20 Minute Healthy Recipes

I know the feeling when you come home and you have no idea what's for dinner. So you dial for take out or you haul the family out to dinner. Not so easy on the pocketbook and definitely not so good for the waistline.
Instead why not take a half hour on Saturday or Sunday and figure out what's for dinner during the week? I usually plan about 4 meals per week because something unexpected usually comes up or someone has a late meeting or whatever. Try it for a few weeks and you'll figure out the right number for your family.

HINT: Even though we have a family of 4, I'll often cook two extra chicken breasts or burgers or whatever and then take the leftovers with me the next day for lunch.

I have a theory. Kids have more tastebuds than adults and they haven't yet overwhelmed/killed them off with things like coffee and tequilla. That's why many of them don't like anything spicy, with pepper, with an interesting sauce...oh let's just say it. Anything with a lot of flavor. Which of course for some of us adults is the key to being satisfied.
Here's what I do to keep from making an adult meal and then leaving the kids with bagel bites (which I've been known to do, but eventually I get to feeling guilty.)
I think of it like a set-up at a restaurant. So lets say I'm making the summer pasta bolognese (see my review in my blog ). I just took some of the turkey and formed it into a burger for my 5 year old and cooked it in the same pan as the rest of the recipe. If you're grilling chicken, leave one out of the jerk marinade for the kids. You get the idea. Less than ideal, but easier than being a short order cook.