While my school age kid days are far behind me, I know it can be a struggle to figure out what to make for everyone so that you aren’t a short order cook. This is a roundup of our Top 10 Friendly Dinners!
KFC CHICKEN NUGGETS
Pretty sure most families can agree on these chicken nuggets. The best part is that they can be breaded ahead of time and then cooked right before serving. CLICK HERE FOR THE KFC CHICKEN NUGGET RECIPE.
CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS
While I used leftover skinny pizza dough for this recipe, you can easily use canned refrigerator biscuits. And this is the perfect time to use rotisserie chicken! Hannah has always been a picky eater and she loves this one. CLICK HERE FOR THE CHICKEN AND DUMPLINGS RECIPE.
ITALIAN TURKEY MEATBALLS
Pinky promise your kids will not know that this is made with ground turkey. I add chopped pepperoni to my meatballs which not only add flavor, but also keep the meatballs moist and not dried out. Serve over your favorite pasta. Add them to a bun and add cheese and make meatball subs. Slice them to put on pizza – the possibilties are endless! CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE FOR THE TURKEY MEATBALLS.
DETROIT STYLE PIZZA
Detroit style pizza is a combination of a Chicago deep dish and a pan pizza. You can use any baking pan – mine is an actual Detroit Style Pizza pan that Hannah and Jacob gave me for my birthday one year. But a 9×9 brownie pan works great too! The secret is to put the cheese on the edges before baking, and you get this gorgeous cheesy crust in every bite. CLICK HERE FOR THE DETROIT STYLE PIZZA RECIPE.
MACARONI AND CHEESE
Macaroni and cheese is probably the one dish I could every day (other than pizza!) and never get sick of. This recipe uses half whole wheat and half regular pasta, and even sneaks in some Greek yogurt for some extra protein. CLICK HERE TO GET THE RECIPE FOR MACARONI AND CHEESE.
HOMEMADE SPAGHETTIOS
Don’t get me wrong. About once a year I treat myself to homemade spaghettios and toast some white bread with butter on the side for dipping. It brings me straight back to my childhood. This version is just as delicious in my opinion and made with fresh ingredients. The pasta I use is called Anelletti pasta, or O shaped pasta. You can find this in grocery stores here and there, but you can also find it online too. CLICK HERE FOR THE HOMEMADE SPAGHETTIOS RECIPE.
SOPES
When you make your next batch of skinny pizza dough, be sure to make these sopes. So customizable based on your families tastes. These can also be made ahead of time and then reheated in a skillet with avocado oil spray. That way they get nice and crispy on the bottom. CLICK HERE FOR THE SOPES RECIPE.
PIZZA WAFFLES
My twin sister uses skinny pizza dough just as much as I do. I love this idea of using the pizza dough to make waffles! You and your family can customize the fillings for a fun party pizza Friday night. CLICK HERE FOR THE PIZZA WAFFLES RECIPE.
SLOPPY JOES
Growing up my Mom would make Manwich sloppy joes and I was never a fan because it was too sweet for me. I hadn’t learned yet about the balance of sweet and savory and I maybe would have added pickled jalapenos to my sandwich to offset the sweetness. Although I am pretty sure I didn’t even know what pickled jalapenos were back then! My version has a minimal one tablespoon of brown sugar and a hefty pinch of crushed red pepper for the perfect sloppy joes in my opinion. CLICK HERE FOR THE SLOPPY JOES RECIPE.
SIMPLE MARINARA SAUCE
Everyone needs a good marinara sauce in their back pocket. Mine is ready in about 20 minutes and can be the base for anything. Boil up some spaghetti, use it for pizza sauce, make stuffed peppers – the possibilities are endless. This is a great meal prep recipe to use throughout the week. CLICK HERE FOR THE SIMPLE MARINARA SAUCE.
Hopefully one or more of these recipes will become a family favorite. If you can get to 20 meals that your family loves you can simply repeat them every month, and only eat the same meal once a month.
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