Quick, Easy Supper Ideas

Chicken nuggets are a perennial favorite for kids, but store-bought varieties can be full of fat and salt. Make your own chicken nuggets by cutting lean, boneless chicken breasts into chunks, coating them in egg and breadcrumbs, and baking them in the oven. Serve with ketchup or creamy ranch dressing. Serve veggies on the side or "french fries" baked in the oven.

Salads with a little bit of protein are a quick way to give your family a light supper. Enhance a regular green salad by adding chopped hardboiled or soft-cooked egg. Make an arugula salad with pepper, balsamic dressing and shrimp on top. A black bean salad can combine tomatoes, cucumbers, greens and chipotle dressing. Or try a quick chickpea salad with red onions and olives.

Make suppertime fun for kids by having them eat their food off a skewer. Cut beef, chicken or tofu into bite-sized chunks. Add whatever veggies you think your kids will eat. Onions, peppers and mushrooms skewer well. Marinate the chunks or brush sauce on them, then grill them on the barbecue or broil them in the oven. Make preparation even easier by having your kids help put the kabobs together. Assemble dessert kabobs with melon and pineapple chunks.

Combine beans, rice and cheese in quantities appropriate for a light Mexican supper. Easy tacos start by grilling ground beef with store-bought spices. Serve taco shells and cooked rice, lettuce, tomato, salsa and cheese for toppings. To create small burritos for supper, fill small tortillas with black beans, rice, salsa and cheese and bake in the oven for a few minutes. Add chicken strips for flavor and protein. Make quick quesadillas by putting cheese, salsa, onions and peppers on half a tortilla. Fold over and grill it until the cheese melts.