Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (2024)

* We sometimes use affiliate links, so we may receive a commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. Check our disclosure for more info.

Need a 20 minute meal that’s kid friendly? Here are 12, 20 minute meals that are Kid Friendly, and you can have READY IN 20 MINUTES OR LESS for busy weeknights or when dinner time simply sneaks up on you! Um. Like tonight. And maybe tomorrow tonight.

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (1)

Grab the FREE 18 Meal Ideas CHEAT SHEET Here!

I’m not gonna lie. 20 minute meals are more of a regular event at our home than not. I am a big fan of fast, delicious meals that are quick to pull together in under half an hour or less. Less is always better.

I know dinner time can be hard.

Coming back from work or after school activities often leave you with little time to prep and cook healthy dinners from scratch. Stopping at the local take out seems like the easier option. Thing is, it’s not good for your health, waistline or budget.

With a few easy, quick, kid friendly meal planning tips and fast meal ideas, you can get your family eating healthier and save money – in less time that it would take to get through drive through. Just a give it a go for one week.

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (2)

Healthy Family Dinners

But don’t worry – just because it’s a quick dinner, it doesn’t mean you miss out on flavour. Here are 12 of our families favourite 20 minute Dinner Recipes that will please even the fussiest palate. What’s special about these recipes? They’re full of kid-friendly flavor, no one likes a bland dinner but kids can sometime be…picky, shall we say, about the flavors they’ll eat.
These are perfect, and please the whole crowd. And that’s a good thing in my book!

Download myFREE Dinner Time Cheat Sheet below, it’s really handy and will give you a head start!

Grab the FREE 18 Meal Ideas CHEAT SHEET Here!

12 Super Fast Healthy Dinner Recipes

Here are 12 of our families favourite 20 minute Dinner Recipes that will please even the fussiest palate.

Chicken Pesto Fettuccine

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (3)

This super fast mid week Chicken Pesto Fettuccine is a winner with kids. The creamy Pesto sauce and tender chicken means clean pates all round! Pesto fettuccine recipe here!

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (4)

This beautifully colorful Thai inspired dish takes just 15 minutes to out on the table. Get the kids to help with chopping and make it even quicker! Thai Noodle recipe here!

Grab the FREE 18 Meal Ideas CHEAT SHEET Here!

Quick Soba Noodles

Try these 20 Minute, Hmmm MMMM delicious weeknight soba noodles. Tender strips of chicken, sautéed broccoli and a sweet and tangy noodle sauce. Soba Noodle recipe here!

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (5)

Crab Pasta {Especially For Kids}

This mild crab pasta dish is the perfect way to get some seafood in their diets. Its fresh, lemony and cheesy. Yum! Crab pasta recipe here.

Chicken Donburi Bowl

This Clean Eating Chicken Donburi Bowl recipe is insane!! It’s simple, versatile and can be prepped ahead for an easy lunch or light dinner.

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (7)


Chicken Donburi Bowl

Healthy Chinese Fried Rice

I could eat this healthy Chinese fried rice all over again. And I will. There is a small lunch box of leftovers still in the fridge. Just enough for me and whoever catches me heating it up :)

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (8)


Chinese Fried Rice

This easy mid-week (or quick weekend lunch) Ham and Mushroom pasta uses cream cheese as a sauce and is a great way to use up any ham you have in the fridge. It’s a simple recipe, and especially good for littler kids who prefer their food slightly plainer than bigger kids (and us) might like. Feel free to leave the garlic out if you’ve got garlic haters in your house, or add extra to give it a bigger kick!

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (9)

Ham and mushroom pasta

Clean Eating Lasagne

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (10)

So what’s the difference between Clean Eating lasagna and your regular homemade lasagna? Shhh don’t tell anyone, but the answer is … nothing. The whole point to Clean Eating is making food using whole food ingredients. It’s not complicated and it’s something everyone can do.
Lasagne recipe

Chicken Piccata

This is a real Summery recipe, Clean eating Chicken Piccata: It’s quick, easy, fresh and lemony. You can have this ready in 10 minutes or so, making it one of the fastest healthy chicken dinners I make. We have this fairly often. I use chicken thighs for this, they’re really juicy and full of flavor as well as being a bit cheaper than breast meat.

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (11)

Chicken Piccata recipe

Cauliflower Broccoli Casserole

This Healthy Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole is delicious, cheesy comfort food, super healthy and packed full of the good stuff. It’s a regular here, requested often and always eaten. I make this with mywhite bean cheese saucefor an extra protein hit and while it’s technically a ‘side’ dish, this is so good you’d be forgiven for eating it all alone and straight from the dish!

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (12)

Cauliflower broccoli cheese casserole

Grilled Fish Tacos

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (13)

Grilled fish Tacos

Fussy Eaters Fajitas

Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (14)

Recipe Link

Quick family dinners

So, there you have it!

12 new and a little exciting easy recipes for dinner to add to your weeknight meal plan.

The best thing is that you can whip these little beauties up super fast using ingredients you’ve actually heard of! The next time you’re wondering what to fix for dinner (which I think is the reason you are here) – all you have to do it pick one of these!

