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

How to make family meals for cheap? ›

Cheap family recipes
  1. Sausage & mushroom ragu. A star rating of 4.5 out of 5. ...
  2. Sloppy joes. A star rating of 4.2 out of 5. ...
  3. Air-fryer meatballs. A star rating of 0 out of 5. ...
  4. Peanut butter chicken. ...
  5. Coconut fish curry & rice. ...
  6. Stir-fried beef with ginger. ...
  7. Fajita chicken rice bowl with burnt lime. ...
  8. Speedy lentil coconut curry.

What's for dinner kid friendly? ›

Top kids' dinner ideas
  • 1) Chicken nuggets.
  • 2) Easy salmon curry.
  • 3) Swedish meatball burgers.
  • 4) Healthy beef stew with veggie mash.
  • 5) Chicken pasta bake.
  • 6) Homemade fish fingers.
  • 7) Air-fryer jacket potatoes.
  • 8) Creamy chicken stew.
Mar 19, 2024

What should I eat for family meals? ›

27 Quick And Easy Dinners Your Whole Family Will Love
  • One-Pot Cheeseburger Pasta. tasty.co. ...
  • 3-Ingredient Teriyaki Chicken. tasty.co. ...
  • Taco Soup. tasty.co. ...
  • One-Pan Garlic Butter Salmon. tasty.co. ...
  • Easy Chicken Alfredo Penne. tasty.co. ...
  • Sheet Pan Steak Fajitas. kirbiecravings.com. ...
  • Taco French Bread Pizza. life-in-the-lofthouse.com.
Oct 25, 2023

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.

How do you feed a family of 5 for $10? ›

Cheap Family Meals Under $10
  1. Spanish Rice Soup. ...
  2. Ramen Noodle Stir Fry with Vegetables. ...
  3. Crescent Roll Sausage Egg Casserole. ...
  4. Chicken and Rice Casserole with Broccoli. ...
  5. Creamy Tomato Bacon Pasta. ...
  6. Easy Cheese Manicotti. ...
  7. White Bean and Spinach Soup. ...
  8. Black Bean Enchilada Casserole.
Apr 2, 2023

How do you feed a family of 5 for $10 at home? ›

Ten Healthy Family Meals Under $10
  1. Healthy Fried Rice.
  2. Pasta Salad.
  3. Fettuccini Alfredo… or Bowtie, or Shells, or Rotini.
  4. Rosemary White Bean Soup or Turkey White Bean Chili.
  5. Black Bean and Sweet Potato Burritos.
  6. Black-eyed Peas and Pork…with Kale.
  7. Enchilada Casserole.
  8. Down-home Macaroni and Cheese.

What is the cheapest food that can feed a lot of people? ›

Feed the masses without breaking the bank with these budget-friendly dishes.
  • Mexican Lasagne. A spicy lasagne for those of us who love Mexican and Italian food. ...
  • Cheese Cob Dip. ...
  • The Best Burger in Oz. ...
  • Kangaroo Casserole. ...
  • Sausage Casserole. ...
  • Nanna's golden sausage casserole. ...
  • Quiche Lorraine. ...
  • Turkey and Pumpkin Lasagne.

What is a kiddie meal? ›

The kids' meal or children's meal is a fast food combination meal tailored to and marketed to children. Most kids' meals come in colorful bags or cardboard boxes with depictions of activities/games on the bag or box and a toy inside.

What is the best food for kids? ›

Top list of healthy foods for growing kids
  • Legumes. ...
  • Dairy. ...
  • Yogurt. ...
  • Fruits and vegetables. ...
  • Whole grains. ...
  • Sweet potato. ...
  • Nuts and flaxseeds. Nuts and flaxseeds are high sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are optimal for brain development and growth. ...
  • Tofu.
Feb 8, 2024

What can I cook for my kids today? ›

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.

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 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 most simple thing to cook? ›

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”?

Which meal is easiest to skip? ›

Skipping Breakfast

People tend to find it easiest because generally, it's the meal commonly taken at a time of hurry, as you rush out the door in the morning.

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