I need your help. I am s-t-r-u-g-g-l-i-n-g with ideas for dinner. The kids are eating all table food now so they can pretty much eat what we eat.
Here's our "go to" meals and I am really starting to feel like I'm feeding the kids the same thing every week. In general, we struggle with vegetables. Kendall is the pickiest.
chicken nuggets
mac 'n cheese
Perdue Short Cuts chicken strips
Peas
Peas & Carrots
Steamed cauliflower with low-cal cheese sauce
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potato fries
Some of the Gerber Graduates prepared meals
We get home by 5:00 during the week and the kids are usually starving. I can stall them for about 10 minutes with snacks so it leaves me absolutely no prep time. I would love, love, love for you guys to give me any good, quick and easy recipes that you have. If it can be ready in under 20-30 minutes, that's ideal.
I am really going to try to make an effort to set aside some time on the weekends so I can make and freeze some casseroles. So, if you have any of those recipes, I'll take 'em!
11 comments:
This may sound crazy, but my family loves my green beans. I make green beans from a can, drain the juice, put one or two beef bullion cubes in and add some onion flakes. Microwave for two minutes and then let cool for the little ones. Delish! Let me know if they like them. All my boys love them (hubby included)!
Make brown rice with stock, place in fridge to use as carb for snacks. Or purchase shelf stable, ready to eat.
Rushed for dinner?
Scoop cooked rice in bowl, chop fresh veggie (zucc, squash, sweet bell pepper, etc.) add to bowl, drain and add some garbonzo beans, throw any frozen veggies you want to add, pour in teriyaki sauce to taste, micro for 1-3 mins, serve. Delish and super fast teriyaki bowl!
If you have a crock pot, you could have dinner simmering all day while you work. There are a lot of crock pot cookbooks out now. Spaghetti is another option....
You could also cook several meals on Sundays, and freeze them. Then, each day when you get home, all you have to do is thaw, heat and serve.
Oh, I hear you. I feel like we are in a constant pattern of foods.
Trevor hates veggies too. I nearly died the other day when he ate some green beans.
What about..jelly sandwich, ravioli(its a full serving of veggies), grilled cheese, quesadilla? Those are some of our quick go-to's!
Sweet potato quesadilla are a hit here-you grate the sweet potato with a cheese grater and it cooks up in a skillet in no time. I usually add black beans and some sharp cheddar. My 15 month old loves it! I also cook pearled barley ahead of time and freeze small portions. I microwave it with some pureed broccoli and cheese. Easy to pick up and yummy. My son also loves roasted veggies. Easy to do a large batch at once. Toss some sweet potatoes, carrots and butternut squash with some olive oil and a pinch of sugar and roast! Good luck!
Mine love pasta with red sauce, we do elbow macaroni, raviolies and lasagna all with meatballs. I buy frozen chic corden blues(barbor is the brand) they even have broccoli filled ones. I made chic barley chili in the crockpot the other day and they loved that. The recipe is on the back of the quaker barley box. Mine love canned veggies so i'm lucky with that.
We are stuck in the same food rut as you for the most part, I feel like its always nuggets, hotdogs, grilled cheese, quesdillas. hopefully you get somemore good responses i'm curious too!
Suzanne - First, my absolute life saver is the Ziploc Zip n'Steam bags. You can buy veggies still on the stalk like cauliflower broccoli so they stay fresh extra long in your fridge cut them up throw them in the bag (with salt and pepper or lemon pepper), micro, and Voila! veggies. You can do asparagus, carrots, squash, red potatoes, etc. etc. They are awesome!! The instructions say to use the bag once (to sell more) however I rinse out with water and use again and again.
Secondly here's a cassoroles recipe. Prepare in advance then bake when you get home.
4-6 chicken breasts
1 pkg stovetop stuffing mix (chicken or turkey)
4-6 slices Swiss cheese
1 can CRM mushroom soup
1 16 oz crt of sour cream
Place chicken in 9x13 pan. Place cheese slices over chicken. Mix together cream of mushroom soup and sour cream. Pour over chicken and cheese. Mix water in stuffing mix and pour over chicken. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
Veggie pizza goes over great with my kids - I put spinach, mushroom and red onion on the pizza, along with light sauce and light cheese - they love it!
Crockpot pot roast is great, just throw in a pot roast (I've even used frozen), one can of cream of mushroom soup, and one package of knorr vegetable soup mix (or onion soup mix). Don't add any liquid, it will make enough on it's own. It's yummy and supper easy.
I've had success with mini crustless quiche and mini meatloafs cooked in muffin tins. They freeze easily and are a great serving size!
My 15 mo old is a pretty good eater (we are lucky)! But, she is famished when we get home from school each day and I definatly don't have time to cook for her every evening. I always have something prepped ahead. I cook chicken and veggies in the evening before (cook more than I know DH and I will eat) and that is DD's dinner (and sometimes lunch).
Post a Comment