Anyone have family friendly recipies?

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Christiethorn1
Christiethorn1 Posts: 30 Member
in Recipes
I am so tired of cooking two separate dinners, one for my husband and I, and one for my four children. I have a few dinner ideas that everyone can enjoy but I am looking for more kid friendly healthy recipe's and ideas....

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  • chickiec28
    chickiec28 Posts: 4
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    My recipes are dinners, but I usually bring leftovers for lunch. I love pizza and couldn't bear the thought of giving it up, so i make a casserole with the same flavors.

    1 pound hamburger
    5 large mushrooms, sliced
    1/2 bell pepper (whatever color you prefer), chopped
    1/2 medium onion, chopped
    2 cups shredded mozzerella
    about 20 pepperoni
    Hunt's traditional spaghetti sauce (i use about 1/2 can which is 1 1/2 cups)
    Pizza seasoning
    2 Tbsp minced garlic

    Brown the hamburger with Italian seasoning and garlic. Drain and place in an 8X8 glass pan. Cover with spaghetti sauce. Layer veggies. Cover with cheese and put pepperoni on top. Bake in oven for about 20 minutes at 400, or until cheese is bubbly.

    If you divide by 4 servings, 595 calories and 15 carbs
    If you divide by 6 servings, 397 calories and 10 carbs

    Everyone loves this recipe and nobody seems to notice that it's low-carb. :)
  • JenMc14
    JenMc14 Posts: 2,389 Member
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    We do a lot of the same things over and over, and they're mostly just jealthier versions of favorites.

    Staples in my house are:
    Burgers - using either extra lean groundturkey or extra lean ground beef. My husband is very low carb, so we don't use buns. I might buy them on occasion, but it's very rare. Served with sweet potato fries or some sort of veggie and/or fruit on the side.

    Turkey Italian Sausage - again veg on the side, sometimes sauteed onions.

    Tacos - generally mde with extra lean ground turkey, and lately I've been using the Philadelphia Southwest Style cooking creme for a nice, creamy taco. Served with cheese & corn tortillas, often with black beans, sometimes Spanish rice.

    Pizza - It's make your own. Use use Flat Outs light wraps for the crust. Favorites toppings go on.

    Salad - I'll often buy a bagged Southwest or Ultimate Caesar kit and serve with pre-cooked grilled chicken strips. Another is make your own salad with a load of toppings and meats to choose from.

    Meatloaf - Extra lean (96/4) ground beef, breadcrumbs, an egg and a packet of onion soup mix with Worstechire and ketchup. The current family favorite is when I cook them in a cupocake tin and top with a dollop of mashed potatoes for meat cupcakes.

    Sloppy joes - Ground meat. Ketchup (reduced sugar), Coke Zero, Worstechire sauce and garlic make the sauce.

    Meatball bake - I heat frozen turkey meatballs in a skillet on the stove. When they're about done, I put them in a baking dish, cover in pasta sauce & top with cheese. Bake untilt he cheese is melted (I do a portion for myself on the side so I don't have to measure everything). I serve with whole wheat pasta for my kids (sometimes) and Shirataki tofu nooldes for my husband and me (sometimes).

    Stir frys are great options, too. You can also do chilis, stews, soups in the crock pot.
  • bearwith
    bearwith Posts: 525 Member
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    I read somewhere that for people who want to put weigh on they just need to add a slice of garlic bread or grated cheese to their meal. They could add seeds or have a second portion. When it comes to pudding - they put cream/custard on their fruit or have a second portion.

    Basically I use these principles in reverse for me - I cut out the extras and sides and second portions. We all eat the same but I do not add the cheese to mine. I do not have the puddings or I have a couple of teaspoons.

    It seems to be working - nobody notices that I am eating different food and therefore it is not an issue for the family.

