Dinners
More Dinners Picks
The Best Time to Eat Dinner
Timing your meals correctly can ensure that you're eating healthy foods and not overdoing it. There is no one best time to eat dinner that will work for every family. You have to look at your personal situation, factoring in work schedules and after-school activities to find the time that works right for you. Once you've found this time, plan to keep things consistent by sticking to this schedule.
How to Make Dinner Rolls With a KitchenAid Mixer
Feeding your family a healthy diet is important, but you also want meals to taste as delicious as they are nutritious. One way to do that is with fresh-baked breads and rolls. Baking your own dinner rolls requires laborious kneading, folding and shaping that few modern moms have time to do, but you can cut that time significantly. Let a heavy-duty stand mixer fitted with a dough hook do all the kneading while you get all the praise.
Why Do I Fall Asleep After Dinner?
Drowsiness or falling asleep after a heavy meal is a common problem for many people of all ages, and it is not usually a sign of a more serious problem. If you're not into taking naps after dinner, or if the sleepiness is interfering with your family's life, a couple of simple changes may alleviate the symptoms.
Dinner Foods With Fiber
Getting your family to increase their fiber intake might elicit some whines or groans, but whipping up high-fiber dinners that deliver in the nutrition and flavor department will change their tune. Fiber-rich dinners not only offer an impressive nutritional profile, but they also keep your brood feeling fuller for longer so they're less likely to browse the cabinets for snacks before the dishes are even in the dishwasher.
Formal & Informal Dinners
Every mother wants two main things for her children: happiness and success. Good manners help children achieve both goals. Holding formal and informal family dinners provides your children with opportunities to practice and perfect good manners and learn to regulate their own behavior. Far from inhibiting creativity or freedom of expression, the good manners learned during family dinners smooth your children's progress throughout their lives. Children, especially very young children, learn primarily by example, followed by performing an action themselves.
Oven Roasted Vegetable Dinners
Roasting root vegetables is simple if you have three things: a baking sheet, some olive oil and an oven with a timer. Depending on how you're serving them, you may not even have to cut vegetables before you roast them. For example, make any number of creamy vegetable soups for your family by roasting whole vegetables until soft, then puréeing them with some vegetable broth and herbs. Get creamy texture and great flavor -- without using cream.
The Best Time to Have Dinner
Your family’s dinner schedule is dependent on work, after-school activities and individual ages. It can seem easier some days to grab some fast food and let everybody graze when they get home. But there are good reasons to eat at regular times, factor in bedtimes and health needs and tame those schedules into a healthy habit of family dinners. The best time for your family to eat dinner takes all the health variables into account.
First-Day-of-School Dinner or Desserts
The first day of school often proves stressful for everyone in the family, including the children who look forward to school. Moms can help make that first day special and less stressful by creating a meal your child enjoys. Sitting down for a family meal gives you a chance to talk about the child’s teachers and the new friends she made. Making a special meal may take a bit of planning, but you’ll make a lasting memory, as well as the start of a new tradition.
Foods for Dinner That Won't Add Pounds
If you're watching your weight, forget fast food. There are plenty of delicious, convenient meal options that fill you up without adding extra inches to your waist. Switching to healthier dinners helps you keep off the pounds and helps your family eat healthy meals packed with nutrients.
How Late Should You Eat Dinner?
If you or family members don't get around to eating dinner until late on some nights, don't worry. It doesn't really matter how late you eat as long as the rest of your day's calories and activity are properly adjusted to compensate for it. If you do eat dinner late, however, make smart choices that positively affect the amount and quality of sleep you or your children get.
What Does a Toddler Eat for Dinner?
Toddlers are notoriously picky eaters and parents of children under the age of 5 often become frustrated when trying to come up with dinner ideas. Toddlers will often refuse to eat what the rest of the family is eating, so many parents tailor meals specifically to the toddler's tastes. If you keep it simple and stick to relatively plain food that you know your children will enjoy, you should be able to keep your little ones well-fed and happy.
The Best Microwave Dinner
Microwave dinners have come a long way from the high-fat, sodium-loaded concoctions first introduced to supermarkets. If you're tight on time, don't feel guilty about serving your child a microwave dinner. With so many options on the market, you can easily select a prepared dinner that meets your child's dietary needs and your health-conscious desires.
Tips on Decorating the Dinner Table
While paying attention to the presentation of the food you serve is important for adding flare to your dining area, don’t forget about what the food will inevitably rest upon: the table. With the proper decorating techniques, you can make even the most utilitarian of tables fit for an extravagant feast. To create an atmosphere that is light and fanciful or formal and sophisticated, approach your decorating project with a few tips in mind.
