Clean Eating Recipes for Families (2024)

If preparing delicious meals for your family with fresh and whole foods is something you’d love to do but don’t know where to start, you’re in the right place! Each of these clean eating recipes for families is made with simple and fresh ingredients and your kids will want to eat them! Take a peek at the delicious recipes we’re talking about today, in this video!

I know when I first started to clean up the foods my family was eating, and doing programs like the Whole 30, I would often cook 2 different meals each night, one for myself and another for my family.

Now, several years later and A LOT more experience under my belt, I make ONE meal each night that’s both nourishing and appealing. No bribing or fussing involved- the kids actually want to eat meals made with fresh produce and real food.

My goal by the end of the post is for you to be better equipped with more insight and recipes to help you to do the same.

How to Find Recipes when You Are Eating Clean With Your Family

Before we delve into how, let me explain what “clean eating” actually means, in my terms.

Clean eating– obtaining nutrition from a variety of whole and minimally processed foods. Examples include:

• Produce– Lots of veggies and fruits, even the starchy ones like potatoes, yucca, plantains, etc.
• Meat and poultry– Preferably organic, chicken, turkey, pork, and grass-fed beef.
• Seafood– Fish and shellfish.
• Eggs
• Nuts & Seeds– including nut butter and milk, such as almond, coconut, cashew, and flaxseed milk.
• Oils (limited) and Ghee– olive, avocado, and coconut are best.
• Coffee!

The list above focuses on a Whole30 based clean eating list, but I also incorporate certain dairy products and grains into our diet to make it more of a lifestyle and kid-friendly. Here are the foods we love from both categories:

• Dairy– Various sharp cheeses, kefir, and Greek yogurt.
• Grains– oatmeal, rice, quinoa, farro, and corn.

I use all of these ingredients to make family-favorite meals that are both clean and kid-approved, you can check those out here and I’ll include our all-time favorites below. When it comes to kid-approved and easy lunches made with fresh ingredients, I’ve got you covered.

The Key to Clean Eating as a Family

If you want to find clean, healthy recipes that your family will love, start by recreating your kid’s favorite meals. For instance, my kids adore chicken tenders and french fries (who doesn’t)? With this info, I recreate those chicken tenders into a clean recipe, like my healthy chicken nuggets, and bake some carrot fries. It’s delicious, nutritious, and everyone is happy.Kids are eating familiar foods they already love, and not even realizing they’re “clean” ingredients.

Do you have to do that for each meal? Of course not! Some nights a large dinner salad or pot of Paleo Chili will suffice, although the chili is always welcome in my household.

Part of eating a whole-food-based diet as a family is to reassure them that they can eat healthy and still enjoy what they’re eating.

Eating Clean Meal Plan

If you’re confident about making clean meals but not so much about staying consistent, a plan will be your best friend. Heck! A meal plan is any parent’s best plan and it’s important to find the one that works best for you.

Since I had no luck finding a clean eating style program that fit my family’s needs, I decided to create the Family Kickstart Program. Many years later and it’s has become a major success for thousands of parents who have been through the program. Their goals were to not only clean up their diet but make it a way of life for the entire family and they are doing it!

Family KickStart brings a lot to the table with a 4-week plan for breakfast, lunch, and dinner consisting of clean recipes that look and taste a lot like the original foods your family loves. We’re talking pancakes, overnight “oats”, pizza chicken, burrito bowls, and skillet meals, just to name a few.

A real sweet spot in the program is the shopping list and prep guide that help to take the guesswork out of grocery shopping and how to prepare for the week. You can grab a better look at the Family Kickstart as well as a free sample here.

To give you an idea of what kind of recipes hang around here and what the Family Kickstart offers keep reading!

Clean Breakfast Recipes

Finally! We’ve made it to the recipes! [insert happy dance]

According to my kids, the most important meal of the day is breakfast. While they don’t verbalize it, they sure do speak it with their ravenous early-morning appetites. I like to make sure the first meal is delicious but also something that can be prepped ahead or whipped up while getting everyone ready for the day. Here are a few of the favorites:

RECIPE: Paleo Pancakes
If you like your pancakes extra thick, this recipe is for you! I don’t know how, but the Cassava flour gives these hotcakes an extra boost and the taste? Well, that’s for you to find out.

Recipe:Spinach Bacon Mini Quiches
These minis are high in protein and contain one of the best foods of all time, bacon! Enjoy them for a savory breakfast or pack them as a light lunch.

Recipe:Cranberry Baked Oatmeal
A low-sugar version of the Blueberry Baked Oatmeal that my family loves. This one has cranberries and orange to give it a delicious and dessert-like flavor.

RECIPE:Chocolate Smoothie Bowls
A chocolate smoothie so thick you have to eat it with a spoon, this breakfast is borderline dessert, but without the added sugars or fillers! If you want to know how to make other delicious smoothie bowls, go here.