    I also use a white side plate and give my husband a large white dinner plate - nobody knows the difference. I also have a smaller fork so that I have smaller mouth fulls and give him a regular fork.
  • stunningalmond
    stunningalmond Posts: 275 Member
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    I have problems making kid-friendly meals too. My oldest daughter is so picky and won't eat casseroles, melted cheese, anything with tomatoes, no tacos, no lasagna, no pizza, no cream sauces of any kind, no burgers, and if i can manage to get her to eat meat at all, she needs to dip it in ranch dressing. Most of the time we're eating chicken or fish with rice (hers has to be plain). No one in my house besides me will eat sweet potatoes... I spend the better part of my afternoon trying to figure out the easiest way to make dinner for everyone. It sucks! Lol!
  • karenhray7
    karenhray7 Posts: 219 Member
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    I feel so lucky that I only have one picky eater in my house. And as soon as I started including pan sauce with the meal's meat, he stopped complaining! A little lemon, some water or stock, finish with a little butter, et viola! I can even get him to eat brussel sprouts if I use fresh garlic and good olive oil to cook them.
  • fwilson1031
    fwilson1031 Posts: 88
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    bump
  • phoximom
    phoximom Posts: 365 Member
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    Do your kids do meatloaf?
    I use ground turkey and eggs, skip the bread crumbs all together. Onion soup mix (maybe 2 tbsp) or preferred spices (garlic, Worcestershire sauce, etc) and bake in muffin tins. They come out individually sized, great topped with catsup or BBQ sauce, cheese (whatever the kids like) Had them last night kids could personalize and LOVED them.

    oh bake 350 oven 20-25 minutes
  • phoximom
    phoximom Posts: 365 Member
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    beef stew? white chili with chicken? turkey kielbasa steamed with carrots and potatoes (I also add parsnips, cabbage, sweet onion and celery. My kids pick at it a little but they each like something so its okay)
  • larsensue
    larsensue Posts: 461 Member
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    bump
  • RunningMom42
    RunningMom42 Posts: 121 Member
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    I'm lucky, my 3 year old likes grilled chicken and veggies. Our family favorite:

    6 oz rotini pasta
    12 oz chicken breast
    1 bell pepper
    1-1.5 heads broccoli, bite sized pieces
    1 Philidelphia cooking cream
    black pepper to taste
    Cook the rotini according to the box. In a separate pan, sauté chicken, pepper, broccoli. Add black pepper to taste. When veggies are tender and chicken is cooked add cooking cream and cooked penne. Done. 4 servings, 370 calories each.
  • ShannaB83185
    ShannaB83185 Posts: 441 Member
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    I have problems making kid-friendly meals too. My oldest daughter is so picky and won't eat casseroles, melted cheese, anything with tomatoes, no tacos, no lasagna, no pizza, no cream sauces of any kind, no burgers, and if i can manage to get her to eat meat at all, she needs to dip it in ranch dressing. Most of the time we're eating chicken or fish with rice (hers has to be plain). No one in my house besides me will eat sweet potatoes... I spend the better part of my afternoon trying to figure out the easiest way to make dinner for everyone. It sucks! Lol!


    Same here ^^^^^ it's too difficult to make so many different meals in my house. Everyone in my house of 4 are picky except me so I just do like she said above. I make one meal and I just eat mine differently. Sometimes I might add an extra vegetable for myself or something like that but usually I just skip certain things and have smaller portions. A lot of it is about portion size.
  • Christiethorn1
    Christiethorn1 Posts: 30 Member
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    I'm lucky, my 3 year old likes grilled chicken and veggies. Our family favorite:

    6 oz rotini pasta
    12 oz chicken breast
    1 bell pepper
    1-1.5 heads broccoli, bite sized pieces
    1 Philidelphia cooking cream
    black pepper to taste
    Cook the rotini according to the box. In a separate pan, sauté chicken, pepper, broccoli. Add black pepper to taste. When veggies are tender and chicken is cooked add cooking cream and cooked penne. Done. 4 servings, 370 calories each.

    this sounds great!!
  • Christiethorn1
    Christiethorn1 Posts: 30 Member
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    Thanks ladies :)
    these ideas are super!
  • J3nnyV
    J3nnyV Posts: 114 Member
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    Bump! Was just browsing the grocery store today for ideas. My 2 year old is super picky already. Ugh. I bought ground chicken meatballs, frozen fish fillets, and plan to make some rice recipes. He loves plain rice, so hopefully I can sneak a little ground chicken or cauliflower into it?

    Thanks for the above ideas!
  • Rose_bee
    Rose_bee Posts: 226 Member
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    These all sound great!
  • greenangeleyes
    greenangeleyes Posts: 3 Member
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    I use a site called allrecipes.com that I absolutely love! It's just everyday people who post their favorite recipes. Not every dish is a home run but for the most part I get to serve my family yummy dinners and keep variety in our home. It takes time but you will eventually have a list of recipes you know your family loves. oh...and it's free!

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