Parent sometimes ask me “Can you just direct me to recipes that my kids will *actually* eat?” This is a tough request because each family is different—different preferences, dietary needs, budgets, family culture and time (to name just a few things I need to keep in mind).

Cooking a dinnertime meal can be a real chore and most parents that I know don’t have endless time to futz around with exotic ingredients or cooking methods. They want a hearty meal on the table to feed their hungry crew in less than an hour!

My mom has a recipe box (it’s tin, painted with blue flowers) where she used to go to get her tried and true recipes. I don’t know anyone who has a recipe box any more—we all just hit up Google! But if you Google “chicken recipes” you’re going to get waaayyyy too many hits and be overwhelmed. Or you spend precious time scrolling and scrolling and scrolling hoping that something will catch your eye.

A straightforward place to search for simple recipes

One of my go-to websites is Budget Bytes. I find their recipes to be pretty straightforward and you can filter by category such as slow cooker, vegetarian, popular recipes & desserts. You can even search by ingredient! So if you’ve got a squash & a can of black beans (for example), head to the ingredient index and see what you might be able to whip up.

Another bonus is that Budget Bytes keeps an eye on your food budget for you. Every recipe lists a price per recipe and a price per serving. So helpful when groceries are expensive!

Skip all the fluff

I think my favorite aspect of Budget Bytes is that it’s not pretentious. You’re not going to get a long story before you get to the recipe. I always hit “jump to recipe” and skip the blah, blah, blah on those pages. And you’re not going to need to go to multiple grocery stores for a bunch of unusual ingredients, but the recipes are still delicious!

So, when you’re meal planning, open your computer to Budget Bytes and try filtering the recipes according to your family’s preferences & needs. I’m sure you’ll find a few recipes to add to your weekly rotation.

Let me know what you’ve cooked and how your family liked it!

Important disclaimer: I do not have an affiliation with Budget Bytes—I’m just a super fan!

Reach out at Karen@CoastalFamilyNutrition.com or call the office at 603-674-2479. I’m happy to help with meal planning!

Snack Idea: Fruit kabobs (melon cubes, grapes,strawberries etc threaded on a bamboo skewer) & vanilla yogurt for dipping. *Watch little ones carefully. You may want to thread their fruit on a sturdy plastic straw for safety*

Please feel free to share this with someone who may like to learn more about feeding kiddos!