What Is a Good Dairy and Meat Dinner?
Meals that feature meat and dairy help supply kids with the protein and calcium they need to build healthy bodies. If your kids love the combination of cheese and meat, it might be tempting to rely on fast food cheeseburgers and pizzas. Satisfy your kid's craving for dairy and meat with quick and easy homemade meals instead and exercise greater control over the nutritional content of the meal. The best meat and dairy meals will be easy for you to prepare, deliver the flavors your kids love and contain plenty of vegetables and whole grains to balance the meal.
What to Make for a Birthday Dinner
There's no better way to make a kid feel special than lavishing him with attention on his birthday. Part of the festivities, of course, is dinner. In many families, the birthday boy or girl gets to choose a restaurant for dinner. If you want to make your child feel special without eating out, make a delicious recipe that is right for the occasion. There are many special dinner ideas that your child will love. If he has a favorite food or dish, make it for the whole family to enjoy.
What Is a Good Dish to Make for Dinner?
"What's for dinner?" is the age-old question that's probably been around as long as the family. You may find you're asking that very question of yourself as the afternoon rolls around, or your hungry family may bombard you with the question as they come home one by one. If you're drawing a blank, don't worry. Keep a few dinner ideas in your head for those hectic days to put a wholesome meal on the table and take the guess work out of it.
Halloween Dinner Treats
Halloween doesn't have to be about only candy and costumes, although many kids may disagree. Considering how much sugar most children consume on Halloween, eating a healthy dinner is a vital part of the holiday, as it helps balance out the impending candy waterfall. The key to getting children to eat dinner on Halloween is to create nutritious treats that appear ghoulish enough to get excited kids to sit down and eat.
After-Dinner Desserts
Dessert is a beloved part of the after-dinner ritual for kids and parents around the world. However, dessert is also a dangerous area when it comes to empty calories and rivers of refined sugar. Juggle between delicious and nutritious, using whole grains instead of processed, and real fruit instead of canned, for a dessert the whole family can enjoy.
Main Dinner Appetizers
When you're short on a time, putting together a full dinner menu can be a challenge. Serve simple, easy-to-make appetizers to give you more time to devote to the main course. The key is to make appetizers that require limited cooking or can be prepared ahead of time so you only have to reheat them before dinner. A few tasty appetizers can make the entire meal come together without too much work.
A Swordfish Dinner
Swordfish, immense deep-sea predator fish, have dense, meaty flesh. The pale-colored flesh is a bit deceptive: swordfish tastes more like brightly colored tuna than other white fish. The rich, full taste is an easy sell for children. Swordfish can be a bit dry, especially when overcooked, so keep this in mind in cooking and in choosing what to serve it with.
Ahi Tuna Dinner
A feature on menus at high-end restaurants, ahi – or yellowfin – tuna actually takes very little time and effort to prepare. This tuna has a beautiful deep red color that turns more orange as it cooks. If your family loves steak, they will likely love this substantial and hearty fish.
What to Take to Potluck Dinners
Knowing your audience is half the battle when planning what to take to a potluck dinner. The further in advance you know about the dinner, the easier it is for the organizer to have people say in advance what they’ll bring. That way, you can more easily coordinate your dish to complement what others are bringing.
How to Use Waffles for Dinner
It's 6 p.m. and everyone is hungry -- but no one can agree on what to eat. Rather than order Chinese food or pizza, or grill yet another chicken breast, pull out the dusty waffle iron for a tasty meal that's sure to delight the kids. Waffles aren't just for breakfast anymore.
How Many Calories Are for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner?
Trying to keep your family's caloric intake stable can be a full-time job. Your kids' calorie needs will change throughout their childhood and teen years. There's no magic number for the amount of calories you should eat at breakfast, lunch and dinner, although your meals should be about the same size, according to the Family Doctor website. Before you calculate how many calories each meal should contain, you must calculate your total daily calorie requirements.
What to Make for Dinner With Rice
Rice is part of the grains food group, and is a vital component of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s current recommendations for a balanced diet. To keep it in balance, you must accompany it with certain other items on your family’s plates. The healthiest grains to include in your family’s diet are whole grains, including brown and other less refined rices. These rices are also a great source of flavor and texture to enliven your meals.
