Would you rather hit the couch and dream of holidays than cook supper? Tempting thought yes, but the kids are screaming and they need feeding. Read these recipe suggestions below and before you even have the time to say 'takeaway' you will have dinner ready whether it be made by you or the kids! Simply get them involved to speed up the process and plan your menu the week ahead.
For year round easy recipes, pizzas are always a great place to start. You can purchase pizza bases in advance or prepare your dough ahead of time during the weekend. A girlfriend prepared her pizza dough two days in advance and the base was crispy and delicious. To view see How To Host An Italian Themed Dinner Party. I am not a fan of takeaways it's true and you probably know this from my outrageous post Naming And Shaming The BurgerPizza, but when prepared at home you can truly have a lot of fun with a very nutritious outcome.
For recipe ideas see DIY: Are You Up For The Health Food Challenge? What I love about pizzas are that the whole family can get involved. Toppings can range from lean meat, poultry or seafood with plenty of favourite vegetables that the children can choose. Don't forget that pita breads can make an excellent pizza base for individual pizzas. This is a great 'norecipe' way of cooking!
Stuffed vegetables are another fantastic supper idea that the kids will also enjoy preparing. Think of it as dinner chic presented in the most simple way and yet oh so delicious. Why not try Seafood Stuffed Peppers With Garlic & Basil Squid. Once the peppers have been halved you can just about throw in anything you want from cous cous, roasted vegetables, feta cheese, stir fried vegetables or lean mince. Combine with fresh herbs for flavour and enjoy a well deserved cuppa whilst this cooks in the oven.
I really enjoy reading recipe ideas from An Edible Mosaic. Faith's Cabbage, Carrot & Chicken Stir Fry sound flavoursome, quick and tasty. It's totally desirable and perhaps the brave step you need for increasing vegetable intake for your family.
Curries may look scary with their large ingredient list but let me tell you a secret. Once the ingredients are measured and set aside, it's essentially dinner in a pot as all you really need to do is throw in all the ingredients in a large pot then cover and simmer. You'll see what I mean when you try Flavoursome Chicken Curry or Sushila's Paneer Explosion. In fact, dhal or lentils really are the easiest and quickest things in the world to make. Very appropriate for meatless Monday nights too, don't you think? See Parippu (lentils) and you'll quickly see that you will save time whilst preparing nutritious healthy meals for your family.
Are you a fan of rice? This naturally wheat and gluten free alternative to pasta is done in about 10 minutes so why not combine rice with your favourite ingredients. Try Prawn and Wild Mushroom Rice.
If you have a little bit more time up your sleeve, the extra effort that goes into preparing risottos are worth it as you will be rewarded with satisfied bellies all around the dinner table. I especially enjoy eating Creamy Mushroom & Asparagus Risotto With Sundried Tomatoes. Again these are recipe suggestions only so vary the ingredients to suit what you've got going in your vegetable drawer.
Stay tuned for more quick and easy recipe ideas. I will be sure to touch on this again in the near future.
In summary quick dinner ideas could range from home made pizzas using pita breads, stir fried dishes, risottos, alternative rice based dishes or curry type dishes if you fancy a bit of heat in your kitchen. Whatever you choose to make, have fun and involve the kids. They will appreciate the meal and the quality time that they get to spend with you in the kitchen.
And so my lovely readers, what are you favourite quick and easy family recipe ideas?
Mine at the moment is this Satay Tofu Recipe but I like to change the base ingredients to salmon, spring onions and broccoli. Absolutely delicious!
If you enjoyed this post, please do share the love and spread the word with a tweet or a LIKE on facebook.
