best dinner recipes

Over the last few weeks I have been highlighting some family-friendly meals that are not only healthy, but delicious. The three I am featuring today are among my favorites to date! I just don’t think you can have too many good recipes in reserve that your kids will eat.

3 Meals for Dinner

3 meals for dinner that your kids will eat!

Beef Pot Roast with Maple Sweet Potatoes and Cider Gravy

I became a Chef Chamberlain stalker the minute I tasted this dish. Shhhhh…please don’t tell him.   I promise, I am harmless. Because I have never been a huge sweet potato fan {unless they are deep fat fried and resemble orange french fries}, I was shocked to LOVE them in this form.   The recipe can be found in the Healthy Beef Cookbook or on the TX Beef website.

• I have made it several times:   Beef Pot Roast Recipe
• Trista’s husband {Trista writes Mommy Upgrade} called it a 5 star left-over meal.
• Christina, The Closet Writer, had an epic recipe fail on this one.   I don’t want to spoil the ending, but it ends happily ever after.
• The Nerd’s Wife, Arena, had some suggestions for alteration of the sweet potatoes if you aren’t a sweet sweet potato fan.

Beef, Arugula and Spinach Lasagna

OK, if you have been around the Nirvana this week, you know I am head-over-heels in love with this easy lasagna recipe!   My mouth is watering just thinking about it.   You can find my tutorial on How to Layer Lasagna and this recipe is also from the TX Beef website.

• Jessica {from My Baking Heart} took some breath-taking photos of her finished lasagna dish.
• A Day in Motherhood’s Lori had some suggestions including changing the lasagna layering order.
• Brenda who writes Meal Planning Magic had a great experience with this recipe despite her arugula-resistance.   She even made the sauce from scratch.

Dijon-wine Steak Kabobs with Mushroom Wild Rice

This is the only one of these three best dinner recipes that I haven’t tried yet.   It is kinda exciting to have something to add to the list of possibilities.   I was tempted to try it this week because the Texas weather was very spring-y {which only lasted for several days} and this is the perfect grilling recipe.   You can find it on the TX Beef website. And here are some first hand accounts of family-friendliness:

• Allie from Screwed Up Texan tries this recipe as part of her grand scheme to overhaul her family’s eating habits.
• Mom’s Toolbox’s Amy came up with a BUNCH of alterations and reported overall success despite a limited amount of time.
• Crystal {writes Crystal & Company} has worked this recipe into her weekly meal plan and then made it look delicious!

Include Your Kids in Creating the Perfect Plate

Ryan came home from school the other day with homework about the new USDA My Plate guide.   I had heard about it, but not paid too much attention.   I am old enough to remember the 4 basic food groups! Once we got into looking at what it meant, it was something that Ryan really had fun with.   I love the bright, simple visuals and my kids have made it into a fraction game at mealtime.   Here are some additional tips from the Texas Beef Council:

Portion size is always something of a mystery!   But you can create the Perfect Plate using the USDA My Plate guide:

• Start with a small plate that measures 9 “ 10 inches across (instead of the huge plate many of us are accustomed to).
• Fill half the plate with colorful fruits and vegetables “ the more color you have, the more vitamins and nutrients you are consuming!
• One fourth of your plate should be whole grains for fiber and folate.
• The other fourth of your plate should be lean protein “ a good rule of thumb for a portion is about the size of a deck of cards.
• You should also have one serving of dairy with your meal “ older children, teens and adults need three cups a day while children 4 to 8 years old need 2 ½ cups and children 2 to 3 years old need 2 cups.   (per USDA guidelines)

It seems the more the kids are engaged in the food choice & making process, the more likely they are to eat it without complaining at the dinner table! All 10 bloggers mentioned are working with the Texas Beef Council this month as a part of their Healthy Meals to Fuel the Family series.   You can follow along on twitter with the #TXBeef hashtag, on the Beef Loving Texans FB page or on Pinterest.