In need of dinner ideas for the whole family.

mamahafner

Hey all I am in need of some quick ideas for dinner. But it has to appeal to a 3 year old a 7 year old as well as my husband and myself. Let me know. Thanks

momma_roo

I made Morning Star veggie burgers last night. They were quick, easy and my 2 and 3 year old loved them. For a side you can really do anything, carrots and celery with hummus, steamed veggies, ect. My kids didn't eat thier veggies, but I didn't mind because they finished their veggie burgers.

liz_bolin

I am making Sloppy Joes they are around 250 calories with the bun

udallmom101

I make spaghetti with ground turkey and hide veggies like spinach and broccoli in the sauce. I just run it through a chopper and they have no clue it's in the sauce. Whole Wheat pasta off course!

DarkAngel864

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/home.aspx

Love this site! It can factor in your health, your budget, AND most of the meals are made with 5 ingredients or less. Some may not be super health conscious, but I know on my journey, I've learned where and how to substitute some things. Good luck! :flowerforyou:

BeautifulScarsWECHANGED

I just bought the Biggest Loser family cookbook for those on a budget. $13 on Amazon. Really great ideas that everyone will love! :bigsmile:

conawayk

I have found some great recipes on cookinglight.com. I have a 6 & 3 year old and they have enjoyed most of the meals. My 3 year old is pretty picky, so I make sure that there are some side dishes that she likes in case she doesn't eat the main dish.

Gabbyluv

Hi, I use the Morning Star "meat" crumbles and add a can of beans. It's good if you saute onions, green peppers, and garlic and add some mexican seasonings ( I LOVE the GOYA seasonings packets). You can serve in corn tortillas or put in a dish and add some veggie shreds (fake cheese) and bake until cheese is melted. Servie with salsa and hot sauce.

Just_Dot

I made some "Island Drumsticks" the other night. You brown drumsticks in EVOO, then add in a bit of onion and red pepper (or omit if you don't think the kids will like it) and cover and simmer until the chicken is done. Then make a sauce with ketchup, crushed pineapple, vinegar, and brown sugar with some cornstarch thrown in. Add that to the chicken and simmer until the sauce thickens. Serve over jasmine or brown rice.

I have the exact recipe, but that's the jist of it. My 2 year old ate it with no problem. I did a couple of drumsticks in a sauce of crushed pineapple and cornstarch (without the peppers and onions) just in case.

Sigra

I really really like Lemon Chicken and Rice w/ Veggies. It's amazing and healthy! Or Steak and Salad

Lemon Chicken:
Use regular boneless chicken, with Lemon Pepper
Rice - This can very, White rice is lower in calories, but Brown rice is better for you!
Veggies - I prefer to use mixed veggies (frozen) such as Carrots/peas

Steak and Salad
Should be obvious! But I'll tell you what I do
Steak - w/ Seasoned Salt
Salad - Spinach/Lettuce, B. Olives, Tomatoes, Mushrooms, Avocado, Pine nuts, Mozzarella cheese(shredded), Chick peas(Garbanzo beans!) and Kidney beans.

bachooka

Stir fry! I love it, you add whatever veggies you like... and some meat if you like... sautee it all up and pour in 1/4 cup of soya sauce and serve it over half a cup of rice. I have a 2, 3, and 4 year old and they all love it. Hubby-wubs loves it too... and it is so good that it doesn't taste overly healthy.

Here is another great one... which the kids will love to help with. Personal pizza's! I give each person a pita (or two if hubby is involved) and 2 tablespoons of pasta sauce and a quarter cup of cheese. Then I chop up whatever veggies I have around the house to use up and some bacon or chicken if I feel like it. My little one's make theirs themselves and its a great way to control your own portion while giving the kids and DH a little freedom. Toss them in the oven at 350 till they are golden and bubbly (about thirty minutes)

TheWolf77

Whole Wheat Thomas's English Muffin Pizza's

These are basically mini pizzas:

1 Thomas's English Muffin (whole wheat or whole grain)
(Toast the muffin a little first, not so that it is dark but enough so that it doesn't go soggy when adding sauce)

2 - 3 tablespoons of Hunts Tomato Puree (depending on how much sauce you like)
1/4 Tsp Oregano (not much needed but enough to give it some flavor, you can use as much as you want)
1/4 Tsp No Salt (any kind of no sodium spice helps, no salt gives this meal some potassium)

1 slice Sargento Swiss Cheese (any kind of cheese helps here, but I go with the Sarento swiss because of it's low sodium count) Split the slice 1/2 for each side of the muffin.

Add the sauce & spices cover with the cheese slice and put in the oven on broil. Leave the oven door open a crack to view the pizza as it takes less than 5 minutes to cook these pizzas, the cheese bubbles and browns slightly they are ready.

They can be made in less than 10 minutes and the cal count is so low that if you have 2 portions (2 muffins which makes 4 mini pizzas) you will feel full and you won't feel like you have hurt your day at all.

Total count for this Recipe:

174 Calories
21 Carbs
6 Fat
10 Protein
1 Sugar
280 Sodium

Everyone in our family loves these. T

kdiamond

I try new things a couple times of week, but there are some healthy staples that the kids love that I repeat every week...

1) turkey chili (little bit of shredded cheese and greek yogurt on top)
2) chicken cutlets (I lightly bread the children's in panko, my husband and I's in almond flour, and I cook in a bit of olive oil)
3) ground chicken breast burgers (the kids use whole wheat sandwich thins, I do not)
4) lean ground beef soft tacos (the kids use the healthy wheat taco shells, I may or may not)

All 300-400 calorie meals and kids and husband likes as well.