Planning dinners that your kids will actually eat can be a challenge, and there are just only so many times you can eat mac and cheese from a box. Hopefully, these recipes will give you some child-friendly inspiration for your kitchen. Fingers crossed that your little ones will love them!
Mini Turkey Burgers
Photo Credit: MarthaStewart.com
Ingredients:
2 slices white sandwich bread (about 1 ounce each)
1 pound (93 percent lean) ground turkey
2 ounces cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1/2 cup)
1/2 small onion, coarsely grated
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
12 party-size rolls
Lettuce, sliced tomatoes, ketchup, and mustard, for serving (optional)
Side of sweet potato fries (optional)
Directions:
In a food processor, pulse bread until fine crumbs form. Transfer to a medium bowl; add turkey, cheese, and onion. Season with salt and pepper, and mix gently just until combined. Form twelve 2-inch patties (about 3 tablespoons each).
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook patties until browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Serve on rolls with lettuce, tomatoes, ketchup, and mustard, if desired.
Chicken and Bean Burritos
Recipe by Kate Parham from Cooking Light
Photo Credit: Johnny Autry
Ingredients:
3/4 pound chicken breast tenders, cut into 1-inch pieces
1/2 cup prechopped onion
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 cup lower-sodium canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, minced
2 (10-inch) flour tortillas
1 ounce preshredded Monterey Jack cheese (about 1/4 cup)
Cooking spray
1/2 cup pico de gallo
1/4 cup reduced-fat sour cream
Directions:
Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl; toss well.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil; swirl to coat. Add chicken mixture; cook 8 minutes or until chicken is done, stirring occasionally. Add beans and garlic; cook 2 minutes or until heated, stirring frequently. Divide chicken mixture evenly among tortillas. Top each burrito with 2 tablespoons cheese. Roll up each burrito jelly-roll fashion.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat both sides of burritos evenly with cooking spray. Place burritos in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until browned. Cut burritos in half. Top with pico de gallo and sour cream.
Baked Ziti
Recipe by BUCHKO from AllRecipes.com
Photo Credit: AllRecipes.com
Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package of ziti pasta
24 ounces ricotta cheese
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese
1 egg, beaten
1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain and rinse.
In a medium bowl, mix ziti, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, egg and 1 1/2 cups spaghetti sauce.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish and spoon in ziti mixture. Top with remaining spaghetti sauce, followed by Parmesan cheese.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes; let stand for 15 minutes before serving.
Egg Fried Rice
Recipe by Rebecca Gruber from PopSugar.com
Photo Credit: PopSugar.com
Ingredients:
For the marinade:
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sake
Half tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp caster sugar
For the rice:
1 chicken breast cut into small cubes
6 oz basmati rice, rinsed in cold water and then drained
2 oz carrot, peeled and diced
4 tbsp vegetable oil
1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
Salt and pepper
1 beaten egg
2 oz frozen peas
1 large spring onion, sliced
2 oz canned sweet corn
Directions:
Mix together the ingredients for the marinade and marinate the chicken for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the rice in boiling, lightly salted water according to the instructions on the packet .Steam the diced carrot for 8 minutes and half way through add the peas so that they are steamed for 4 minutes..
Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan, add the onion and sauté for 3 minutes.
Season the beaten egg with a little salt and white pepper, pour it into a small frying pan (approx 18cm) , tipping the pan to spread it evenly, and cook until set. Remove from the heat slide out the thin omelette and cut into fine slices.
Drain the marinade from the chicken and reserve. Add the chicken to the onion in the wok and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until cooked. Add the spring onion, carrots, peas and sweetcorn and cook for one minute.
Add the cooked rice and prawns and toss the rice over a high heat for 2 minutes. Add the strips of egg and the reserved marinade from the chicken and heat through.
Pretzel-Crusted “Fried” Chicken
Recipe by Cheryl Slocum from Country Living
Photo Credit: Kana Okada
Ingredients:
1 whole chicken
1 lb. unsalted fat-free sourdough pretzels
2 tbsp. paprika
salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 c. low-fat buttermilk
2 egg whites
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut chicken into 10 pieces: 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 wings, and 2 breasts (cut in half to yield 4 pieces). Remove skin and trim any fat. Set chicken aside.
Place pretzels in a heavy-duty, resealable plastic bag and crush into coarse crumbs. Mix in paprika, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Divide pretzel crumbs between 2 shallow dishes.
In a bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg whites, mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken in pretzel crumbs from first dish, then dip into buttermilk mixture, shaking off excess. Coat thoroughly with crumbs from second dish.
