Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (2024)

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Need a 20 minute meal that’s kid friendly? Here are 12, 20 minute meals that are Kid Friendly, and you can have READY IN 20 MINUTES OR LESS for busy weeknights or when dinner time simply sneaks up on you! Um. Like tonight. And maybe tomorrow tonight.

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Grab the FREE 18 Meal Ideas CHEAT SHEET Here!

I’m not gonna lie. 20 minute meals are more of a regular event at our home than not. I am a big fan of fast, delicious meals that are quick to pull together in under half an hour or less. Less is always better.

I know dinner time can be hard.

Coming back from work or after school activities often leave you with little time to prep and cook healthy dinners from scratch. Stopping at the local take out seems like the easier option. Thing is, it’s not good for your health, waistline or budget.

With a few easy, quick, kid friendly meal planning tips and fast meal ideas, you can get your family eating healthier and save money – in less time that it would take to get through drive through. Just a give it a go for one week.

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Healthy Family Dinners

But don’t worry – just because it’s a quick dinner, it doesn’t mean you miss out on flavour. Here are 12 of our families favourite 20 minute Dinner Recipes that will please even the fussiest palate. What’s special about these recipes? They’re full of kid-friendly flavor, no one likes a bland dinner but kids can sometime be…picky, shall we say, about the flavors they’ll eat.
These are perfect, and please the whole crowd. And that’s a good thing in my book!

Download myFREE Dinner Time Cheat Sheet below, it’s really handy and will give you a head start!

Grab the FREE 18 Meal Ideas CHEAT SHEET Here!

12 Super Fast Healthy Dinner Recipes

Here are 12 of our families favourite 20 minute Dinner Recipes that will please even the fussiest palate.

Chicken Pesto Fettuccine

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This super fast mid week Chicken Pesto Fettuccine is a winner with kids. The creamy Pesto sauce and tender chicken means clean pates all round! Pesto fettuccine recipe here!

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This beautifully colorful Thai inspired dish takes just 15 minutes to out on the table. Get the kids to help with chopping and make it even quicker! Thai Noodle recipe here!

Grab the FREE 18 Meal Ideas CHEAT SHEET Here!

Quick Soba Noodles

Try these 20 Minute, Hmmm MMMM delicious weeknight soba noodles. Tender strips of chicken, sautéed broccoli and a sweet and tangy noodle sauce. Soba Noodle recipe here!

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Crab Pasta {Especially For Kids}

This mild crab pasta dish is the perfect way to get some seafood in their diets. Its fresh, lemony and cheesy. Yum! Crab pasta recipe here.

Chicken Donburi Bowl

This Clean Eating Chicken Donburi Bowl recipe is insane!! It’s simple, versatile and can be prepped ahead for an easy lunch or light dinner.

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Chicken Donburi Bowl

Healthy Chinese Fried Rice

I could eat this healthy Chinese fried rice all over again. And I will. There is a small lunch box of leftovers still in the fridge. Just enough for me and whoever catches me heating it up :)

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Chinese Fried Rice

This easy mid-week (or quick weekend lunch) Ham and Mushroom pasta uses cream cheese as a sauce and is a great way to use up any ham you have in the fridge. It’s a simple recipe, and especially good for littler kids who prefer their food slightly plainer than bigger kids (and us) might like. Feel free to leave the garlic out if you’ve got garlic haters in your house, or add extra to give it a bigger kick!

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Ham and mushroom pasta

Clean Eating Lasagne

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So what’s the difference between Clean Eating lasagna and your regular homemade lasagna? Shhh don’t tell anyone, but the answer is … nothing. The whole point to Clean Eating is making food using whole food ingredients. It’s not complicated and it’s something everyone can do.
Lasagne recipe

Chicken Piccata

This is a real Summery recipe, Clean eating Chicken Piccata: It’s quick, easy, fresh and lemony. You can have this ready in 10 minutes or so, making it one of the fastest healthy chicken dinners I make. We have this fairly often. I use chicken thighs for this, they’re really juicy and full of flavor as well as being a bit cheaper than breast meat.

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Chicken Piccata recipe

Cauliflower Broccoli Casserole

This Healthy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole is delicious, cheesy comfort food, super healthy and packed full of the good stuff. It’s a regular here, requested often and always eaten. I make this with mywhite bean cheese saucefor an extra protein hit and while it’s technically a ‘side’ dish, this is so good you’d be forgiven for eating it all alone and straight from the dish!

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Cauliflower broccoli cheese casserole

Grilled Fish Tacos

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Grilled fish Tacos

Fussy Eaters Fajitas

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Recipe Link

Quick family dinners

So, there you have it!

12 new and a little exciting easy recipes for dinner to add to your weeknight meal plan.

The best thing is that you can whip these little beauties up super fast using ingredients you’ve actually heard of! The next time you’re wondering what to fix for dinner (which I think is the reason you are here) – all you have to do it pick one of these!

