3 Family Dinner Ideas For When Friday Night Hits And You Haven't Had Time To Plan

The end of the work week is an understandably exciting time for many. However, if you’re a busy parent, your responsibilities don’t necessarily end after you clock out at the office. You might still need to provide your family with a nutritious meal.

Creating meal plans for kids that cover every day of the week doesn’t need to be as challenging as you assume. As the following recipes prove, it’s entirely possible to serve up Friday night dinners that taste great, deliver essential nutrients, and don’t require you to spend hours in the kitchen.

Simple Nachos

Nachos make for an ideal Friday night meal. Although they’re often bursting with flavor, they are deceptively easy to prepare.

Opt for corn tortilla chips when making nachos. Not only is this the traditional option, it’s also healthier than eating flour-based chips.

To make this dinner, all you have to do is layer the chips atop one another on a baking sheet. In between each layer, add shredded Mexican cheese. You can also cook ground beef or chicken separately and add them to your nachos as well. Once you have a few layers built up, place the nachos in an oven that’s been preheated to 350 degrees, and bake them for about 10 minutes – or until the cheese is sufficiently melty. Once the nachos are done, remove the baking sheet from the oven, and finish them off by adding any other nutritious toppings you like. Options to consider included chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, black olives, and guacamole.

Homemade Pizza

Pizza is a popular Friday night dinner choice for families throughout the United States. That said, traditional take-out pizza isn’t always the most nutritious meal.

Satisfying your family’s love for pizza while also ensuring they eat well by making your own at home instead. While you can make your own dough if you wish, you can simplify the process by purchasing pita flatbreads or pizza dough at the grocery store. Instead of topping your choice of bread with greasy ingredients, add more nutritious options, such as Serrano ham, peach slices, and soft cheese, like goat’s-milk cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees until the cheese has melted.

Turkey Burgers

You don’t need to refuse to serve burgers to ensure your children eat nutritious meals. You can merely substitute ground beef with ground turkey. Either form the ground turkey into burger patties yourself, or simply purchase pre-packaged turkey burgers. To further reduce the fat content, bake your patties at 350 for approximately half an hour, or until their internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Remove them from the oven, add nutritious toppings, and marvel at how easy pleasing your family can be.

You’ve worked hard all week to reach Friday night. You deserve a break. These meals make taking one much easier.