Sometimes it can be difficult figuring out what your little ones want to eat. How many times have you caught your child feeding their meal to the family pet? You don’t want to have to make two or three meals—especially after a busy work day. That’s why we have eight fantastic recipes for you that will please your entire family and are simple to prepare too! Let’s take a look at the first four recipes.
Taco Cups (Serves 12)
Ingredients:
- 12 tortillas
- 1 lb. of 85% lean ground beef
- ½ of an onion, diced
- 2 tsp. of taco seasoning
- Ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp. of olive oil
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 1 c. of cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1 c. of lettuce, shredded
- 2 c. of cheddar (or Mexican) cheese, shredded
- Sour cream (optional)
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350˚ F.
Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray.
Using a 4-inch biscuit cutter, cut out tortillas and put one in each muffin cup; you may need to fold the edges to make them fit. Then put the pan aside.
Heat the olive oil on medium heat in a large non-stick skillet; add in the onion and sauté for 5 minutes or until soft. Next, carefully add in the meat and use a wooden spoon to break the beef into small pieces; stir in the salt, pepper and taco seasoning then cook for about 10 minutes or until the beef’s not pink inside. Be sure to drain off the fat.
Put a spoonful of beef in each tortilla cup, add cheddar cheese on top and bake in oven for 10 minutes until cheese has melted and the tortilla’s edges are golden brown.
Top with tomatoes, lettuce, more cheese and, if desired, sour cream. Enjoy!
Skillet Mac and Cheese-Burger (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. of 85% lean ground beef
- 1 lb. of elbow macaroni
- Black pepper, ground
- 1 c. of tomatoes, crushed
- 2 c. of shredded cheddar cheese
- Pinch of Kosher salt
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 c. of 1% milk
- 2 tbsp. of fresh parsley, chopped
Directions:
Put 4 quarts of water in a large Dutch oven and bring to a boil; follow the package directions to cook the macaroni, drain in a colander then transfer macaroni back to the pot.
In the meantime, cook the beef on medium-high heat in a large skillet, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Add in garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute then drain off extra fat.
Next, add in milk and tomatoes, let it come to a light boil then simmer for 5 minutes.
Now, turn down to low heat, stir in the macaroni and 1 c. of cheddar cheese. Be sure to add the cheese in 1 small handful at a time and mix until the cheese is blended thoroughly prior to tossing in more cheese. Sprinkle the other 1 c. of cheese on top, cover with the skillet’s lid and simmer for 1 minute or until cheese is bubbling and melted.
Scatter the parsley on top and serve hot.
Baked Popcorn Chicken (Serves 4)
Ingredients:
- 2 c. of corn flakes, crushed
- 2 lbs. of skinless, boneless chicken breast
- Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Olive oil spray
- ½ c. of sour cream
- ½ c. of mayonnaise
- 1 tsp. of cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp. of Sriracha sauce
- 2 tbsp. of green onions, chopped
Directions:
Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 375˚ F.
While the oven’s preheating, cut the chicken into 2-inch nuggets and flavor with salt and pepper. Then drizzle the EVOO over the chicken pieces and coat each piece with corn flakes. Put the pieces in a single layer on the baking sheet; spray them lightly with the olive oil and bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
In a bowl, blend the sour cream, mayonnaise, cayenne pepper and Sriracha sauce.
Scatter the green onions over the dip and hot popcorn chicken and enjoy!
Pizzadillas (Serves 1)
Ingredients:
- ⅓ c. of pizza sauce
- 2 flour tortillas, medium size
- ⅓ c. of pepperoni
- ½ c. of parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 1 c. of mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
- ⅓ c. of Italian parsley, chopped
Directions:
Heat 1 tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil on medium heat in an ovenproof, medium-sized skillet. Place 1 tortilla in the pan and coat it with half of the pizza sauce; then half of the mozzarella and Parmesan should be sprinkled on top. Top that with all the garlic, half of the Italian parsley and pepperoni. Add the second tortilla on top and cook until it’s golden brown and the cheeses are melted.
While that’s cooking, preheat your broiler. Use a large plate to cover the skillet when the quesadilla needs to be flipped. Flip the skillet over to move the quesadilla on the plate. With the golden side facing up, slide the quesadilla into the skillet and add the other half of the pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese, Italian parsley, Parmesan cheese and pepperoni.
Put the pan in the preheated broiler and broil until the cheeses are melted. Bon appétit!
If you know your children will enjoy these dishes, why not get them involved? Kids always love to help and they’re more apt to eat what they help prepare. If you think these recipes are great, just wait until you see the other four we have for you in part two!