To see the other posts in this 10 of the Best Meal Prepping Series series, check out the following:

  • 10 Recipes You Can Make with a Pound of Ground Beef
  • 10 Recipes you can make with a Jar of Pasta Sauce
  • 10 Healthy Sheet Pan Dinners
Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (15)
Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (2024)

FAQs

What are the simplest meals? ›

Our Go-To Easy Dinner Idea? Soup!
  • 5-Ingredient Chicken Tortilla Soup. As simple and easy as it sounds. ...
  • Taco Soup. Like tacos, but soup! ...
  • Tikka Masala Soup. Your favorite Indian chicken recipe, soup-ified. ...
  • Tortellini Soup with Italian Sausage and Kale. Can we just call this “The Soup”?

How to make a meal plan for family? ›

My biggest tip is to plan out five supper meals for the week. You don't have to set a specific meal for a specific day, but just know what five meals will work for the week and have those groceries on hand. If I make a roast one week I'll freeze half to have something different with it the following week.

What is the healthiest food for kids? ›

Choose seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, beans, peas, soy products, and unsalted nuts and seeds. Fruits. Encourage your child to eat a variety of fresh, canned, frozen or dried fruits. Look for canned fruit that says it's light or packed in its own juice.

How to make food in 5 minutes? ›

5-minute meals recipes
  1. Storecupboard pasta salad. A star rating of 4.4 out of 5. ...
  2. Pan-fried camembert sandwich. A star rating of 4.6 out of 5. ...
  3. Prawn & coconut soup. ...
  4. Classic French omelette. ...
  5. Chicken wrap with sticky sweet potato, salad leaves & tomatoes. ...
  6. Creamy tomato courgetti. ...
  7. Speedy tuna pasta salad. ...
  8. Easy pea & mint soup.

What are 5 small meals a day? ›

Five meals a day equals breakfast, lunch, dinner, and two snacks. To do this right, you need to plan what you'll eat every day for each “meal.” And you need to schedule eating every 2 to 3 hours. Stock up. Face it: You're going to grab whatever food is closest.

What is a family style meal? ›

“Family-style” is a method of dining where servers place all components of a meal on the table and allow everyone to serve themselves. They place large serving dishes in the middle of the table. In this way, everyone can reach the offerings and choose what they want.

What is a healthy daily meal plan? ›

A healthy eating plan: Emphasizes vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat dairy products. Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts. Limits saturated and trans fats, sodium, and added sugars.

How to make a cheap meal plan? ›

10 tips to get you started on meal planning on a budget:
  1. Make a menu. ...
  2. Plan your meals around foods that are on sale. ...
  3. Plan some plant-based meals every week. ...
  4. Check your pantry, refrigerator and freezer. ...
  5. Enjoy grains more often. ...
  6. Avoid recipes that need a special ingredient. ...
  7. Look for seasonal recipes.
Feb 22, 2023

What shall I feed the kids tonight? ›

Kids' dinner ideas
  • Crunchy chicken goujons with carrot 'fries' 171. ...
  • Vegetable fried rice with egg ribbons. 0 comments.
  • Fish and veggie parcels with couscous. 0 comments.
  • Veggie cannelloni bake. 0 comments.
  • Baked fish burgers. ...
  • Crunchy quinoa chicken nuggets. ...
  • Instant pepperoni and rocket pizza. ...
  • Lemon and thyme cod goujons and chips.

How do you feed a busy family? ›

Prep Meals in Advance: Prepare and cook meals in bulk when you have time, such as on the weekend, and store them in the fridge or freezer. This makes it easier to have healthy meals on hand during busy days.

What is the most basic meal to cook? ›

Here are a few ideas for simple meals you can cook:
  • Spaghetti with marinara sauce: Boil spaghetti noodles and heat up store-bought or homemade marinara sauce. ...
  • Stir-fried vegetables with rice: Sauté a mix of your favorite vegetables in a hot pan with oil and soy sauce.
Jan 5, 2023

What is the most easiest food to cook? ›

17 Of The Easiest Recipes Of All Time (Seriously)
  • Honey Balsamic Chicken. ...
  • Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps. ...
  • White Bean Soup With Vegetables. ...
  • Smoked Gouda and Mushroom Quesadillas. ...
  • Sheet Pan Lemon Butter Veggies and Sausage. ...
  • Scrambled Egg Tacos. ...
  • 15-Minute Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry. ...
  • One-Pot Chicken and Rice with Artichokes.
Jan 2, 2019

What is the easiest food to eat a lot of? ›

Foods that are easier to digest include toast, white rice, bananas, eggs, chicken, salmon, gelatine, applesauce, and oatmeal. Symptoms of digestive problems include acid reflux, bloating, or abdominal pain.

Which meal is easiest to skip? ›

05/5​It is easier to skip dinner

Research suggests that fasting in the evening and overnight, then eating early in the morning is the better way to follow this diet to lose weight. Having your dinner early also prevents you from late-night snacking and Improves digestion.

References

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