OUR FAVORITE NUTRITIOUS FAMILY DINNER IDEAS & SIDES
We really enjoy sharing our family dinner ideas and often get many requests to share our recipes too! If you’re one of the people that love our recipes, you can browse my “Yum” highlight to screenshot and watch me fix some of these family dinner recipes. But to make it easier, we have also compiled these quick and easy dinner recipes and side dish recipes below.
You can try these simple and nutritious recipes during weekend nights or even weeknights too, as some of them are really easy! They are some of our family’s most-loved recipes, and comfort foods. And I think you will love them too!
Hope they inspire you when thinking about what to prepare for dinner this week. 😉
Our Favorite Nutritious Dinner Ideas & Easy Side Dishes
Oven Baked Salmon
If you ever need an effortless, healthy dinner, go with salmon. So easy and always comes out yummy.
Instructions:
Set oven to broil 5 minutes before
Grease oven safe tray with vegetable oil/canola oil
Place salmon on the tray
Sprinkle salt and garlic powered on top of salmon
Broil for 10-15 minutes (depending on how well cooked you want it)
Serve with a side of steamed broccoli or salad and rice, and done!
For quick tips on how to make some yummy rice (the way we like it), watch this video!
Pollo Amarillo
Perfect for a one baking dish quick meal! You can serve it with a side of veggies.
Ingredients:
8-10 pieces of chicken
1 Onion
2-3 tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp pepper
¼ cumin
1 tsp salt (less if you don’t like salty food)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 bay leaves
2 potatoes cubed
Instructions
Chop onion in thin slices and fry with vegetable oil.
Add the chick and brown on both sides.
Add all of the spices to a cup. Fill with water and mix well. Add it to the chicken and let boil.
Reduce to medium heat and cover. Cook for 30 minutes.
Transfer to an oven safe container and add potatoes.
Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes.
Beef Stew
Hearty and delicious stew that can be served with a side of rice or baked rolls/bread!
Ingredients:
1 lb meat in cubes
1 can green peas
1 onion chopped
2 large potatoes cubed
2 carrots diced
1 tsp minced garlic
2-3 bay leaves
1 can tomato sauce
1-2 cups of water
Oil for frying the onions
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Fry the onions until they are translucent.
Add the meat and brown on all sides.
Add the green peas, potatoes, carrots, garlic, salt, pepper, tomato sauce, and water.
Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat.
Simmer for two hours on medium to low heat.
Quick Meat Soup
We love soups, and this one is one of our favorites especially if you enjoy using bone-in meat!
Ingredients:
Meat with bone and chunks
1 whole onion
Handful baby carrots
Corn on the cob
4 celery sticks cut in half
Handful of cilantro
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp soup mix
2 large potatoes
Instructions
Boil water and add in the meat. Let boil for at least 30 minutes as is.
Add in all of the vegetables except the potatoes. Let boil for one hour.
Add 3 tbsp soup mix, ½ tsp turmeric, ½ tsp oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Let boil for 30-60 mins.
Add in potatoes 20 mins before serving.
Easy Meat
Easy prep and clean up as this recipe does not require any stovetop cooking. Serve with a side of rice, fries, or fresh vegetables.
Ingredients:
1 lb of beef
1 onion
1 green pepper
Pinch of salt
2 bay leaves (halved)
1 tsp of oregano
¼ cup of water
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Wash the meat and place it on an oven safe tray.
Sprinkle in the salt, bay leaves, and oregano.
Add chopped onion and pepper on top.
Add the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.
Add the water and cover with aluminum foil.
Place in the oven at 350° F for two hours.
After one hour, uncover and mix.
Cover it again and leave it for another hour.
After two hours, remove the cover and leave in the oven for 20 minutes.
Mushroom Spaghetti
Simple dinner idea with a small amount of ingredients! Definitely a life-saver on a busy week night.
Ingredients:
Any mushrooms
Spaghetti
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp crushed garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
Add the butter to a pan and let it melt
Add the garlic and fry it for about 30 seconds
Add the mushrooms, salt, and pepper and sauté until golden
At the same time, boil the spaghetti
Once the spaghetti is done, add it to the mushrooms and mix it.
Once you serve it, add a little bit of Parmesan cheese
Bolognese Sauce
Try this recipe if you want to make your own sauce vs. using pre-made. It is so easy and simple to make.
