Sauteed maple soy tofu

Sesame Broccolini and carrots (steam vegetables and then drizzle with toasted sesame oil and sesame seeds)

Soba noodles

Vanilla ice cream with sliced strawberries

My husband was in charge of dinner tonight.  To preface his dinner choices, let me say that when I first met him, the only vegetable he ate was salsa.

Grilled chicken breast

Pierogies with sauteed garlic and cherry tomatoes

Steamed broccoli

Applesauce

Tonight was one of those “dinner has to be ready quick” nights.  To try and make things a little easier, I made this tortellini salad the night before.

Cheese tortellini salad (made with chopped red and yellow bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, corn, sugar snap peas, and shredded carrots) with red wine vinegarette dressing and served atop baby spinach

Sliced strawberries

Vanilla ice cream

Maple chipotle salmon (rub made from maple syrup, chipotle sauce, garlic powder, pepper, and lite salt)

Sauteed sugar snap peas and carrots

Brown Rice and Amaranth (mix 1/4 cup amaranth and 3/4 cup brown rice and cook as usual per rice instructions)

Fresh  blackberries and strawberries

This meal cooks up fairly quickly and with little effort – 30 minutes from start to finish.   The kids still squawk at “chunky tomato sauce” but it usually only lasts until the first bite.

Tonight’s menu:

Pasta with roasted tomatoes and capers (toss cherry tomatoes with fresh oregano, capers, salt, and pepper and then roast at 450 degrees until tomatoes start to explode. Cook pasta while tomatoes are roasting and then toss together to serve)

Green salad of mixed greens, cucumber, red bell pepper, carrots, and cashews

Fresh mango

Spicy shrimp with cilantro (raw shrimp tossed in cumin, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, smoked paprika, and curry powder and then sauteed in olive oil)

Green salad of  greens, cucumber, carrots, fresh dill

Whole wheat bread

Fresh Strawberries and Blackberries

Grilled salmon

Grilled asparagus

Boiled red potatoes, topped with fresh dill

Sliced peaches

Grabbed a pizza for dinner tonight.  To make this unhealthy food a healthy dinner, I always serve a big side of vegetables and top the pizza with plenty of vegetables.  The kids thought I was kidding the first time I brought them home a broccoli pizza but now they don’t expect anything else.

2 pizza pies to choose from: Cheese pizza with broccoli OR the “Mountain Goat” pizza (trio of mushrooms, spinach, tomato, and goat cheese)

Green salad with balsamic dressing (salad greens, cucumber, red bell pepper, carrots, chives, dried cherries)

Sliced pears

My kids are not fans of fish.  That still doesn’t keep me from serving them twice a week for dinner.  Fish are a great lean protein and  source of the fats that make your heart happy, omega-3 fatty acids.  To help bring  my kids from the land of “I don’t like fish” to the land of “I like fish”, tonight, I made fish sticks for dinner.  The breading, size, and ability to pick them up with their fingers for dipping, make these kid-friendly.  This homemade version is also much healthier than the frozen fish sticks found in the grocery store.  And, the sticks were pretty quick to prepare and easy enough that my 8 year old was able to do it all by herself.

Tonight’s dinner:

Corn-flake crusted halibut

Tossed salad – spinach, carrots, red bell pepper, and fresh dill

Sliced plums

Girl Scout cookie