Stress-Free Suppers

Try these recipes to keep school nights simple. These meals don’t require a lot of ingredients or prep time, and they are easy enough that you can get the kids involved for some creative kitchen fun.  

Chicken and Vegetable Stir Fry

• Your choice of frozen vegetables: bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, etc.
• 1 small onion (diced) 
• 2 chicken breasts cooked and diced or rotisserie chicken
• 1-2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• Olive oil 
• Instant rice – cook accordingly 

Microwave frozen vegetables for a minute or two to thaw. Add diced onion and a drizzle of olive oil to pan. Cook on low until onion is golden brown. Add vegetables and soy sauce. Cook to your liking then add cooked chicken to the pan. Continue cooking until chicken is warm and serve with side of rice.

Homemade Pizza Night

• Package of medium whole wheat tortillas 
• Jar of tomato sauce 
• 1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese 
• Pizza toppings: olives, diced bell peppers, sliced tomato, sliced mushroom

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Place tortilla on baking sheet. Spread sauce evenly across tortilla, sprinkle with cheese and add your favorite toppings. Bake until cheese is bubbly and tortilla is crisp

Breakfast for Dinner

• 8 eggs 
• 2 cups diced vegetables- zucchini, bell pepper, mushroom, cherry tomato
• 1 cup spinach (chopped) 
• 1 cup cottage cheese 
• Salt and pepper to taste 
• Whole wheat bread

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Sauté vegetables over medium heat for 5-7 minutes until soft. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add in spinach, cook for a few minutes, then set aside. In a large bowl, mix eggs, cottage cheese and sauteed veggies. Spray a muffin pan with cooking spray and add about 1/3 cup of the mixture to each muffin cup. Cook for about 30 minutes. Serve with a slice of whole wheat toast.

Note: Leftovers make breakfast on-the-go easy on another day! 

Vegetable Quesadillas

• Medium whole wheat tortillas 
• 1 can low sodium black beans, drained 
• 1 can low sodium corn, drained 
• 2 small tomatoes (diced)
• 1 package of shredded cheese 

Combine beans, diced tomato, and corn in a bowl. Lightly drizzle olive oil in a pan and add bottom tortilla. Top with beans, corn, tomato and cheese. Place second tortilla on top. Let quesadilla cook for a few minutes on low/medium until crispy, then flip to cook the other side. When done, remove from heat, slice and serve.

Roasted Chicken Pasta Salad

• 1 cooked roasted chicken cut into cubes
• 12 ounces package of preferred pasta (like penne, rotini, macaroni) - cook according to package directions
• 1 orange pepper, diced  
• 1 yellow pepper, diced
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 stalks of celery, diced
• ½ cup Balsamic or Italian dressing, adjust to taste if needed

Combine chicken, pasta and all cut up vegetables in a large bowl. Add dressing and gently toss together. Enjoy!

This article is adapted from Families First magazine. Subscribe to our magazine today.