There’s nothing like spending time enjoying a meal with your family. Coming home to a well-cooked meal and a good conversation is a great way to bond. Not to mention, having dinner together allows you as a parent to lead by example and make nutritious choices.
Whether you’re a seasoned cook or can barely use a microwave, there are a variety of recipes that you can make to keep your family healthy and satisfied. Here are some easy to cook meals for the entire family. If you’re a beginner, each of these dinner recipes offer step-by-step instructions.
Read More »It’s hard to find someone who doesn’t enjoy macaroni and cheese. Whether it’s baked or made on the stove, it’s one of the first side dishes to disappear. If you need to increase your calcium intake, this is a tasty way to do it.
One of the easiest ways to make macaroni and cheese is in an instant pot. Not only does it save time, you don’t have to babysit your pots and pans. Although you skip a few steps, you’ll still end up with creamy, rich macaroni and cheese.
Macaroni and cheese doubles as a side or main dish. If you prefer it as a side to a larger course meal, you can throw all of the ingredients into your instant pot and focus on the rest of dinner. However, if the mac and cheese is the star of the dish, you can add ingredients like your favorite meat or vegetables.
For example, if you have some leftover chicken breast, shred it up and throw it into the pot. The Food Network has an easy instant pot mac and cheese recipe you should definitely try.
Stir Fry
We’ve all enjoyed Chinese takeout when we’re in a hurry or didn’t have time to make dinner. One of the most popular takeout dishes is stir fry. Stir fry is a dish made by frying a protein and vegetables in hot oil. Typically, stir fry is cooked in a wok, but if you don’t have one, you can prepare your stir fry a skillet. This traditional frying technique became so popular, it spread all the way to from Asia western culture.
The beauty of stir frying vegetables is that they remain relatively crisp, so they retain their nutrient content. When you bake or boil vegetables, you usually cook them longer and the heat removes the majority of the vitamin and minerals.
Fish, seafood, beef, and chicken are great protein sources for a stir fry. If you prefer only veggies or a soy-based protein, you can fry your tofu and veggies in the wok. After frying, toss your stir fry ingredients in sauce and place them on a bed of rice or noodles.
This recipe offers step by step instructions for not only the stir fry, it also offers a homemade sauce recipe. Feel free to make modifications based on your personal family diet.
Rice Bowls
Rice bowls are growing in popularity for a number of reasons. In fact, a large number of popular restaurants have them on their menu. For one, they’re pretty easy to make. They’re also nutritious and delicious, which makes them popular with both children and adults.
Rice bowls offer a variety of flavors and textures. You can use literally any type of rice and toppings you want. You can even make custom bowls for each member of your family.
DIY Rice Bowls
If you want, you can even make a night out of preparing rice bowls. All you need to do is prep your proteins, vegetables, sauces, and rice ahead of time. Organize the empty bowls around the table with the ingredients in the middle. Finally, have your family craft their own rice bowls buffet-style.
Making rice bowls is a fun way to introduce your children to fresh, healthy ingredients. You can even get your kids involved in the prepping process for a little extra bonding time. For some ideas on what to put in your rice bowls, visit this website.
Blackened Salmon
Salmon is a dinner staple for many households. It has healthy fats for growth and development. Whether you like sushi or cooked salmon, it’s a great addition to your family’s dinner rotation.
An easy yet favorable salmon recipe is blackened salmon. Similar to Cajun or creole seasoning, blackened seasoning is a mixture of herbs and spices. These seasonings are used to coat the protein before being pan-seared to form a crust. The crispiness combined with the flaky texture of your salmon are a nice treat, especially with some vegetables and a starch. You can even pair this delicious piece of fish with a fresh salad.
When it comes to using blackened seasoning, you have two options. You can either purchase a premade mixture from your local grocery store or you can make it yourself. Buying your mixture gives you consistency, but making your own allows you to customize your recipe.
Whichever mixture you use, adding a blackened salmon recipe to your dinner menu won’t leave you disappointed.
DIY Combo Pizzas
Pizza may be among your children’s favorite family dishes. It’s one of the easiest, most versatile foods you can make in a hurry. Best of all, you can combine them with nearly any other food that has cheese.
For example, if you like tacos, you can make a taco flavored. You can also make burger or BBQ chicken pizzas, depending on your mood.
If one of your family members doesn’t like the same pizza toppings as you, you can always make individual ones. That way, everyone can sit around the table with their favorite combination pizzas. Here’s a list of pizza topping ideas.
Chili Mac
Everyone loves chili because it’s simple and goes with many foods. You can eat chili with cheese, on fries, and even on a hot dog or burger. Another popular way to enjoy this traditional meal is chili mac. Chili mac is the combination of chili and macaroni noodles. You can even use macaroni and cheese if you’d like.
This comfort food is also great to bring to dinner parties. This recipe only takes about 30 minutes, so you can throw one together and have it on the table before your guests arrive.
Being together around the table is important. It gives you time to bond while you eat a nutritious meal. If you’re not very confident about cooking, it’s also a great way to get some practice.
The key to getting better at cooking is following simple recipes. If you enjoy flavorful yet easy to make dishes, you should highly consider the previously mentioned recipes. Not only are they healthy, they’re creative enough for the entire family to enjoy.
If you or anyone in your family has allergies, feel free to modify any of these recipes accordingly. If you enjoy recreating these dishes, share them with your loved ones. Chances are, they’ll love them just as much as your family does.