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion
2 celery sticks
1 large carrot
1 can crushed tomatoes
½ cup water
½ tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
Pinch of nutmeg
½ cup red cooking wine
2 bay leaves
Instructions:
Chop the onion, celery, and carrot. Fry in a saucepan with a little bit of vegetable oil.
Add in the ground beef and brown.
Add the crushed tomatoes, water, salt, garlic, pepper, nutmeg, bay leaves, and mix. Cook for 10 minutes uncovered.
Add the cooking wine, mix, and cover. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for one hour.
Serve with pasta and your favorite cheese.
Herbed Salmon
Salmon is one of those foods that took a little convincing to get my girls to eat it. I usually dress it up with flavorful ingredients so that it doesn’t taste so fish-y. You know what I mean? This recipe is perfect for a quick meal. Hardly any prep goes into it and it’s one the whole family can enjoy. Pair with white rice and some green beans and have yourself a full dinner.
Ingredients:
1.5 lb. Salmon
2 tsp chopped garlic
3 tbsp chopped parsley
3 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Combine the garlic, parsley, sesame oil, cilantro, mayonnaise, black pepper, and salt in a bowl. Mix very well.
Grease an oven safe container and place salmon inside.
Add the mixture onto the salmon and spread out covering the whole top of the salmon.
Cover with aluminum foil.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the aluminum foil and broil for 10 minutes or until golden.
Tip: Remove the skin of the salmon for an even less fish-y taste
Click to watch here.
Mama’s Chicken Soup
Great recipe to have on hand to make on sick days! But it's also great to leave on rotation during the chiller fall and winter months.
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 tbsp chicken consomme
1 celery stick
2 small potatoes
1 small tomato
1/4 onion
handful cilantro
1 yellow squash
1 carrot
1 mini sweet pepper
2 garlic cloves
4 chicken legs
Instructions:
Using a medium saucepan, add water, chicken consommé, onion, celery, sweet pepper, tomato, carrots and chicken legs. Cook on high until boiling.
Once boiling, add garlic. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes
Add potatoes. Cook for 5 minutes
Add yellow squash and bunched cilantro. Cook for 20 minutes.
Remove cilantro. Stir.
Serve and enjoy
Moroccan Fish
Fish is a great protein source for adults and kids, but it can be hard to know how to fix at times. Here is one of my favorite ways to serve delicious fish!
Ingredients:
2 small tomatoes
1 red pepper
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cured lemon
½ can chickpeas
White fish cut into 1 inch slivers
Cilantro
Instructions:
Dice the tomatoes and fry with a bit of olive oil for 2 minutes
Cut the red pepper into thin slices. Add the pepper and minced garlic to the pan. Fry until soft.
Add paprika, cured lemon, and chickpeas.
Add half a cup of water and let boil.
Reduce heat. Salt the fish on both sides and add to the pan.
Add a few leaves of cilantro to each piece of fish. Cover and let cook.
Once fully cooked, move the sauce around and broil for 5 minutes.
Fried Rice
I love making this with left-over cooked rice. It is an easy recipe that I often have all ingredients ready to go!
Ingredients:
4 handfuls of green beans, cut up
3 carrots diced
1 stick of celery diced
6 eggs
1-2 cups cooked rice
About 5-6 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp butter/margarine
Instructions:
Melt the butter in a non-stick pan over high heat.
Add the carrots, green beans, and celery. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
In the meantime, mix the eggs together.
Uncover and make a hole in the center of the veggies. Pour in the eggs.
Cook the eggs all the way through and mix everything together.
Add the rice. Mix everything together.
Add the soy sauce and mix.
Baked Fried Chicken
I really like fried chicken. Like I could eat it every meal. But I also like putting good things in my body, so I made this oven baked fried chicken style recipe. It is delicious and if you eat it right out of the oven, you won’t know the difference. It is a winning family meal!
Ingredients:
7 Chicken legs
2/3 cup Flour
2 Eggs
1/2 tsp Garlic powder
1/2 tsp Onion powder
1/2 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Turmeric
1 cup bread crumbs
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 450° F. Wash and peel skin off of chicken.
Tip: Use a paper towel to peel the skin off of the chicken.
Coat chicken with flour
Scramble the eggs and cover the flour coated chicken legs with it.
Mix the garlic powder, onion powder, paprika and tumeric with the bread crumbs.
Cover the egg dipped chicken with the bread crumbs
Lay chicken out over a non-stick broiler pan.
Tip: Very important to use a broiler pan so that the juices fall underneath leaving the chicken crispy and not soggy.