Lobster Dinner for Four
Though lobster was once one of the cheapest meats around, now the sweet protein is reserved for special occasion meals. Preparing a lobster dinner for four doesn't need to be an elaborate effort to yield delectable results. The right preparations and side dishes highlight your lobster's natural flavor, leaving your family impressed with your culinary prowess, even if your time in the kitchen was swift and simple.
What to Serve for Dinner for 15
It's great to get together with family and friends, but if you're responsible for feeding the whole crew, a happy visit can suddenly turn into a chore. You're used to cooking for your own small family, so it's difficult to imagine how you can scale that up to a group of 15. Fortunately, you have many options for large group meals, from the super-easy to the more complicated.
Fruit After Dinner
After a rich meal, treat yourself and your family to a refreshing fruit dessert. Use fresh, seasonal fruit, such as plump strawberries and juicy peaches, for the best quality and flavor. If you're hosting a summer soiree, visit a farmer's market to stock up on locally produced fruit to use in your dessert recipe.
What Is a Good Dinner to Have on Sunday Nights?
Traditionally, Sunday night dinner is a time when families come together for good food and good conversation. Many families enjoy traditional formal dinners on Sunday nights, while other families feel like a complicated dinner does not fit with their weekend plans. No matter how you choose to spend your Sundays, there are plenty of ways to cook a special Sunday night dinner to suit your family's taste and lifestyle.
Dinners That Are Low in Potassium
A dinner menu that includes normal levels of the mineral potassium helps to keep the heart beating regularly and muscles working properly. You have your kidneys to thank for regulating potassium, but for some people, their kidneys are incapable of maintaining potassium at appropriate levels, creating dangerously low or high levels in the blood. If you or someone in your family must eat foods low in potassium, create dinners that include low levels of the mineral. If your low-potassium menu is for your children, let them help with the menu planning and give them two potassium-appropriate choices to help them learn the correct foods they should eat.
Crab Cake Dinners
There's no need to limit delicious crab cakes to appetizer fare when they make filling dinners as well. If you can get enough of crispy crab cakes, which feature crab meat, crushed crackers or bread crumbs and several savory seasonings, incorporate them into family meals. Pan-fry the cakes in a little oil or bake them depending on your tastes and dietary needs.
What to Eat for Dinner
What you serve your family depends on your household's priorities. While feeding your kids a healthy meal is always a top concern, you might have to get a meal on the table quickly to fit a family dinner into packed schedules. Perhaps you have a picky eater or two to accommodate. Your budget might guide your choices. Regardless of your family's needs, you can put a home-cooked meal on the table tonight and every night.
What Goes Well With a Lamb Shank Dinner?
If lamb isn’t in your culinary repertoire, don’t be intimidated. While there are numerous cuts from which to choose, lamb shanks are from the shoulder of the lamb and are easy to handle. In fact, lamb shanks are as versatile and cooking-friendly as your favorite steak or chicken recipes. To make your lamb stand out, serve it with complementary sauces and sides that enhance the flavor of this protein.
What to Serve With a Lasagna Dinner
Whether your favorite lasagna recipe features spicy sausage and mounds of mozzarella or spinach and low-fat cottage cheese, you need side dishes to turn it into a dinner. The traditional accompaniments to pasta dishes are bread and salads, which have many variations. Finish with a traditional Italian dessert for a truly special meal.
What to Bring to a Chili Dinner
Cooking up a big pot of chili is a great way to bring friends and families together. If you're lucky enough to be invited to a chili dinner, you'll likely want to bring something to contribute to the event. Since your hostess will probably be taking care of the chili itself, bring a salad, dip, bread or drink that will complement the thick and spicy chili. Finger foods and assorted cookies are always welcome, especially if children will be present.
What Is a Good Picnic Dinner?
It's a lovely, balmy day and the kids are climbing the walls. Oftentimes, the answer to that conundrum is to send them outside to play. A fun twist on the usual directive of sending kids outside to play is to create a picnic dinner that is enjoyed out on a park lawn, the beach or just your backyard. You can relax and munch on some good food and your favorite cold beverage while your children run themselves into exhaustion between bites of supper.
What to Bring to a Passover Dinner
Passover is an important of Jewish holiday, and most Jewish families celebrate with an elaborate Passover dinner, also called the Seder. If you and your family are invited to a Seder dinner, there are many things that you can contribute to this special dinner. Be sure that you are well versed on Passover dietary rules so that you don't accidentally bring something that is forbidden by kosher law.
Is it Bad to Walk After Having Eaten Dinner?
