjust for salt as needed. You may need more depending on whether or not you started with canned beans, and sometimes after the hummus sits in the fridge, it needs another sprinkle of salt.
Try these easy wraps for kids as an easy lunch or meal when you want to change up the usual sandwich options. Nutrition info will vary according to the ingredients you use.
These are delicious served warm soon after baking, at room temperature or even chilled, so see what your family prefers. They are naturally dairy-free and can be made gluten-free and egg-free as well. See the Notes section for details.
Dinners
Here are a few easy dinner options for this week. Add in leftovers, takeout, or any other recipe that your family enjoys.
If you can’t find garam masala, you can leave it out, though it adds authentic flavor that you’d expect if you’ve eaten Chana Masala in a restaurant. This will likely make enough for two meals—I like to freeze the second half for a future week.
Prep the rice, beans, and veggies ahead if you can or want to. They store well in the fridge and simply need to be reheated. The nutrition information in this recipe will vary based on the ingredients you choose to use.
To make these with panko breadcrumbs, use 1 cup and stir ¼ teaspoon salt into the flour before you dredge the chicken.
We like this with rice or rice noodles, but you can adjust how you serve it to fit your family!
March Week 2
I aim to start with smaller portions and allow more according to the unique hunger of the kids (since they can be pretty unpredictable!).
Breakfast Ideas
Find my favorite Cereal for Kids and Best Yogurt for tips for what to look for at the store.
You can blend all of the ingredients together to make a more uniformly smooth texture if your toddler (or you!) prefer.
Frozen banana will create a slightly thicker smoothie, so if you plan to serve this through a straw, I recommend doing either frozen blueberries OR bananas, but not both. You can do all frozen fruit if you plan to serve it through a pouch or in an open cup—or if your child is used to drinking thick smoothies!
These taste best with a very ripe banana with brown spots, as they will have the most natural sweetness and flavor. This recipe was updated in February 2020 with small adjustments to the leavening to ensure that the middle of the muffins has the best texture possible.
Snack Ideas
All of these snacks can work for multiple days, so you can make them once and enjoy them a few times.
These no-bake bites taste like a cross between oatmeal raisin and peanut butter cookie dough. I use natural creamy peanut butter (like the kind from Smuckers) and it works really well. (Recipe updated slightly in June 2021 to ensure the best texture.)
These healthy muffins taste like a delicious banana muffin, but with the added nutrition of a big handful of spinach. These store well, so you can make them ahead of time and pull them out of the fridge or freezer to serve.
If you start with dried beans in this salty-sweet snack, make sure to cook them until they are very tender. If making these for a kiddo under one, use maple syrup instead of honey or skip the sweetener all together.
Lunch Ideas
One homemade lunch option in the mix makes it easier to mix up what we offer—without the pressure to cook each day.
These soft breakfast egg cups are packed with protein and vitamins—and can be made ahead of time! Add any veggie you like, whether carrots, butternut squash, broccoli, or spinach.
Fluffy pizza bites are a delicious lunch or dinner option—and you can customize the filling to please your kids! We like these with a little side of warmed marinara sauce for dipping.
Dinners
Add simple sides like a salad kit, sliced cheese, cut up or canned fruit, or crackers to any of these meals to round them out.
You can serve this soup chunky or pureed smooth, according to what your family might prefer. There’s also a slow cooker option if that’s more your speed! Try it as a dip for little kids if they’re not into a full bowl.
These easy quesadillas can be made with pumpkin puree, sweet potato puree, or butternut squash puree. You can also skip it and just go with beans and cheese! I make these as half moon shapes since it helps contain the mess a little when feeding these to kids.
Serve these mini meatballs with grains and veggies or pasta.
Adding beans and extra veggies helps make this easy baby pasta satisfying, nutritious, and yummy. Serve it more or less saucy as you like. (You can even freeze the sauce for easy future meals.)
Learn how to make savory waffles in three flavors including Cheese, Broccoli and Cheese, and Ham and Cheese. These are a fun way to change up your usual waffles and work for any meal of the day. Try them plain or with a simple dip of salsa or warmed marinara or pizza sauce.
March Week 3
Remember to check the fridge and freezer for any leftovers that may need to be used up before heading to the store to reduce your own food waste.
Breakfast Ideas
We love to make green pancakes for an easy, yet festive meal on St. Patrick’s Day!
This healthy granola recipe uses applesauce for sweetness and bakes at a lower temperature to lower the risk of burning around the edges. Plus, find an option to make it without added sugar id desired.
You can use fresh or frozen strawberries, freeze-dried strawberries or strawberry puree. This is an easy way to make flavored yogurt at home for breakfast or snack.
