Anything that makes family mealtimes easier gets a big thumbs up from us. Hence why we love the new Family Box from meal kit brand HelloFresh, which has been specifically designed to be as fuss-free as possible with minimal hands-on cooking time and washing up.

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If you're new to HelloFresh these home delivered meal kits contain everything you need to knock up a weeks worth of healthy dinners in no time. Each kit box contains fresh, pre-measured ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions - with picture prompts too. This means you can arrive home from work or after a busy day out with the kids and know everything you need is on hand to make a nutritious meal - down to all the herbs, spices and condiments. You only things you need is some good cooking essentials (a frying pan, saucepan, sharp knife, grater and chopping board) and store cupboard essentials - oil, salt and pepper.

Really the dishes are so straightforward to make, your children can - and will want - to help you out too. Each Family Box recipe card includes a Flavour Twist step so that those with more adventurous palates get an extra kick of flavour meaning you can tailor the flavours/heat/spice to suit younger taste buds - plus there are lots of veggies in mix too and they are often prepared and cooked in a way that means that are hidden from those little ones that 'hate' vegatables.

A three-meal weekly Family Box for four people includes a choice of six recipes like turkey stir-fry, sweet potato cottage pie and mild Sri Lankan curry, and costs from £53.99. Which sounds a lot when it isn't really your weekly shop as such. But, it works out at £4.50 per meal - far cheaper than a family meal out or takeaway. But, mostly it means for 3 night of every week you don't need to worry about what's in the fridge, if you're missing any ingredients or even just for those evenings when you have no idea what to cook. We have two tasty dinner recipes from the HelloFresh team - these are examples of what you will find in a Family Box - A warming Mild Sausage Chilli and an Asian-style Chicken Traybake.

Enjoy!

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** And, if you make them share your pictures on Instagram with #HelloFreshSnaps

The quickest and easiest family dinner recipes you'll ever make...

Mild sausage chilli with homemade tortilla chips

Serves 4. Cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

300g basmati rice

2 red peppers, chopped

1 bunch of chives, chopped

60g cheddar cheese, grated

½ red chilli, sliced

500g pork sausage

1 tin of kidney beans

4 wholewheat soft tortillas

1½ tsp smoked paprika

1 carton of diced tomatoes with garlic and onion

1 pot of chicken stock

100ml water

1 pot sour cream

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 220°C. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the rice, stir and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 10 mins, then remove from the heat and set aside (still covered) for another 10 mins. The rice will finish cooking in its own steam and stay nice and warm whilst you get on with everything else.
  2. Halve, then remove the core from the red pepper and chop into 1cm chunks. Finely chop the chives (or use scissors if you like!). Grate the cheddar cheese. Halve the red chilli lengthways, deseed and finely slice (Leave it out if you don't like heat). Slice open the sausage, remove the meat and put to one side. Drain and rinse the kidney beans in a colander. Cut each tortilla into eight triangles.
  3. Put a drizzle of oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the sausage meat and cook until browned, 5 mins. Use a wooden spoon to break it up while it cooks. Season with salt and black pepper. Add the red pepper to the pan and cook, stirring, until it starts to soften, another 5 mins.
  4. Add the smoked paprika, diced tomatoes with onion and garlic, chicken stock pot and water to the pan. Stir to dissolve the stock pot. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, 10-12 mins.
  5. Place the tortilla triangles on a lined baking tray in a single layer and drizzle over a little oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Pop on the top shelf of your oven and bake until golden and crisp, 4-5 mins. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn. Meanwhile, put the sour cream in a small bowl and stir in half the chives. If the kids aren't so keen on chives, leave half of the sour cream plain.
  6. Taste the chilli and add more salt and black pepper if needed. Add the kidney beans and bring back to a simmer. Serve the rice and chilli in bowls with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkling of the remaining chives. Add some sliced red chilli for the adults if desired. Sprinkle over the cheese and add some tortilla chips for scooping purposes.
The quickest and easiest family dinner recipes you'll ever make...

Asian-style chicken tray bake with broccoli and sugar snap peas

Serves 4. Cooking time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

8 chicken thighs

1 head of broccoli, broken into florets

1 garlic clove, grated

4 tbsp hoisin sauce

1 tbsp honey

1½ tbsp soy sauce

600ml water

1 pot of chicken stock

300g basmati rice

1 pack sugar snap peas

1 green chilli, sliced

25g cashew nut pieces

Method:

  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C. Put the chicken thighs in a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt and a grind of black pepper. Cut the broccoli into florets and add to the bowl. Peel and grate the garlic (or use a garlic press). In a small bowl, mix together the garlic, hoisin sauce, honey and soy sauce. Add half of this marinade to the mixing bowl with the chicken and broccoli. Stir through to ensure an even coating.
  2. Spread the chicken and broccoli out on a baking tray along with any marinade from left in the mixing bowl. Roast on the middle shelf of your oven until the broccoli is tender and the chicken is cooked, giving everything a shake halfway through, 20-25 mins.
  3. Meanwhile, boil the water in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the chicken stock pot and stir to dissolve. Once boiling, add the basmati rice and cover with a lid. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. After 10 mins, remove the pan from the heat and add the sugar snap peas. Pop the lid back on and set aside for another 10 mins. The rice and sugar snaps will finish cooking in their own steam.
  5. When the chicken and broccoli have 5 minutes remaining, scatter the cashew nut pieces over the top and return to the oven. This next bit is optional. If you don't like chilli don't bother, but we've included this for the adults (and any chilli-loving children!). Halve the green chilli lengthways, deseed and finely slice.
  6. Take the lid off your pan and stir the sugar snaps through the rice then share between your plates. Pour the remaining marinade over the chicken and broccoli and turn to coat. Little ones may find it easier to eat if you slice the chicken thighs into strips before serving! Pop the sticky chicken and broccoli on top of the rice and finish with the sliced green chilli for the grown-ups.
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Recipes from HelloFresh’s brand new Family Box. Find out more here at HelloFresh

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