ParentPoints : What's For Dinner?

What's For Dinner?

Posted by Gina Romero

Posted: August 24, 2008 - 4:38 pm

The first week of school down, many more to go! The series on quick, yet healthy meals continues this week to help busy families. Local dietician Jennifer McGovern has provided some great recipes along with some statistics on why eating meals together is important.

Some mealtime statistics:
A Harvard study published in the March 2000 issue of Archives of Family Medicine showed that eating family dinners together most or all days of the week was associated with eating more healthfully. The study showed that families eating meals together "every day" or "almost every day" generally consumed higher amounts of important nutrients such as calcium, fiber, iron, vitamins B6 and B12, C and E, and consumed less overall fat, compared to families who "never" or "only sometimes” eat meals together.

Quick and Nutritious Recipes

Chicken Nuggets
From Simply Colorado Cookbook

A casual entrée that the kids can help make in no time!
1 egg
2 T milk
3 C cornflakes, finely crushed
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400˚. Whisk eggs and milk together in a small bowl; set aside. Place cornflake crumbs in a gallon-sized zip-top bag. Dip each chicken piece in the egg/milk mixture, then let the kids help by shaking the pieces in the cornflake crumb bag. Place each coated nugget on a cookie sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake for 15 minutes or until done. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Sloppy Toms
From Simply Colorado Cookbook

Cooking spray
1 pound ground turkey
¾ cup onion, chopped
½ cup green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce
¼ cup ketchup
1 tsp. chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; place skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey, onion, green pepper and garlic; cook until browned, stirring to crumble turkey. Drain well. To turkey mixture, add tomato sauce, ketchup, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Divide mixture evenly among hamburger buns.

Honey Chicken
From Miserly Meals, by Jonni McCoy

1 pound small skinless chicken breasts
¼ tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ cup diced onion
3 T oil
¼ cup honey
½ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp. powdered ginger
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
¼ tsp. paprika
½ cup water

In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Toss well to coat the chicken evenly. Place the mixture in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. (alternatively: mix up in the morning, refrigerate all day to marinate, when ready for dinner, place in a 9X13 baking dish, cover with foil and cook in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes, uncover and bake 10 more minutes or until done and juice run clear) Serve over rice or orzo.

We all know fast food just has to happen sometimes. Luckily, there are many healthy options for families who need to grab a quick bite before darting off to the next event. Next week, we’ll provide healthy fast food options and will explore other alternatives when cooking isn’t realistic.

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