Walking after dinner is not bad. In fact, walking is one of the best things you can do for your and your family's health. You can walk almost anytime or anywhere. You need no special equipment other than a comfortable pair of shoes. Everyone should exercise at least 30 minutes a day for good health. The good news is the time you spend walking is cumulative, and even a 10-minute after-dinner walk with your family counts toward that important half-hour of exercise.
Dinner Desserts
Ending a meal with something sweet can put the finishing touch on a pleasant dinner. Although dessert can often involve an unhealthy element, including excess sugar and fat, the last course can be a healthy and delicious treat instead. Explore your dinner dessert options to find a sweet course that appeals to the whole family.
Why Does My Daughter Get Gas After Eating Dinner?
If your daughter gets gas after dinner, don't worry -- burping and passing gas is completely normal, although it can be embarrassing. Most people produce 1 to 4 pints of gas each day. Gas isn't usually a medical problem, but adjusting your daughter's diet will reduce the amount of gas she creates.
What to Bring to a Group Dinner for Students by a Professor
You're heading to a dinner party with both your classmates and your professor and naturally you want to make a good impression. Even if you aren't a natural cook, you can bring a tasty dish or treat that will please most of the guests and demonstrate your good manners to the professor. Don't be intimidated by complicated recipes -- the best thing you can bring to a dinner party is a contribution that shows effort and sincerity.
The Perfect Amount of Calories for Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Finding the perfect amount of calories for each meal is tricky, and likely to result in discouragement. Instead, focus on providing healthy meals throughout the day, with the majority of calories served at breakfast and lunch. Schedule a morning and afternoon snack for children, as well. Children have small stomachs and can rarely meet their nutritional needs through three meals each day. Healthy snacks fill in the gaps.
What Dish to Bring to a Dinner
When you've been invited to a dinner, you can't always just make your signature dish. The dish you make has to be easy to transport, and serving it must not be a hassle to the host. Her refrigerator, stove and oven will likely be filled with pots and pans from everyone else's dish, so make things simple by bringing something that's ready to go.
How to Fix a Turkey Neck for Dinner
You might not think of turkey necks as something to roast or prepare, but if frugality rules, you may reconsider and fix a turkey neck for dinner. Although you'll find inedible tendons interlaced with the edible meat, there is enough meat to make it worth cooking. The kids may even prefer it when you cook it carefully so it becomes tender.
Tilapia Dinners
Tilapia, a mild-flavored white fish, is delicious and healthy in a family meal. Kids may enjoy the light flavors of tilapia, especially when you combine this seafood entree with tempting side dishes. Make nutritious and delicious tilapia dinners with simple ingredients that kids and adults will enjoy.
The Best Dinner for a Mother's Birthday
Moms work hard every day of the year, and they deserve something special when birthday time rolls around. Many children like to create a special meal on their mother's birthday but are at a loss as to how to go about it. If you are planning a special meal for your mom, be sure to listen to any hints she is providing, and consider her favorite dishes. She'll end up with a tasty and stress-free birthday dinner and a group of proud kids with a sense of accomplishment.
Fruit Smoothies for Dinner
Whether it's just too hot to cook or you're simply out of time and need dinner on the go, fruit smoothies offer a filling alternative to fast food. Even kids who would rather not eat their veggies will happily drink smoothies, so these nutritionally packed treats are a healthy choice for the whole family.
My 3-Year-Old Is Not Eating Dinner
Three-year-old children begin showing their independence in everything from what they wear to what they eat. Picky eating causes stress for you, but your frustration may cause your 3-year-old to hold out even more in the dinner battle. Although a growth spurt may increase his hunger, a preschooler doesn't need as much food as an adult. Anticipate changes in his appetite so you can remain relaxed about his lack of eating.
Strategies for Dealing With Kids Who Won't Eat Dinner
It's frustrating to spend hours preparing a nutritious dinner only to have your child refuse to eat it. A child who doesn’t eat dinner may demand a snack right before bed or sleep poorly because he’s hungry, so it’s important to encourage him to eat at least some of his dinner every night. If he’s refusing to eat other meals as well or seems to be losing weight or low in spirits, contact his pediatrician immediately.
What to Eat for Dinner After a Long Airplane Ride
Long flights can be stressful and tiring, especially if you're traveling with your kids. It's hard enough to stay comfortable, let alone eat healthy foods during the flight. This can leave your body needing fluids, nutrients, protein and carbohydrates. After a long flight, it's important to plan a dinner that provides all of these elements to get your family's bodies back on track.
