In a rut and need easy healthy family meals

[Anonymous]

Been in an all around rut lately and have had a hard time meal planning healthier meals. We’re also in the thick of it with two working parents with bad commutes, and a 1 and 4 year old.

I need some simple rotations that are on the healthier side, but also relatively low prep and easy to cook. I feel like I spend more time cooking and cleaning than with my kids.

What are your go tos?

[Anonymous]

I should add that we don’t do seafood or shellfish.

[Anonymous]

Turkey meatloaf
Meatballs and spaghetti
Stuffed peppers
Ranch pork chops

[Anonymous]

Boiled eggs and boiled corn 🌽 on the cob, broccoli 🥦 and mashed potatoes
Green beans and meatballs

[Anonymous]

Sheetpan dinners. We like this one but there are a lot of recipes out there: https://food52.com/recipes/68405-harissa-chicken-with-leeks-potatoes-and-yogurt?srsltid=AfmBOopzNFJiArp7vMK6u7r2J2VBYY5unhc4Cizu4CX4FXpsXEgIJqNm

[Anonymous]

Once a week I make a taco rice dish. Brown ground beef or turkey, add mild taco seasoning, cooked rice, can of corn, can of black beans. I’ve also done variations where I start by sautéing chopped onion and bell pepper before adding the meat. Once cooked, top with shredded cheese and allow it to melt for a few minutes.

[Anonymous]

Grilled chicken in red sauce, pasta, veg.

[Anonymous]

When my kids were those ages, I frequently used a cookbook called the Six O’Clock Scramble - hopefully it is still in print! The recipes were very simple, kid friendly and quick, and the author would always make a suggestion for a side - sometimes as simple as “raw carrot sticks and snap pea pods” which my brain appreciated at 6pm as I was usually fried

Two meals from it that I remember my kids loving (and that were so easy to prepare) were honey sesame noodles with edamame, and something called “chips olé” which was a riff on a dish from the mcps cafeterias (haha), basically taco meat that you scoop up with tortilla scooper chips, and I’d add spinach to the dish.

[Anonymous]

I made a spreadsheet of successful meals. Each family has different meals, but mine includes cook times. When I feel stuck I review it to help. My dcs are 14 and 16 and thinking of new things to cook is really a chore

[Anonymous]

Rotisserie chicken, roasted veggies, rice. At night input the leftover chicken in the slow cooker to make chicken soup.

Slow cooker overnight pot roast.

Homemade hummus pita and veggies

Black Beans rice and tortillas

Bacon sandwich with apple slices and spinach (BLA) I cook bacon in the oven on a roasting try at 400 for 20 min.

[Anonymous]

My kids are older but I'm always looking for the same thing. Here's a new one in our repertoire that was a huge hit; per the comments, add extra peppers and onions and cherry tomatoes.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025733-crispy-gnocchi-with-sausage-and-broccoli

Also we're not the healthiest eating family but with my younger kid I started putting out an assortment of small bowls of cut-up fruits and veggies with every meal. He still does this as a teenager.

[Anonymous]

Veggie chili with fixings and cornbread (throwing some honey and jalapenos or creamed corn into Jiffy mix is great and easy)

Egg roll in a bowl

Black bean, cheese and salsa omelets with salsa and guac on top

[Anonymous]

My favorite quick fix. Make rice bowls. You can add anything you want to them. I usually make them out of beans, corn and leftover veggies I have in the fridge. Mix in my favorite salsa or sauce and I have delicious healthy meal.

[Anonymous]

Here are a few that are quick and healthy and on our regular rotation:

— bean quesadillas. Canned beans, mash on a tortillas with a form, top with cheddar and another tortilla, fry in olive oil, top with chopped grape tomato’s and avocado. (Can also add scallions, sautéed mushroom, leftover meat, butternut squash puree, roasted corn, whatever).

— Costco spinach ravioli from frozen section topped with chopped tomatos and olive oil.

— runners pancakes. 1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 t baking powder, 1 t cinnamon, in blender then fry. Serve with fruit and real maple syrup.

— smitten kitchen squash pancakes (roast the squash over the weekend).

— fried egg and cheese sandwich, served with spinach smoothie (half a bag of spinach improved for 1 min, banana, cup frozen mango, 1 T chia seeds, mango/peach/vanilla Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup low fat milk).

— grilled salmon (I get the pre marinated at Costco) served with orzo and peas. This takes 20 minutes even with the preheating. Can do it in oven too but grill means the house doesn’t smell fishy. Add a cup frozen peas to the orzo 1 minute before it’s done boiling. Strain then add a pat of butter into the orzo and pea mixture. Add fresh grated parm if you like it.

— garlic shrimp on pasta. Nothing cooks faster than shrimp!

— if your kids will eat spinach, it’s really easy to just sauntee some sliced chicken or chicken sausage in olive oil with chopped garlic, add in some chopped fresh spinach at end, add a cup of pasta cooking water, and put over pasta with Parmesan and some chopped fresh tomato if you want. You can basically do all that in the 10 minutes the pasta is on the pot. You can do broccoli or whatever instead of spinach too. Anything is delicious sautéed in olive oil with garlic and topped with Parmesan.

And here’s on I loved as a single woman but couldn’t get my kids to love:

— sautee chopped carrots and canned chick peas in olive oil with lots of garlic and curry powder. Can add tomatos if you have some to use up. Serve over store bought garlic naan.

Chick peas also work well to stretch out a tuna salad so the kids don’t get quite as much tuna if you’re worried about mercury. High protein and fiber.

[Anonymous]

Sorry above should say mash with a fork, not a form.