This is a thin batter that makes tender pancakes. Be sure to let them cook until the surface is almost entirely firm before you flip them over.
Snack Ideas
Smoothies are a quick and easy snack to share, both for the kids and for us parents!
You can make these ahead and store in the fridge or freezer and have grab and go snacks on hand for days/weeks!
This simple smoothie is easy to make and is super creamy without many ingredients. You can even share it with your kiddo! Be sure to blend it very well to ensure the best creamy texture.
If you use larger cookie cutters, you may need to bake on the longer end of the baking time—and mini cookie cutters on the shorter end. This makes a relatively small batch, so double it if you want extras to last all week!
These melt-in-your mouth yogurt bites are a fun way to serve yogurt. Plan to make them at least 2 hours before you want to serve them.
Lunch Ideas
All of these ideas can be made and shared with the kids so you can be sure to feed yourself too.
With just 4 ingredients, including a veggie that blends right in, this Veggie Grilled Cheese Sandwich is a yummy kids lunch to share. It packs extra nutrition in the filling, yet only takes a few minutes to make. Such a great easy meal!
These simple blender muffins pack a serious nutrition punch and are dairy-free, with a nut-free option. I prefer the flavor of these once they are fully cooled and chilled in the fridge.
This bright green pesto is cheesy and mild, making it a perfect sauce for a quick dinner of pasta and peas!
Dinners
Add a quick side of Broccoli, Roasted Carrots, or even Sliced Baked Apples to any of these meals.
If using frozen shrimp, transfer it from the freezer to the fridge the night before or in the morning that you plan to make this.
This will likely make enough for two meals. You can freeze the leftovers for a future meal. (This recipe was updated to improve the taste and method in April 2019.)
These are called “breakfast” burritos since they have eggs, but you can serve them for any meal of the day!
I like to use vegetables like carrots, broccoli, bell peppers, and snap peas in this easy recipe. Plan to cook the rice ahead of time or to get it started first.
This easy recipe makes a big pot of comforting soup to feed the whole family—babies, toddlers, and big kids included. The leftovers store nicely so you can enjoy it for a few days!
March Week 4
Grab some frozen produce to make quick work of some of these recipes without the worry that it will spoil before you have a chance to use it.
Breakfast Ideas
Made with a base of just two ingredients, this Apple Yogurt takes just seconds to make—and is a delicious breakfast or snack option.
This bread is incredibly moist from the bananas and berries, so it takes a little while to bake through. I add foil in Step 4 to prevent it from becoming too brown.
Snack Ideas
The kids may like to help make the cookies or bars right along with you.
This makes two toddler-size servings or one serving for a hungrier smoothie-lover!
Make a batch of these healthy oatmeal cookies for dessert, snack time, or a special breakfast. You can make these half the size using 1-tablespoon batter for each cookie and reducing the baking time to about 16-18 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden brown.
These bars taste like an oatmeal cookie bar and are great for breakfast or snack. You can make them ahead too!
I love the burst of flavor that the fresh lemon adds to this recipe so I strongly suggest you use it if you can, but they are also great without it! (Recipe updated slightly April 2021 to ensure dry ingredients are evenly distributed throughout.)
Lunch Ideas
Pair any of these ideas with cut up fruit for an easy kids lunch.
You can use regular plain yogurt, though I like the consistency that Greek yogurt yields a bit better.
You can meal prep this recipe to have ready for future lunches or dinners to share with the kids or you can make it as a family dinner. Add flavor to your bowl with the optional ingredients.
Mix up your usual waffles with this savory version of Cheese Waffles. It’s an easy kids lunch that can also double as breakfast or dinner too! Try them plain or with a simple dip of salsa or warmed marinara or pizza sauce.
Dinners
Find a mix of quick, yet nutritious options to choose from below for dinner this week.
Transform cooked quinoa into a really delicious skillet dinner with this shortcut Quinoa Fried Rice. You can add eggs or omit them, and add more (or less) flavor to your own bowl. See the optional toppings to customize this for each person at your table!
You can also do this with full size spinach if that’s what you’re able to find. Just discard any stems before starting the recipe.
This works well anytime of the year, but the flavors are particularly great in summer
Learn how to make quick and easy Mac and Cheese Bites for an easy kids lunch or dinner. These bites are fun and a nutritious kids meal that can easily double as an appetizer! You can even add in veggies like broccoli for the most delicious mac and cheese cups.
When serving this to a little one, I like to drain off much of the broth. This makes it a little easier (and less messy) for them to eat. If your family likes spice, add in a dash or two of cayenne pepper.
You can see all of my meal plans here. And find my comprehensive Happy Family Meals system here.
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