5 Quick and Easy Family Meal ideas

Healthy Chef Salad
Serves 4 to 6

1 head romaine lettuce (you can buy a prewashed bag to save even more time)
1 bag baby spinach
4 oz. chopped cooked ham
4 oz. chopped oven-roasted turkey meat
16 cherry tomatoes, pre-sliced in half
4 carrots, shredded or bite-size (you can buy pre-shredded to save time)
4 crowns broccoli, pre-cut into bite-size pieces
4 hard boiled eggs, pre-peeled and sliced (remove the yolks if your kids won't eat)
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced (skip if your kids won't touch)
Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

Wash, then tear the lettuce and mix with spinach in a large bowl. Arrange ham, turkey, cherry tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, hard-boiled eggs and onion in rows on top of the lettuce. Serve with dressing on the side.

Picky-eater tip: Skip the lettuce and spinach, and present the rest as a dipping exercise -- kids get to choose the dip.

Sneaky Greens Pasta
Serves 4 to 6

1 jar pasta sauce of your choice
1/2 batch prepared spinach, finely chopped
1/2 lb. pre-browned ground turkey
1 lb. pre-cooked pasta (whole wheat if your kids will go for it)

Heat pasta sauce in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add spinach and turkey. Stir until heated through. Then stir in pasta and heat until warm. Serve.

Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Serves 4 to 6

2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 clove garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
1/2 head broccoli, pre-cut into bite-size pieces
1 onion, pre-sliced
2 cooked chicken breasts, pre-cut into strips
4 cups amount pre-cooked brown rice

Mix soy sauce, ground ginger, sugar, cornstarch and garlic; set aside. Heat cooking oil in large sauté pan, add broccoli and onion, and cook 2 minutes. Add chicken and cook 2 minutes. Add soy sauce mixture and cook an additional 3 minutes. Serve over warm brown rice.

Spinach and Ham Frittata
Serves 4 to 6

Vegetable cooking spray
6 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk
4 oz. low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded (you can buy pre-shredded to save time)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 1/2 cups prepared spinach
1/2 cup chopped cooked ham

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat 9-inch round baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. In a large bowl, combine eggs, milk, 2 oz. cheese, salt, and pepper. Blend in spinach and ham. Pour mixture into baking pan. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining 2 oz. cheese and let set 2 to 3 minutes. Slice into wedges. Serve with salad.






Erin & Lynda