After a long day of work, energy and time are in short supply, and preparing and cooking an entire meal for your family can often feel like a big undertaking. When it feels like too much to handle there’s no shame in ordering the odd pizza, but don’t give up on healthy meals! We’ve put together a list of eight super easy lunch and dinner meals that will take up as little of the precious time that could be spent playing with your kids as possible!

8 easy meals:

Don’t shy away from a nice, tasty sandwich. From bacon, lettuce and tomato, or egg and cress, to tuna and cucumber, there are plenty of fillings to choose from and they take next to no time to prepare. But try to use healthier, wholegrain bread and include some veggie ingredients.

Eggs are simply great because they can be served in a variety of ways and none of them takes a great deal of effort or time. From fried to scrambled, omelette to hard-boiled, there are so many options and they’re full of protein and essential nutrients. Serve them with a side of veg.

Vegetable-packed soups are the way forward during those cooler autumn and winter months. Choose parsnip if your child likes their sweets, carrot and ginger if they like something a bit zesty, or experiment and come up with your own yummy, soul-warming concoctions.

We recommend making and freezing a big batch of bolognese or another favourite sauce at the beginning of the week. Then heat it up and serve with your pasta of choice for a quick option after a long day. Replace meat with lentils or a veggie substitute like Quorn if you’re raising young vegetarians or vegans.

Oven-baked salmon with a side of veg. Yes, you’ll need the oven for this one, but with a cooking time of around 15 minutes and very little preparation, a fillet of salmon and some roasted veggies offer plenty of nutritional value.

Easy egg-fried rice and vegetables makes for a super quick and tasty meal, and it’s a great way to get rid of any leftover rice you might have. Simply fry a few vegetables of your choice, add the prepared rice, and crack an egg into the pan. Mix and match vegetables and change it up once in a while.

Burgers and sausages served in a bun, alongside a fresh salad, will take you a maximum of 15 minutes. And what’s more, these days there are plenty of delicious and nutritious vegetarian options available that your kids will adore. Just make sure you’ve got some ketchup and mayonnaise handy!

You can’t go wrong with stir-fried veg served with noodles or rice as a midweek supper. The veg can often be bought pre-cut and packaged, and need only be tossed in a pan with some oil before serving atop a bed of healthy and filling noodles or rice.

What are 8 easy lunch and dinner suggestions?

Unii's healthy meal ideas are a cinch to prepare.