What are your easy dinners that kids love and don’t complain about? My kids are decent eaters but always ask for outside food (Chinese, Pizza, Vietnamese, etc). Clearly they are bored of my same 5 meals 🤨
I made chicken dijon the other day that was so good and so easy (brown chicken on both sides, brush both sides with equal parts olive oil, honey (or you could use maple syrup), regular mustard, dijon or french mustard, and garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, rosemary -- bake until cooked and turn the drippings into a sauce). So, so easy and it tasted really good.
I don't repeat meals very often but my lazy hits are Taco Night, wursts with potato salad and cabbage and mapo tofu (the Cook Do mix is better than House Foods).
We are vegetarian and meal planning is tough! We all get sick of beans. Regardless, the two standard meals that appear most weeks: vegetable and bean burritos, and veggie stir fry.
One of my regular meals is pesto chicken: just mix mayo and pesto and marinate thin chicken cutlets for an hour or so. Then grill in a cast iron pan, and serve with rice. We also do baked potatoes with shredded cheese and broccoli (or whatever else I have in the fridge).
Stir fried noodles or fried rice. Sauté a little bit of shallots or onions, add three different types of vegetables chopped into 1/3 inch cubes (zucchini, carrots, squash, sweet potato, beets, snap peas, handful of roughly chopped baby spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, etc). If you want to add protein (chicken, shrimp, tofu) move vegetables to the side and sauté small pieces of protein of chicken at this point until cooked through (or warmed for tofu). once soft add either cooked Asian noodles or rice, add a little bit of soy sauce and mirin (about teaspoon each). Done. You can add sesame seeds (white or black or both) on top and/or roughly chopped nuts of choice (peanuts, pine, macadamia).
other dinners:
- pesto pasta
- roasted chicken with side of vegetables
- chickpea and pumpkin curry (nyt recipe, we don’t add jalapeños but if you have older kids you can if they like spicy food). The recipe is vegetarian but you can add any protein you want. Serve with rice and/or Indian bread (get frozen from Trader Joe’s)
- I also pre make and freeze regular marinara sauce, Bolognese sauce, vegetable soup and chicken soup (don’t freeze with noodles, cook them fresh while defrosting soup)
Get pizza dough from your local place and make homemade calzones. Chinese ried rice is so easy to make at home and tastes better than takeout plus you can add more meat or veggies. Raos jarred sauce can be turned into a million pasta dishes (add ground beef or shrimp and mussels or olives and anchovies or dilute with vegetable broth and make a tomato soup). Fish is quick and easy. Whatever kind you like covered with some lemon garlic herb butter and baked. You can serve with rice, salad and bread, or microwaved baked potatoes. Make your own tacos, nachos, or fajitas is always a hit. Also since working from home I've realized some of the easiest meals are the ones that sit in the oven all day. You can't leave the house but if you're stuck at home anyway, it takes just a few minutes to throw a pork butt or rack of ribs in the oven and cook at 275 for 10 hours and it comes out tasting like heaven. Add barbecue sauce, coleslaw and rolls and serve with fruit salad. In a pinch I've also found my family will eat pretty anything if I throw some kimchi on top.
Yes, I agree with cooking things that take a long time but can just simmer all day, if you happen to be working from home anyway. I occasionally make a brisket or pot roast, which is super-easy. Or chicken soup.
I made chicken dijon the other day that was so good and so easy (brown chicken on both sides, brush both sides with equal parts olive oil, honey (or you could use maple syrup), regular mustard, dijon or french mustard, and garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, rosemary -- bake until cooked and turn the drippings into a sauce). So, so easy and it tasted really good.
I really recommend half baked harvest. I pretty much go there for most of my recipes.
I don't repeat meals very often but my lazy hits are Taco Night, wursts with potato salad and cabbage and mapo tofu (the Cook Do mix is better than House Foods).
We are vegetarian and meal planning is tough! We all get sick of beans. Regardless, the two standard meals that appear most weeks: vegetable and bean burritos, and veggie stir fry.
One of my regular meals is pesto chicken: just mix mayo and pesto and marinate thin chicken cutlets for an hour or so. Then grill in a cast iron pan, and serve with rice. We also do baked potatoes with shredded cheese and broccoli (or whatever else I have in the fridge).
Stir fried noodles or fried rice. Sauté a little bit of shallots or onions, add three different types of vegetables chopped into 1/3 inch cubes (zucchini, carrots, squash, sweet potato, beets, snap peas, handful of roughly chopped baby spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, etc). If you want to add protein (chicken, shrimp, tofu) move vegetables to the side and sauté small pieces of protein of chicken at this point until cooked through (or warmed for tofu). once soft add either cooked Asian noodles or rice, add a little bit of soy sauce and mirin (about teaspoon each). Done. You can add sesame seeds (white or black or both) on top and/or roughly chopped nuts of choice (peanuts, pine, macadamia).
other dinners:
- pesto pasta
- roasted chicken with side of vegetables
- chickpea and pumpkin curry (nyt recipe, we don’t add jalapeños but if you have older kids you can if they like spicy food). The recipe is vegetarian but you can add any protein you want. Serve with rice and/or Indian bread (get frozen from Trader Joe’s)
- I also pre make and freeze regular marinara sauce, Bolognese sauce, vegetable soup and chicken soup (don’t freeze with noodles, cook them fresh while defrosting soup)
Get pizza dough from your local place and make homemade calzones. Chinese ried rice is so easy to make at home and tastes better than takeout plus you can add more meat or veggies. Raos jarred sauce can be turned into a million pasta dishes (add ground beef or shrimp and mussels or olives and anchovies or dilute with vegetable broth and make a tomato soup). Fish is quick and easy. Whatever kind you like covered with some lemon garlic herb butter and baked. You can serve with rice, salad and bread, or microwaved baked potatoes. Make your own tacos, nachos, or fajitas is always a hit. Also since working from home I've realized some of the easiest meals are the ones that sit in the oven all day. You can't leave the house but if you're stuck at home anyway, it takes just a few minutes to throw a pork butt or rack of ribs in the oven and cook at 275 for 10 hours and it comes out tasting like heaven. Add barbecue sauce, coleslaw and rolls and serve with fruit salad. In a pinch I've also found my family will eat pretty anything if I throw some kimchi on top.
Yes, I agree with cooking things that take a long time but can just simmer all day, if you happen to be working from home anyway. I occasionally make a brisket or pot roast, which is super-easy. Or chicken soup.
we make sushi a lot....kids like to help make them...and easy miso soup