Diana McHardy tells Varsha Anjali she never set out to write a cookbook - her followers demanded it.
A popular Kiwi Instagram family-focused nutritionist wants you to stop being so hard on yourself in the kitchen.
Diana “Di” McHardy is the face behind Mama’s Meals, a nutrition consultancy and recipe
“I think parents in this generation, or even just in 2025 in general, we’re so hard on ourselves. We don’t need to be. We’re doing so much better than we think,” the mother-of-two tells Viva over the phone from her Hawke’s Bay home. “We are all trying our best, and sometimes it’s okay to lower the expectations of yourself.”
Taking the pressure off feeding a family is the focus of her new self-published cookbook, Family Cooking, which will be released next month.
Eight chapters cover 102 recipes - from simple breakfasts, seasonal dinners, lunchbox favourites and toddler-approved baking.
But it’s not just recipes. Family Cooking goes much further. It also includes practical information and tips on seasonal eating (McHardy calls it one of the “biggest hacks” when it comes to feeding a family), eating organic produce and high-quality meats on a budget, navigating the supermarket, reading food labels, building a pantry, and more.
McHardy, who trained as a lawyer and worked in corporate jobs before having her children (Oscar is 4 and Maggie is 3), recently became a certified holistic nutrition consultant.
Her passion for food started in her 20s. She says she loved coming up with new ideas and was cooking purely for the joy of it - “it was so casual back then”.
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In November 2020, during the Covid lockdown, McHardy became a mum. Naturally, things started to look different. But having children didn’t just mean she had extra mouths to feed - it demanded a complete change to her cooking style.
“I had struggled as soon as [Oscar] had started eating with finding something like a resource or a book that I felt like was reliable, but it was also within my values of having wholesome, nutritious recipes that the whole family could eat.
“I honestly couldn’t find anything at the time.”
McHardy says that at that point, she started creating her own recipes and eventually began sharing them online. Mama Meals was born.
The more McHardy shared on Instagram, the more she realised so many other parents were searching for the same thing. There was a clear gap in the market. Two years ago, McHardy decided to turn it into a business.
She says she never set out to write a cookbook. Her community of thousands, which Family Cooking is dedicated to, in a way, forced her hand.
“I kept getting requests all the time ... their response was overwhelming,” says McHardy. At that point, her team of two graphic designers, who previously worked with McHardy on her branding, said, “Let’s do it”.
“I had no idea what I was undertaking,” says McHardy. “But that’s maybe the beauty of naivety.”
Family Cooking is frank in its approach to cooking. Despite how noisy the wellness and family nutrition space can be, perfection is never the goal: “It can be really, really simple and you don’t need to overcomplicate it.”
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Advertise with NZME.She says that the mental load that can come with cooking is so heavy.
“Some days it’s not going to feel joyful - and that’s okay. My philosophy is around planning ahead if you can, having your tried and true favourites that you can rotate and that you can lean on that keep you steady during those chaotic times.”
Stripped back. Working with what you have. Unpretentious.
“It’s real food for families.”
If it’s not about perfection, how does McHardy define success in a family meal?
“I think the success for every family is gonna look different, but for our family, it’s when everyone finally sits down, because our two, getting them to the table is sometimes the biggest mission.
“But once everyone is sitting down and we can look at each other after a busy day that we’ve all had and chat ... and it just feels lighter and it feels like that really special family time that you know you’ll look back on one day and remember.”
A personal favourite recipe from the cookbook is the Teriyaki Salmon Noodles recipe. According to McHardy, her whole family love it. “They’re slurping up the noodles ... my kids just get so excited to this day.”
She’s put her own spin on other nostalgic favourites, which she says “lights up” kids and even her friends, including sticky date pudding (Sticky Date Slab), waffles (Wonder Waffles) and cocoa puffs (Coco Puffs).
“It’s achievable, it’s accessible, and with informed planning, you can definitely eat well on a budget, feel good, and nourish yourself as well as your kids.”
Family Cooking is on sale from November 3.
