Fast food at home? Probably your child’s dream come true – especially if it included that special toy prize, right? But it can be a reality! In our house it is, and most nights too. Even though I only have one child; he, my husband and I are busy with a slew of activities during the late afternoon and dinner hours. We don’t always have time for that yummy dinner that takes an hour to cook. So we do fast food, but at home.
A good dinner doesn’t have to mean hours slaving in the kitchen, and a kid pleasing dinner doesn’t have to include a drive thru. With a few basic ingredients we have fast food at home any night of the week.
Here are some of our favorites:
Nachos: Browned beef, refried beans w/enchilada sauce, poured over tortilla chips with diced tomatoes, chilies and shredded cheese. Bake until cheese is bubbly. Sour cream on the side, and fruit for dessert. Twenty minutes from beginning to on the table and ready to eat.
Soup and Grilled Cheese: Grill the sandwiches while the soup heats up. Add some veggie slices (such as tomato or zucchini) in the sandwich. Fruit for dessert. Twenty minutes from beginning to on the table and ready to eat.
Finger Foods: Veggie slices with hummus and crackers with fruit and cheese cubes on the side. Twenty minutes from beginning to on the table and ready to eat.
We make these three simple meals at home in no time, and though they aren’t perfectly nutritious, they are more nutritious than what we would be served through a drive-up window.
Another fast food we have are the prepared meals from Wegmans, Whole Foods or any other local grocery store. You can read the ingredients right on the sticker to know what you’re ingesting, it’s made fresh, and reheats fast once at home. We’ll do this on the days I’m doing grocery shopping while my son is at TKD class. While one of us puts the groceries away, the other heats up the three meals. Everyone gets what they want, just minus the grease and toys.
What are some of your tricks for quick and easy dinner time meals?
When not coming up with sneaky ways to make dinner nutritious and fast, Robin M can be found blogging at MyLifeAsItIs.
Photo: Augmented BLT Wrap, by Mantej Novak.
