Easy Family Dinners

With a busy family, it’s difficult to find time to cook a wholesome meal, let alone sit down to dinner at the kitchen table with your family. When you get home from work, you’re tired. Then the kids come in and they’re tired and hungry. It’s always easier to grab fast food or pop a frozen dinner in the oven.

Here are some fun family dinners that are easy enough that your kids can get in the kitchen with you and help out.

Crockpot Dinners

The crock pot is absolutely the easiest way to make a nutritious dinner for your family. While this one might not require much help from the family, it will definitely save you a ton of time in the kitchen. Here’s a quick recipe that is easy and delicious:

Crockpot Sausage & Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. smoked sausage, chopped or sliced
• 4-6 white potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 white onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 tsp. minced garlic

• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 4 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tbsp Worsteshire sauce
• seasoning to taste (preferably Tony's seasoning)

Combine all ingredients in crock pot. Set on low and cook for 6-8 hours, or until potatoes are tender. Serve over a bed of rice.

Grilled Meals

If you have older kids, they will have fun helping you on the grill. This one is great for outdoor grills, but you can also use indoor grills as well. Get the kids to chop vegetables or prepare the marinade for the meat.

Try this idea with your family:

Grilled Chicken & Steamed Veggies

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• Your marinade of choice
• Mixed vegetables

Prepare marinade and pour over chicken breasts. Place plastic wrap over dish and place in refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour. Grill meat on hot grill. Meanwhile, steam a bag of mixed vegetables in shallow pan.

Hamburgers & Fries

Speaking of grilling, hamburgers are just about the easiest thing in the world you can cook for dinner. If your children are older, this is something they can do on their own while you relax after a hard day at work. Simply season some ground beef, throw some burgers on the grill, and bake some fries in the oven.

Homemade Pizza

Kids love making pizza at home. It’s not exactly a science. Just buy your family’s favorite ingredients and pizza dough. If your family has diverse tastes, buy more than one pizza dough and let everyone make their own pizzas.

Here’s another fun pizza idea for the family:

Fried Pizza

Ingredients:

• 10” tortillas
• pizza sauce
• cheese
• pepperoni
• ground beef
• onions
• peppers
• (whatever pizza toppings you like)

You’ll need either a flat countertop griddle or a large skillet. Spray the griddle with butter or olive oil. Place a tortilla flat on the griddle. Top one half of the tortilla with 1 tbsp. pizza sauce, filling of your choice, then cheese. Folder the tortilla over and toast the first side. Flip tortilla over and toast second side until cheese on the inside is melted.