One way I ensure my kids’ lunches are healthy without me having to spend hours in the kitchen is to cook meals that can be packed in the lunchbox the next day. I often bake this quick and easy recipe for dinner in the hope that there will be leftovers to fill wraps for school lunches the next day. It’s delicious and very sustaining for busy kids.

This pie is a far cry from the basic meat and potato pie that most of us remember. The spices and long list of vegetables make it a truly healthy and hearty meal.

The Dutch often combine smoked meats and legumes in stews and soups. This delicious soup is a hearty, wholesome meal. While it takes a long time to cook it really is a no-fuss, set-and-forget dish my whole family loves.

My memory of Dutch cuisine always includes big bowls of mussels, crusty bread, frites and beer. I love mussels but only used to eat them when I was out for dinner. I somehow had convinced myself they were too hard and fussy to cook at home. Wrong! They are so quick, easy and versatile. I have many favourite ways to eat them but this simple flavour combo is a classic.

This pie contains a really lovely combination of flavours. The tartness of the apple combined with the beautifully balanced aromatic spices and buttery pastry is heavenly.

This pie is one of the family’s new favourites. Whenever we have a roast chicken for dinner, I throw in an extra chook and use the meat for school lunches and to make this simple pie for dinner. The combination of protein with vegetables, shiitake mushrooms and warming spices makes it a great immune-supportive winter meal.

My kids love a wholesome savoury pikelet for breakfast, lunch or a snack. This basic recipe can be altered to accommodate any combination of vegetables or flavours your kids like and is a nourishing addition to school lunches. Give lunch a nutrient boost and replace your bread with pikelets for a pikelet sandwich!

This pasta is one of my favourite vegetarian midweek meals. It’s quick and easy to make and really tasty. You can make it with any kind of mushrooms but I like a mix of shiitake, oyster and field or Swiss brown.

This simple, healthy yoghurt cake is an adaptable basic cake that I know you’ll keep coming back to. I think the combination of pear and ginger is a match made in heaven, but you can alter the spices and fruit to suit your taste and the season.

I love this meal for a midweek quickie when I have no protein to work with. I try to always have tinned tomatoes and beans in the cupboard so this dish can be thrown together at a moment’s notice.

Dinner doesn’t get any more budget friendly, easier or tastier than this Indian Spiced Mince with Peas. It’s one of my family’s favourite midweek meals.

This super-tasty, cheesy lasagne will win over any meat lovers in your family. Vegetarian lasagne just doesn’t get any better than this!