Feeding a family can be a challenge. You get home after work, it's already 5pm and the kids are hungry. You're hungry and tired. I totally get it! It can be a challenge not to stop by a drive thru on the way home and take the easy way out. But it can be pretty easy to have a nutritious meal on the table that the kids will eat in under 30 minutes.
One of our favourite meals that fits this bill is spaghetti. The kids love it and it's easy to make. But I know what you're thinking...spaghetti? That's not nutritious! However, with a few tweaks, it definitely can be. For instance, if you can swing it, whole wheat or whole grain pasta is a better choice. It's more filling and has a lot more fibre. Then we get to the sauce. I generally add just about every vegetable we have in the fridge to it. A 1/4 cup onion, green pepper, mushrooms, fresh tomato; these definitely bump up the nutrition and the taste. I just add them in when the meat is browning and then they are cooked by the time the sauce is done. It doesn't really add more time but it makes the meal a lot healthier. Then if we have lettuce in the house, I'll add a salad on the side, if not, then we don't.
Usually at this point someone asks me about whether it's okay to hide vegetables in the spaghetti sauce from their kids. I don't recommend this. It might work in the short term but your kids are smart and they will figure it out. It also doesn't help to build a trusting relationship with your kids if you're hiding things in their food.
What is your go-to quick weekday recipe? Share it below.
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