To see the other posts in this 10 of the Best Meal Prepping Series series, check out the following:

  • 10 Recipes You Can Make with a Pound of Ground Beef
  • 10 Recipes you can make with a Jar of Pasta Sauce
  • 10 Healthy Sheet Pan Dinners
Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (15)
Kid Friendly 20 Minute Meals {Healthy Family Recipes } (2024)

FAQs

What are some good meals for children? ›

Top kids' dinner ideas
  • 2) Easy salmon curry. ...
  • 3) Swedish meatball burgers. ...
  • 5) Chicken pasta bake. ...
  • 6) Homemade fish fingers. ...
  • 7) Air-fryer jacket potatoes. ...
  • 8) Creamy chicken stew. ...
  • 9) Veggie toad-in-the-hole. ...
  • 11) Fish pie mac 'n' cheese.
Mar 19, 2024

How do I make my family meal baby friendly? ›

Sometimes all that's needed to make your family meal suitable for your baby is a little extra chopping, mashing or mincing. Family favourites like spaghetti bolognaise, pie or stew can all work really well for babies with a little extra prep to make them textures suitable before serving.

What to make for dinner for picky toddlers? ›

Picky Toddler Meals: Our 5 Favorite Easy Ideas
  • Chicken Strips and Dip. Finger foods are often the easiest kind of foods to eat for kids struggling with motor skills. ...
  • Naan Pizza. Making pizza at home using naan bread as the base is easy and tastes great. ...
  • Meatballs and Rice. ...
  • Scrambled Eggs. ...
  • Juices and Smoothies.
May 22, 2023

What is a good meal for 20 people? ›

19 Ideas For Easy Meals For Large Groups
  • Taco Bar.
  • Meatballs.
  • Butter Chicken.
  • Lasagna.
  • Chili.
  • Homemade Pizza.
  • Baked Pasta.
  • Skewers.
Apr 4, 2023

What is the most important meal for children? ›

Breakfast provides key nutrients.

Children who eat breakfast are more likely to meet their overall nutritional needs. In fact, studies show that children who eat breakfast eat more fruit, drink more milk, and consume less saturated fat than those who don't eat breakfast.

What is the most important meal of the day for kids? ›

Breakfast is a great way to give the body the refueling it needs. Kids who eat breakfast tend to eat healthier overall and are more likely to be physically active — two great ways to help maintain a healthy weight. Skipping breakfast can make kids feel tired, restless, or irritable.

Do parents have to feed there kids? ›

Parents have to take care of their child's welfare and needs. Supporting your children includes providing food, clothing, shelter, basic care, education, and medical care. Failing to provide for your children can lead to neglect or abuse charges in most states.

Why should children eat meals with their families? ›

Developmental Benefits

Frequent family dinners have a positive impact on children's values, motivation, personal identity, and self-esteem. Children who eat dinner with their family are more likely to understand, acknowledge, and follow the boundaries and expectations set by their parents.

What are the meals for simplicity parenting? ›

Next, simplify what's for dinner by creating a recurring menu—Monday pasta, Tuesday rice, Wednesday soup, and so forth. Predictable meals are simpler and easier to prepare, everyone eats the same thing, and the regularity will have rooting effects on your children.

What foods do toddlers love? ›

Toddler snack plate
  • Cheese slices.
  • Crackers.
  • Fruit.
  • Vegetables.
  • Hummus.
  • Nuts.
  • Chocolate chips.
  • Deli meat.
Dec 11, 2023

What do most kids eat for dinner? ›

Kid's Top 10 Favorite Foods
  • Pizza. ...
  • Hamburgers. ...
  • Hot Dogs. ...
  • Chicken Nuggets. ...
  • Chicken Noodle Soup. ...
  • Grilled Cheese. ...
  • Spaghetti. ...
  • Tacos. Tacos are fun for kids, mainly because they taste great and kids can get a little messy while eating them and not get in trouble with Mom and Dad!

What should an 8 year old be eating? ›

Feeding Your Child - Ages 6-9
Food GroupSuggested Servings
Milk/Dairy Milk Yogurt Cheese4 daily
Meat/Protein* Beef, Pork, Fish, Poultry Eggs Peanut Butter4 daily
Fruit/Vegetables Fruit Fruit Juice Vegetables3-5 daily
Breads/Cereals Whole grain bread Hot cereal, rice, pasta Ready-to-eat cereal Crackers6 or more daily
2 more rows

What is a good dinner time for kids? ›

Some experts recommend having dinner no later than about two or three hours before it is time to go to bed, and the earlier the better, if eating tends to rile your child up. After dinner and before bedtime, it is appropriate for your child to have a snack, as long as it includes the right foods.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Errol Quitzon

Last Updated:

Views: 5512

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (79 voted)

Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Errol Quitzon

Birthday: 1993-04-02

Address: 70604 Haley Lane, Port Weldonside, TN 99233-0942

Phone: +9665282866296

Job: Product Retail Agent

Hobby: Computer programming, Horseback riding, Hooping, Dance, Ice skating, Backpacking, Rafting

Introduction: My name is Errol Quitzon, I am a fair, cute, fancy, clean, attractive, sparkling, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.