Dishes the children (and you) will love

Aslice of cheese and onion pie, a succulent sausage or a hearty helping of pasta bake with mozzarella may not be what you automatically associate with healthy eating.

Yet these, plus other family favourites, are firmly on the WW menu, thanks to its flexible programme which makes it easy to enjoy the foods you love while improving your physical and mental health.

‘You’re much more likely to achieve longlasting results if you make eating a balanced, nutritious diet a part of everyday family life,’ says Julia Westgarth, head of programme at WW. ‘There’s no need to isolate because you’re focusing on your health and weight loss. And luckily the WW programme can also benefit the health of the whole family. There are so many ways you can easily incorporate WW recipes into meal planning.’

That’s why we’re sharing a delectable selection of filling dishes for all tastes.

With clever tweaks — such as using reduced-fat sausages in the sausage and bean casserole, extra-lean mince in the Bolognese sauce and half-fat cheddar in the cheese and onion pie — the experts at WW have ensured today’s sustaining family recipes fit your smartPoints budget.

set a single portion aside for yourself, with extra vegetables, then give larger helpings to partners or youngsters who may not need, or want, to lose weight.

‘Don’t forget you can always take a leftover portion into the office for a healthy lunch the next day,’ says Julia. ‘You’ll also find plenty more inspiration on the WW app for healthy packed lunches.’

easy ways to reduce the smartPoint values of packed lunches include using reduced-fat mayonnaise or yoghurt for tuna mayo sandwiches and opting for sandwich thins, wholemeal flatbreads or WW wraps in place of normal bread.

‘You can also make crunchy, alternative wraps with iceberg lettuce leaves instead of using a normal wrap,’ says Julia.

‘And try to make it fun for kids by buying lunch boxes with different compartments. Fill them with raw sugar snap peas, carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes — all reliable child-pleasers. You could also include a little bag of home-made popcorn sprinkled with cinnamon instead of sugar.’

Try swapping crisps for roasted chickpeas, which are higher in protein and lower in smartPoints as they’re not deep-fried.

so what are you waiting for? You never know, you could find inspiration for tonight’s family dinner on these pages...