Photo by ilovemypit
Our family has never been big on fast food. But when we lived in the suburbs, I occasionally called Steve (usually after a challenging day) and asked him to pick up takeout on the way home. And there were a handful of times when (gasp!), we ordered Domino's.
But now that we've moved to the country, we are out of the range of most fast food. Domino's doesn't even deliver out here, so forget calling them in a moment of panic! I have since come up with a few dinner options to pull out of my hat when I need a quick dinner on the table.
These are kid-friendly choices that save the day and also save money over their fast-food equivalent. While not necessarily super-healthy choices, they are still whole food options, which is important to me.
1. Yogurt buffet
We always have plain yogurt in the fridge. I give the kids a bowl and assemble a variety of toppings in the kitchen they can add: coconut, raisins, dried fruit, berries, and a drizzle of maple syrup to top it off.
2. Buttery porridge
Basically this means oatmeal with a pat of butter on top. We call it buttery porridge in honor of the sweet Martin and Sylvia from Sparkle Stories. You can also do the buffet option with oatmeal and let kids add toppings.
3. Crackers and cheese
We don't usually have packaged foods, so crackers are quite a treat. I asked Steve to buy a box to keep in the pantry, and last week I assembled several of them on a plate with a few pieces of cheese.
Add some veggie and apple slices, and my kids were thrilled!
4. Eggs and toast
Can you see many of these have a breakfast for dinner theme?! I'm quite a fan of granola for dinner myself sometimes.
5. Crustless quiche
This recipe from Simple Bites has saved the day several times when I needed an easy dinner. You have to plan ahead with this one--since it takes 45 minutes to cook. But putting all the ingredients together takes less than 15 minutes, making it great fast food in my opinion.
Happy, simple eating!
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