Easy, healthy dinners—parenting hack help
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
I’m looking for VERY easy, healthy dinner ideas that your kids like. I’ll start with two that work in my family:
1. “Sweet salmon”—3tbs of mustard and 2 tbs of brown sugar mixed together. Spread on salmon and pop in oven at 420 for about 10 minutes. Finish under broiler if you want. My kid loves this, even though she claims to dislike fish. I pair it with a lettuce-free salad that’s just a mix of cucumber, tomato, avocado and feta. The whole thing takes 5-10 minutes to prepare. 2. “Green Monster Burgers”— 1/4 cup of milk 1/2 cup of panko 1 egg A ton of fresh spinach chopped very small 1lb of turkey meat Zest from one big lemon Optional: A dash of Worcestershire sauce Grated or powdered parm Sale/pepper Combine all ingredients. Form into burgers. Grill or cook in pan until center is 160 degrees. Top with sliced cheese for the last minute (we use Kraft singles) My kid likes this on buns or just sliced into strips for her to dip in ketchup. I use a lot of spinach so the burgers are very green. This recipe makes 5 burgers. The whole thing takes 20ish minutes. Share your easy, healthy dinner ideas below! |
Anonymous
| Taco bowls. Ground tirkey or beef with taco seasoning cooked with frozen pepper/onion blend, minute rice (mix in chopped cilantro and lime if you’re feeling fancy), canned black beans, sur cream, cheese. Just made this tonight and it took maybe 15 minutes altogether. |
Anonymous
| My kids love steamed chicken and broccoli from the Chinese restaurant. Serve with brown rice and mix with some of the suave (ordered on the side.) voila! Balanced dinner and no dishes. |
Anonymous
| Roasted sweet potatoes, broccoli and chicken pieces that have been topped with Cajun seasoning. Top with hummus (sounds weird but actually great). |
Anonymous
|
Rotisserie chicken is my hack.
One of our favorite dinners is Ramen soup. I add rotisserie chicken, chopped celery, chopped carrots. I use extra water so the seasoning is more diluted as well. Black bean and cheese quesadillas. Avacado and tomatoes on the side. Obviously do different veggies or filling as works for you/your family. |
Anonymous
|
Salsa chicken. 1 package chicken breasts and a jar of your favorite salsa, put in crockpot. Done. I like to use Trader Joes salsa authentica (tall narrow jar) for this. It is the perfect consistency and doesn’t have chunks of things that shouldn’t be in salsa (green bell peppers, corn, etc). Cook on low or high, depending how time you planned ahead. Shred when it is done.
Serve with tortillas and taco fixings or over greens with black beans and avocados, or make your own bowls with rice, beans, whatever else. |
Anonymous
Wanted to add- I hate crockpot stuff me almost never use mine, except for this. It really is good, versatile, and stupidly easy |
Anonymous
|
We also do salsa chicken and use it for tacos, taco bowls, enchilada filling, etc.
Mix equal parts dijon mustard and brown sugar with a little garlic, spread on salmon, broil til bubbling. So, so good. Skinnytaste zucchini tots My kids love breakfast for dinner- eggs, sausage, fruit, yogurt. Rotisserie chicken plus bagged salad in a rush |
Anonymous
|
Sheet pan meals! Throw a protein on a sheet pan with your favorite veggies. We like sausage, chicken or shrimp with whatever veggies are in season.
https://www.howsweeteats.com/2021/04/one-pot-shrimp-and-orzo/ - I throw spinach in this one or will serve with air frier broccoli https://www.skinnytaste.com/pasta-fagioli-64-pts/ https://www.skinnytaste.com/20-minute-veggie-lo-mein-bowl/ https://therecipecritic.com/korean-ground-beef-stir-fry/ Egg roll in a bowl - https://natashaskitchen.com/egg-roll-in-a-bowl-recipe/ |
Anonymous
| Watch Kimono Mom or any of the Japanese food blogs on YouTube. Americans get so stressed out about cooking when other cultures take a lot of pride and joy in making nutritionally and aesthetically pleasing meals. |
Anonymous
|
cajun-ish rice and beans:
In a big pot/dutch oven, saute a diced green pepper, 1/2 onion, and couple stalks of celery until tender (5ish min); shake some cajun seasoning on (emeril has a good one) to taste - I use about 1T; add 12 oz sliced andouille sausage (or kielbasa which is less spicy) and saute until browned; add 1 tsp minced garlic for one more min; add 1.5 c white rice, 3 c chicken broth, 1 drained can red (not kidney, and not rinsed) beans, bring to a boil then reduce to simmer and cover for 10 min. Turn off heat and let sit 5 min, add more cajun seasoning to taste. I like to make a salad with this but my kids are happiest if I serve with cornbread. |
Anonymous
|
Sushi hand rolls
Teriyaki style salmon Brown rice (I use frozen rice so takes 3 min) Everyone rolls these ingredients in dried seaweed Serve with steamed broccoli or green beans. |
Anonymous
|
Korean dumpling soup -
Add frozen dumplings to chicken broth Add garlic and ginger (TJ frozen cubes are perfect) Add a beaten egg if you wish Top with sliced scallions and furikake or crumbled dried seaweed |
Anonymous