Clean Lunch Recipes

Thinking outside of the usual lunch sandwich was challenging at first, but I’m so glad we did! Learning how to amp up the salad greens or leftover rice (in this case, cauliflower rice) was certainly a game-changer. FYI- I usually prep my burrito bowl with cauliflower rice and use regular rice for the kids’.

RECIPE:BLT Salad
All the best fixing of the sandwich plus avocado, cheese, and a homemade Ranch dressing.

RECIPE:Buffalo Chicken Salad
I can’t think of a better way to get your Buffalo chicken fix and stick to those #goals.

RECIPE:Salsa Chicken Burrito Bowls
Another version of the Chipotle burrito bowls but made low-carb with cauliflower rice. Serve this as a DIY burrito bar with various toppings like black beans, corn, cooked fajita peppers, and whatever you do, don’t forget extra guac!

RECIPE:Chicken Farro Bowls
A newbie dish that’s both gorgeous and delicious! If you have a love for Greek food, as I do, this recipe answers all those needs with marinated and grilled chicken, a refreshing cucumber tomato salad, and homemade Tzatziki sauce!

Related: More Low Carb Lunch Ideas Here

Clean Dinner Recipes

Who said eating clean has to be boring? I refuse to eat bland, boring foods and I suggest you do the same. I’m confident enough to say that these clean dinner recipes will set your standards high and prove that healthy meals can be so darn delicious! Give these dinner ideas a try and your family will be begging for them on a weekly basis.

RECIPE:Pizza Chicken
It’s a combination of 2 family favorite recipes: baked chicken and pizza but served in a low-carb and super satisfying way. Your family will be begging for this on a weekly basis. If you need an oven-safe skillet, check out this one, I’ve had it for years and it’s still going strong.

RECIPE:Paleo Chili
Clean eating or not, this chili is THE BOMB! Made with no-beans, only beef and veggies, I promise even the veggie haters will be asking for the recipe. If you want to let it cook itself, here’s the slow-cooker version.

Related: More Dinner Ideas with Ground Beef

RECIPE:Thai Chicken Lettuce Cups
For everyone who loves meals that bring a fusion of incredible flavors and textures, these Thai chicken cups are a must! Savory, tangy chicken and sauce loaded into a crisp lettuce cup with fresh Asian slaw and Thai Peanut Sauce- enough said.

RECIPE:Chicken Stew
This is the epitome of comfort food my friend! Potatoes, carrots, peas, and chicken thighs simmered in a light creamy broth, it tastes best when eaten while curled up on the couch and binge-watching Netflix.

Tip- to make it dairy-free, swap the half & half, for full-fat coconut milk.

RECIPE:Huevos Rancheros
Who said tacos are bad for you??? They’ve obviously never had these breakfast tacos made with eggs, black beans, pico de gallo, and avocado- it’s got your protein, healthy fats, and a whole lotta flavor!

RECIPE:Egg Roll in a Bowl
Okay, it doesn’t get much easier than this 15-minute skillet meal. This is basically the best part of the egg roll but stir-fried with ground pork and potentially addictive. No guilt in polishing off 2 bowl fulls.

Related: Low Carb Dinner Recipes

Clean Snack Ideas

You get a snack! I get a snack! We get a snack! Everyone gets a snack!

All jokes aside, snacks aren’t a bad thing, they help to hold you over to the next meal and can be a great way to add in extra nutrition to your day. These quick and easy recipes are still a part of our lives when eating clean or not.

RECIPE:Banana Chips
A kid-favorite alternative to potato chips.

RECIPE:Fruit Leather
This recipe is fantastic for when you have extra in-season produce such as blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries. Simple puree them in a blend, pour into a pan, and bake!

RECIPE:Zucchini Pizza Bites
This can easily turn into a light but satiating meal! Top it with your favorite pizza toppings and don’t be shy with the cheese.

Clean Desserts

Can you eat clean and still satisfy that sweet tooth? YES, YOU CAN! And here are a few treat ideas to remind you that a balanced lifestyle is a marathon, not a sprint.

RECIPE:No-bake Blondies
Perhaps the best no-bake treat you’ll ever experience! It’s like cookie dough but in a bar and made with wholesome ingredients. I recommend dairy-free, dark chocolate chips,like these.

RECIPE:Chocolate Avocado Pudding
Avocado, banana, cocoa powder, and honey are all it takes to whip up this decadent dessert!

RECIPE:Chocolate Peanut Butter Dip
A crowd-pleasing dip that much better for you than the storebought fruit dip! Serve it with sliced apples, grapes, and strawberries.

Okay, everyone, it’s your turn! I hope this post helped inspire you to go for those healthy goals and make more meals you feel good about serving. Don’t forget to check out the Family KickStart Program so you can start eating clean as a family, today!