Moms: Family Meals Matter: Helping families eat right

Welcome to the first installment of "Family Meals Matter" a new weekly meal planning and nutrition column that helps make healthy eating easier for busy families.

In recognition that today's hectic lifestyles mean few families are able to come together and prepare a full meal every night of the week, this column will feature a grocery list and recipes to make one full family meal, two to three entrees and several side dishes that can be used on their own or combined for less formal meals throughout the week.

March is National Nutrition Month, so to help families "eat right," we've selected some quick-to-prepare recipes with ingredients from the five food groups. In fact, the Ham Pasta Primavera deliciously combines four of the five food groups — grains, vegetables, (Dairy) and (Meat) in just one dish. Bring fruit to the table with the dessert suggestion Berry Blast Smoothie and your family can enjoy all the food groups in just one meal.

Other recipes for this week, like Couscous with Mushrooms and Sun-dried Tomatoes and Tortellini Soup combine vegetables and grains while Zesty Ranch Chicken and Poached Salmon with Mustard Dill Sauce combine the (Dairy) and (Meat) groups.

By using these recipes as a guide and planning even some of your families' meals ahead of time you're taking a simple step towards healthier eating. Planning ahead also helps you focus on healthy foods that are nutrient-rich ...that is, there is a high ratio of key nutrients to calories provided by the food.

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EAT RIGHT MENU

Ham Pasta Primavera (www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/7532)

Sesame Broccoli (www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/9715)

Berry Blast Smoothie (www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/7129)

More options:

Entree: Zesty Ranch Chicken (www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/25626)

Entree: Poached Salmon with Mustard Dill Sauce (www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/11625)

Side: Black-Eyed Peas and Red Beans (www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/7366)

Side: Couscous with Mushrooms and Sun-dried Tomatoes (www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/45879)

Side: Tortellini Soup (www.mealsmatter.org/recipes-meals/recipe/7467)