These quick and easy dinner additions are the perfect way to make your well-loved recipes new and exciting for your little ones.
It’s no secret that I love to cook. I love sharing my recipe ideas, hacks and passion with other people too. Especially if it’s going to make mealtime (especially dinners) less stressful and time-consuming. We want less time and more eating, right?
I’ve been trying to shake things up a bit here recently as I found myself reaching for the same ingredients all too often. I get really bored when it comes to food if I am eating the same thing over and over again so I suppose I’m conscious of my kid being the same.
I was thinking about quick and easy additions to dinner time that were ready-in-a-hurry but also healthy and not overly processed.
So far these simple dinner additions have been a huge hit and I’ve been enjoying leftovers for my lunch the next day. Perhaps they might shake things up for you too?
Couscous
I love the stuff and regularly reach for it in a salad buffet but I’ve never really seen it as a “carb” option with dinner. I tend to reach for old favourites like mashed potato, pasta or rice. Well, as it turns out, Couscous is quicker than all three, way less maintenance and actually a lovely subtle “plain” food that most kids tend to enjoy.
It’s as easy as pouring some into a bowl and covering in vegetable stock. Minutes later it fluffs up absorbing all the liquid and tastes amazing. I like to add roast veg, fresh lime, coriander and crumbled feta to mine as a more “adult” version but the kid loves it plain with fish or chicken mixed through.
Sweet Potatoes
Don’t ask me why but they always seemed like hard work to me. Do they just look a little more robust or something? I am still baffled by just how quickly they roast and the incredible flavour of them even if you’ve added nothing at all. Simply peel, cut up and roast for twenty minutes and the taste and texture is to die for. We mash them, eat them whole or blitz them into soups. They have tonnes of health benefits and the colour is great too. The perfect addition to any dinner.
Soup for dinner
We love soup in this house but it’s always typically been a lunch thing. With the colder weather, I’ve started adding some meat and beans or pasta to make it a more substantial dinner option. It’s warm, filling, made in one pot and is a super healthy dinner option that won’t break the bank.
Quorn
We are a meat-loving family but having tried the Quorn “nuggets”, “burgers” and “breakfast patties” we are totally hooked on this inexpensive and delicious brand. Fun fact, some of their products actually have more protein than the meat they are trying to replicate. Try the Vegan nuggets but don’t tell anyone (hubby) what they are. We suspect clean plates and baffled faces when you fess up.
Cauliflower rice
It’s available pretty much everywhere now from Dunnes and Tesco to Aldi and Iceland. It’s usually cooked from frozen in the microwave for just 3-4 minutes and is a lovely light alternative to rice. I’ve started mixing it through regular rice to bulk up the vegetable content of the meal. It’s also lovely thrown into stews, soups or fried up with an egg and some soy sauce as a fried rice alternative.
Will you be trying out any of these dinner additions?