I’m a single dad. Well, not really… I am married, but my wife goes to work in the evenings. Due to the timing of our schedules, I am often left to cook dinner for our two boys. Some nights, after a long day at work, I don’t feel like cooking anything extravagant. I do want my children to eat a full meal, though, and not just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. To solve this problem, I have a few different quick and easy dinners that I like to cook. If you’re ever pressed for time, or just looking for something new, why not try one of the ones below? (or check out this creative book from Amazon.com called Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Get Your Kids Eating Good Food) For my suggestions below, obviously you should substitute any of the ingredients with items that your children enjoy eating.
Single Dad’s Lasagna
Ingredients:
- 1 box of macaroni and cheese
- 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
- 1 pound of hamburger
- 1 package of shredded mozzarella cheese
- Vegetables of your choosing (I like onions, green peppers, black olives, and banana peppers)
Preparation/Cooking:
- Make the macaroni and cheese according to the instructions on the box
- Brown the hamburger and drain
- Mix the spaghetti sauce in with the hamburger
- In a 9 x 9 pan, layer the macaroni and cheese and the spaghetti sauce in alternating layers
- Add vegetables between the layers
- Top with shredded cheese and vegetables for presentation
- Bake at 375F until cheese is melted.
Single Dad’s Chicken Parmesan
Ingredients:
- 1/2 box of noodles
- 1 jar of spaghetti sauce
- 8 – 10 chicken nuggets (frozen)
- Parmesan Cheese
Preparation/Cooking:
- Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the box
- Heat the spaghetti sauce
- Drain noodles and mix in spaghetti sauce
- Cook chicken nuggets (I like to do it in the microwave)
- Cut chicken nuggets into bit-size pieces and mix into spaghetti
- Serve and top with Parmesan cheese
Well, what do you think? Sounds pretty easy doesn’t it? Both of these meals are simple to prepare, and my children love them. Try them out sometime and let me know how it turns out for you!
[tags]Dad, Dinner, Cooking, Family, Children, Parenting[/tags]