Place on parchment-lined baking pan and bake until chicken crust is crispy and an instant- read thermometer inserted into meat registers 165 degrees F, 40 to 50 minutes depending on piece.
Ham and Cheese Quesadilla
Recipe by Sara Quessenberry and Kate Merker from Real Simple
Photo Credit: Anna Williams
Ingredients:
4 - 10 inch flour tortillas
1 pound fresh mozzarella thinly sliced
1/2 pound thinly sliced deli ham
1 cantaloupe cut in small wedges
Directions:
Heat broiler.
On half of each tortilla, layer the mozzarella and ham. Fold the other tortilla half over to cover. Place on a broiler-proof sheet pan.
Broil until the cheese has melted and the tortilla has browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
Cut into wedges and serve with cantaloupe.
Chicken Broccoli Alfredo
Photo Credit: juliasalbum.com
Ingredients:
10 ounces broccoli
8 ounces penne pasta (for gluten free, use gf brown rice penne)
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1.5 pound chicken breast (1 large chicken breast)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
Coupons
1 and 1/4 cups mozzarella cheese or monterey jack cheese, shredded
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
Cook broccoli in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain well. Cut into small florets.
Cook pasta al dente, drain.
In a large skillet heat olive oil and butter on medium-high heat (until hot but not smoking) and saute chicken breast (seasoned generously with salt and pepper on both sides) for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove the skillet from heat, cover with the lid, and let the chicken rest, off heat, covered, until chicken is no longer pink in the center and cooked through. Remove chicken from the pan. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces.
Add minced garlic to the same skillet and cook it in chicken juices and oil remaining in the pan, scraping up the chicken bits from the bottom of the pan, on medium heat for about 30 seconds until garlic is fragrant, making sure to avoid burning. Add cooked and sliced broccoli and mix in with garlic. Remove from the pan.
To make the creamy sauce, in the same skillet heat up 1 cup of heavy cream until it boils. Immediately add the cheese and stir until melted and nice and creamy. Reduce heat to medium-low, and slowly, in small portions, add milk, constantly stirring, simmering, until nice and creamy consistency is reached.
Add cooked pasta to the creamy sauce, then add broccoli. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Top with sliced, cooked chicken.
Taco French Bread Pizza
Recipe by Holly Lofthouse of Life in the Lofthouse
Photo Credit: lifeinthelofthouse.com
Ingredients:
1 loaf French bread
1 pound lean ground beef
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 (16oz) can refried beans
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (alternative: Colby & Monterrey Jack cheese)
1 small tomato, diced
1 small can sliced black olives
4 green onions, sliced thin
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375⁰F. Brown ground beef in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Drain grease. Add taco seasoning to the ground beef according the package directions. Simmer 10 minutes, then remove from heat.
Slice french bread in half lengthwise. Place both halves on a greased large cookie sheet.
Place refried beans in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute. Stir well and spread evenly over the top of the french bread halves. Then top evenly with topped ground beef mixture, sprinkle with cheese and then add tomatoes, black olives, and green onions.
Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
Chicken Parmesan Sliders
Recipe by Kat & Melinda of Homemade Interest
Photo Credit: HomemadeInterest.com
Ingredients:
15 Slider Buns
1 lb Breaded Chicken Tenders * *These should be cooked already** (weight is approx.)
2 c Pasta Sauce
2 c Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
½ c Parmesan Cheese, shredded
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp Garlic powder (more to taste)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place the bottom half of the slider buns in a greased casserole dish.
Place cooked chicken tenders on the bottom buns and then cover them in sauce.
Combine the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese and sprinkle it over the sauce.
Place the top buns on the sliders.
Melt the butter and mix the garlic powder until it is thoroughly combined. (feel free to add more garlic powder if you like garlic as much as I do!)
Pour the melted butter over the buns and then sprinkle with Italian seasoning.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 10 minutes, then remove the foil and continue baking for another 10 minutes.
Enjoy!
Mini Chicken Pot Pies
Photo Credit: Easy Toddler Meals
Ingredients:
Crescent dough – Store bought
1 c. cooked chopped cooked chicken
3/4 c. canned cream of chicken
thawed garden vegetables
chicken seasoning or salt and pepper (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a bowl, mix chicken, cream of chicken and sprinkle a little chicken seasoning or salt and pepper. Set aside.
Using a glass or cookie cutter, carve out circles of crescent dough.
Grease a muffin tin with cooking spray and carefully place dough in each circle.
Add chicken mixture into each circle.
Using the leftover dough, cut strips and place it on top.
Bake for about 20 minutes, check at 15 minutes for desired browness.