Place in the oven for 1 hour. Turn every 20 minutes.
Arepas + Chicken Salad
This one is like stepping into my Venezuelan kitchen. It may not look like much, but it is so delicious–a must try!
Ingredients:
2 ½ cups water
1 tsp. Salt
2 cups precooked white corn meal (such as P.A.N.)
Spray oil (any kind)
Instructions:
Add water and salt to a bowl. Mix in the corn meal until it feels like a mushy dough, but not too sticky.
Grab a handful of dough and form a ball. Then flatten into a hamburger like patty.
Heat skillet on medium heat and spray with oil. Working in batches, cook corn patties until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes per side.
Finish cooking in a preheated oven or air fryer at 350° F for 8-10 minutes or until golden
Remove from oven and stuff with anything like this chicken salad…
Ingredients:
1 shredded chicken breast
1 minced garlic clove
1 avocado
Juice from half of a lime
3 tbsp mayonnaise
A few cilantro leaves chopped
Salt to taste
Favorite Dinner Sides or Snacks
If you are feeling in the mood to eat something light and make a quick salad with whatever fresh vegetables you have on hand, try this healthy-homemade salad and dressing that you can quickly prepare. You can also use it as a healthy side dish.
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Simple, refreshing and sweet!
Ingredients:
Spring mix with spinach
Chopped strawberries
Sunflower seeds
Salad Dressing
¼ Cup of Olive Oil
1 tsp yellow mustard
Juice of one lime
Pinch of Salt
1 or 2 tsp of honey
Grilled Artichokes
Grilled artichokes are easily one of our absolute favorites in our home, and so nutritious too.
4 Medium Artichokes
Cut artichokes in quarters
Remove fuzzy hair from the inside using a spoon .
Boil for 10 minutes.
Mix ¼ cup of olive oil, 2 crushed garlic cloves, and salt
Brush over all sides of the artichokes
Place in the air fryer or oven at 400F for 10-12 minutes Turn halfway through.
Sauce
4 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp soy sauce
Half a lime
2 tbsp dill relish or pickle
Rice
You might be like “a tutorial about rice, really?” But there’s a difference between making rice and knowing how to make amazing rice! And I think everyone should know how to make amazing rice, so follow these steps carefully and you’ll have yourself perfect rice. Rice is a part of our dinner table everyday. Sounds excessive but it’s a part of our culture!
Ingredients:
2 TBSP vegetable oil
2 cups jasmine rice
3 3/4 cups of water
2 TSP salt
1 TBSP consome
Instructions:
Add oil, rice, water, salt and consome to a non-stick pot.
Cook on high until most of the water evaporates (see video for example- this is the most important step).
Turn heat to low and cover for 20 minutes without opening the entire time.
Uncover and mix to separate grains.
Serve.
The type of rice, the pot and the heat distribution all play a factor in making this. So follow the instructions and watch the video while making it for best results.
Crispy Pasta Chips
You wouldn’t believe just how excited the kids will be to try pasta chips!
Ingredients:
Any pasts
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Salt
Pepper
Instructions:
Cook pasta al dente
Drain and mix in olive oil, cheese, salt, and pepper
Place inside the air fryer and bake at 400 F for 10-15 minutes, until golden and crispy
Nutritious Mac & Cheese
My daughters are obsessed with Mac & Cheese–as I assume a lot of kids are. Here's a nutritious recipe for Mac & Cheese with a twist. This recipe serves one hungry toddler. Multiply quantities for more people (it's so yummy, I make it for all of us).
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup whole wheat pasta (small elbows are perfect bite size)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 sliced of american cheese (I use Kraft singles)
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 teaspoon margarine or butter
1/4 cup whole milk
Cooked chicken breast about the size of your palm
Handful of spinach
Instructions:
Using a medium pot, add water, salt and olive oil. Bring to a boil.
Add pasta. Cook until desired consistency (note that whole wheat pasta takes a little bit longer to cook). Drain pasta and set aside.
Meanwhile, chop the chicken breast in tiny tiny tiny squares almost to the point where you don't see it. Same with the spinach, chop very small. Disguise as much as possible...
Using the same pot, melt the cheese, margarine (or butter) and cream cheese using low heat. Once melted, add the whole milk to make the cheese sauce more liquid. Stir.
Add the chopped chicken breast and spinach to the cheese sauce. Stir until blended, about 3 minutes under low heat.
Combine the pasta with the sauce. Stir until well mixed.
Lastly, enjoy!
