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

FAQs

How do I make my family meal baby friendly? ›

Sometimes all that's needed to make your family meal suitable for your baby is a little extra chopping, mashing or mincing. Family favourites like spaghetti bolognaise, pie or stew can all work really well for babies with a little extra prep to make them textures suitable before serving.

What should I eat for family meals? ›

27 Quick And Easy Dinners Your Whole Family Will Love
  • One-Pot Cheeseburger Pasta. tasty.co. ...
  • Garlic Broccoli Shrimp Stir-Fry. tasty.co. ...
  • 3-Ingredient Teriyaki Chicken. tasty.co. ...
  • Grilled Salmon with Avocado Salsa. ...
  • Taco Soup. ...
  • One-Pot Chicken and Mushroom Pasta. ...
  • One-Pan Garlic Butter Salmon. ...
  • 20-Minute Beef and Broccoli Noodle Stir-Fry.
Oct 25, 2023

How do you make food interesting for kids? ›

Color and texture can play a big role in whether a kid likes new foods. They may find new foods more appealing if those foods are perceived as fun. Serving foods that can be served in fun shapes or are brightly colored can help encourage interest.

Why should children eat meals with their families? ›

Developmental Benefits

Frequent family dinners have a positive impact on children's values, motivation, personal identity, and self-esteem. Children who eat dinner with their family are more likely to understand, acknowledge, and follow the boundaries and expectations set by their parents.

Do parents have to feed there kids? ›

Parents have to take care of their child's welfare and needs. Supporting your children includes providing food, clothing, shelter, basic care, education, and medical care. Failing to provide for your children can lead to neglect or abuse charges in most states.

What are the cheapest foods to feed a family? ›

76 Cheap Dinner Ideas That Don't Skimp on Taste
  • Hearty Vegetable Soup with Parsley Gremolata. Becky Luigart-Stayner. ...
  • Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese. Ian Palmer. ...
  • Our Best-Ever Chicken Pot Pie. ...
  • Slow Cooker Potato Soup. ...
  • Crock Pot Chicken and Dumplings. ...
  • One-Pot Butternut Squash Soup. ...
  • Easy, Delicious Chicken Parmesan. ...
  • Tuna Melt.
Nov 7, 2023

What foods do low income families eat? ›

Lower-income households purchase more cereals, pasta, potatoes, legumes, and fatty meats. Their vegetables and fruits are often limited to iceberg lettuce, potatoes, canned corn, bananas, and frozen orange juice.

What is the most fun food to make? ›

  • French Bread Pizzas. Recipes, Country Life and Style, Entertainment . ...
  • Vanilla Sugar Cookies with Sprinkles. ...
  • Baked Spaghetti Squash. ...
  • Donut Hole Skewers. ...
  • Baked Parmesan Zucchini Fries. ...
  • Salad in a Jar. ...
  • Pappardelle with Leeks and Corn. ...
  • No-Bake Snack Bars with Cheerios.
Feb 5, 2016

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 the magic of family meals? ›

Children who experience regular family dinners are more likely to engage in healthier eating patterns throughout their lives. – Numerous studies link regular family meals to lower rates of adolescent risk behavior like binge drinking, smoking, sexual activity, school issues, and eating disorders.

What makes a good kids menu? ›

On your kids' menu, focus on lean protein, plant-based alternatives, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and fruit and vegetables while limiting the availability of unhealthy fats, sugars and sodium.

What food can a 9 year old cook? ›

Kids' cooking recipes
  • Pizza with homemade sauce. A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. ...
  • Lemon & yogurt chicken flatbreads. A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. ...
  • Rice paper rolls. ...
  • Family breakfast station. ...
  • Salmon & spaghetti supper in a parcel. ...
  • Sloppy joes with brussels sprout slaw. ...
  • Salted caramel crispy Rudolphs. ...
  • Easy kids' omelette.

How do you raise a foodie kid? ›

1 | Expose them to different flavours early on, and keep exposing them. There is a theory that it can take up to 100 or more exposures to a food before a child will tastes it. Being persistent in exposing your child to foods you would like them to eat is half the battle.

Can babies eat family meals? ›

By age 1, babies should be eating the same foods as the rest of the family. It's good to start feeding your tot modified versions of family meals beginning around 6 months of age. For example, if you're having roasted carrots at dinner, shred them for your young toddler and puree them for your baby.

When can baby eat family meals? ›

Move to full meals, beginning with breakfast or lunch.

With a flexible, silicone spoon, babies can start to explore puréed foods on their own. By 9 to 12 months, your baby should be enjoying two to three meals a day (mostly with the family) and getting a variety of flavors and textures.

What age can babies eat family meals? ›

By the time your baby is 12 months, they're ready to eat a little of what the rest of the family is eating but remember to be careful about foods that can cause choking.

When can a baby start eating family food? ›

At 6 months, start giving your baby just two to three spoonfuls of soft food, such as porridge, mashed fruits or vegetables, twice a day. Start feeding both breastfed and non-breastfed babies solid foods at 6 months.

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