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Spaghetti and meatballs
Tacos - vary up the meats / toppings Burrito bowls - the same as tacos but over rice Grilled chicken with BBQ sauce to dip and veggies on the side Salad with grilled meat, served to kids deconstructed (eg meat, tomatoes, cucumber slices all separate. No lettuce for them) Fish baked in oven with veggie on the side Chili Brats/hot dogs with veggies on the side Burgers with carrots and ranch and potato chips Pulled pork with coleslaw and cornbread Veggie sides typically include broccoli, green beans, cauliflower, raw carrots |
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Sheet pan dinners - a good one is drumsticks, potatoes, broccoli
Soup and sandwich combos Skillet dinners - Budget Bytes is a great site for this. Things like orzo and chicken thighs cooking together in one large pan. Chili + cornbread (I buy the cornbread) Pasta - meat sauce where we can freeze half for later, or turkey meatballs, or an easy baked pasta Fajita and quesadillas |
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Just finished 3rd grade. Single mom.
Serve raw veggies, fruit w/ the entrees below: - Diced pancetta over pasta w/ olive oil, fresh parmesan - Bagels, cream cheese & lox - pasta w/ chicken apple sausage, olive oil, fresh parmesan - salami slices, cheese, crackers - frozen chicken pot pie, pizza - mushroom ravioli w/ truffle salt, olive oil, fresh parmesan |
| My kids have food restrictions and are super picky. I often make a recipe but leave a couple components on the side. Like a pasta with a simple sauce and then chicken and broccoli separately to mix in. I also have give up nights where they have store chicken nuggets and I order something delicious like butter chicken. My kids will surprise me in what they will try. My oldest is gradually starting to be willing to try naan and a mango lassi. I know that sounds super safe to you but it’s huge for her. I try and have some thing new on the table 2 times a week (supplemented with at least some thing my kids will eat, even if it’s the fruit and crackers) and don’t worry about lots of other easy nights. I do homemade versions of kid friendly foods like chicken tenders and meatballs. Like other people I have a guideline I always offer a fruit and a vegetable at every dinner. They don’t always eat them. |
| Assemble-yourself type meals are good when they're picky: falafel with pita hummus, and other salads and veg. Burritos/fajitas. Stir fry with rice and chicken on the side. |
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My kids love this:
Cook salmon with teriyaki style sauce Heat up bag of Frozen brown rice Provide things like cubed avocado, matchstick carrots, thinly sliced cucumbers, Scallions Large sheets of seaweed Everyone can assemble hand rolls with above ingredients Serve with easy veg like microwave bag of green beans or edamame. |
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Roast a Sheet pan of shelf stable gnocchi, sliced sausage of your choosing, chopped veggies of your choosing, tossed in olive
Oil and Italian seasoning. |
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Frozen chicken dumplings (we like Lao Bao), rice, steamed broccoli
Moroccan chicken meatballs - I make a double batch of these and freeze half. I bake instead of frying. Serve with roasted carrots. On top of arugula for the adults. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022719-moroccan-spiced-chicken-meatballs?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Salsa verde chicken in the instant pot - serve on rice or with tortillas, plus cheese, avocado, etc https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1020670-pressure-cooker-salsa-verde-chicken?smid=ck-recipe-iOS-share Sausage marinara pasta - brown 1 lb sausage meat. Add a jar of marinara. Add a 5 oz bag of spinach. Serve with pasta of choice. Top with Parmesan. My kids pick out the spinach but otherwise devour this. Tomato soup and grilled cheese Butternut squash soup - add a can of cannellini beans before you purée for extra protein Frittata - my go-to has shallot, goat cheese, herbs, lemon zest. |
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My kids never get tired of burrito bowls. I vary the beans and meat used, and with a rice cooker (love my Zojirushi) it’s easy to throw together after work.
They also surprisingly love egg roll in a bowl. I had to talk it up the first time I made it, but now they request it all the time. |
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I love making new and different things, so the rotation can be kind of varied. Here are some of the items we have had recently:
-Rice bowls topped with teriyaki chicken, braised Chinese beef, or braised Japanese pork belly, served with broccoli -Some kind of beans, rice, and meat-red beans with rice and sausage, black beans and rice with grilled chicken or Cuban style pork, etc. -Tacos-lately with shrimp or fish made from popcorn shrimp or those Costco ultimate fish sticks, rice, avocado -Breakfast for dinner-eggs, sausage, toast, fruit -Pasta with Sungold tomato sauce, roast Italian porchetta, braised green beans and tomatoes -Grilled marinated chicken thighs, grilled zucchini, rice -Grilled Italian sausages, zucchini Parmesan, crusty bread -Spinach/feta stuffed chicken breasts, wild rice, Greek chopped salad (kids nibble cukes and tomatoes) -DH’s smoked ribs/brisket, mac and cheese, corn on the cob, cole slaw -Chicken breasts in tomato basil cream sauce, pasta or rice, sautéed zucchini -Pizza-sometimes bought, sometimes made. Admittedly, this is a very summery list. I’ve got a good sized garden, and this time of year, I’m basically trying to figure ways to use up a near constant supply of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, basil, etc. |