Delicious Family Lunch Ideas for Any Day of the Week

Family Meal Times Reaps Many Benefits and Delicious Food Can Be The Perfect Reason For It

As people get busier with their work schedules, schools, and extracurricular activities, family mealtimes often slowly ebb away. There are times when you can be so busy that you would just put sandwiches together and don’t have time to sit with your family for days or weeks. However, with some delicious family meal recipes that are simple to make, finding time for mealtime with your loved ones will become easier. 

A family that eats together reaps many benefits. It provides an opportunity for all members to come together and share their thoughts. This can serve to strengthen the ties between them. A delicious meal will definitely enhance the experience. After all, a hearty lunch is one of the best reasons for everyone to come together and build stronger relationships. The below lunch ideas offers an opportunity to satisfy the taste palette of all age groups in your family. Whether they be teenagers or kids, these tasty recipes will make them look forward to their lunch meals. So next time they ask you, “What are we eating?” surprise your family with these delicious lunch ideas.

Pasta With Grilled Beef

This is one recipe that can even help you to sneak in some extra veggies into your children’s meals. For a vegetarian option, you can chop vegetables such as mushrooms so that they resemble the texture of ground beef. There are other vegetarian and vegan alternatives you can use instead of beef.

To make this recipe start by heating some olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add ground beef to it and let it cook until the color changes slightly. Then add the chopped mushrooms and onion and mix well. Let it cook until the beef is fully browned and the liquid from the mushroom is reduced. This would approximately take 8 to 10 minutes. Stir it every few minutes so that it does not stick to the base. Add some tomato sauce and warm water to the beef. You can also add Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste.

The mixture should have enough liquid so that when you add pasta to it, it can cook properly. Reduce the heat and cook until the pasta is tender. To serve, add the cooked pasta with meat in a bowl and sprinkle some shredded cheese on it.  

Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Meal-prep lunch recipes can bring great relief to you when you have little time. Look here for more information on prep meals that can save you time and effort. One such recipe is the chicken enchilada casserole. The base for this recipe can be made and kept in the refrigerator for up to three days. When it’s time to serve, all you will need to do is bake it off for a healthy meal for your family.

To cook this recipe, start by adding chopped canned tomatoes, cumin, and salt in a medium bowl. If you want to make it a little spicy, add some chili powder to it. Take a casserole dish and line it with a cooking spray. Add the tomato sauce to the base of the dish. Lay down tortilla wedges on top of it. On top of that add a layer of canned beans and shredded cooked chicken. Then lay down another layer of the sauce with shredded cheese on top. Repeat the whole layering process again.

Once done, cover the dish with foil and refrigerate it until you would like to cook it. When it is time, you will need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Uncover the dish and bake it for 30 to 40 minutes. When you see that the casserole is hot and bubbling, that is a sign that it is ready. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

Loaded Baked Potatoes

Potatoes are definitely one of the most loved vegetables by people of all age groups. These are one of the best comfort foods that your family will enjoy. Combine it with some ground beef, broccoli florets, sour cream, and cheese and you have the ultimate satisfying meal ready.

Start by washing the potatoes properly and letting them dry. Pierce them with a fork all over so they can cook faster. You will then need to microwave them for 20 minutes. Keep turning them over every 5 to 8 minutes so they are cooked all over. On the other side, take a large skillet and heat some olive oil on medium heat. Add ground beef and cook it for three minutes or until the beef is browned properly. Transfer it to a bowl.

Using the same skillet add florets of chopped broccoli and water. Cover it and let it simmer until the broccoli florets have started to soften. Once you see that the broccoli is ready, drain the water from the pan and return the cooked ground beef.  Cut the top layer of the potato and reserve them for later use.

Scoop out the inside of the cooked potato into a bowl and add sour cream, cheese, salt, and pepper to it and mash it together. Then add some scallions and the meat mixture to it and continue to combine them together. Take the shells of the potato and lay them on a baking dish. Add the mixture to the shell and some cheese on the top. Microwave it until the cheese melts. If you do not plan to use it right away, you can use the potato covers and refrigerate them. 

Enjoy These Lunch Ideas

The above lunch ideas offer the flexibility to put in as much or as little of each ingredient as you’d like. For example, if you love broccoli, add more in. Or if you don’t like too much meat, add less into the recipe. These recipes will surely make lunch hour something that everyone will look forward to. This is especially true if you have a busy life schedule as you can prepare them in advance and still be able to whip out a nice lunch. Adding a healthy salad on the side is always a good idea as well. Happy eating!

Written by Ethan Smith