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5 Easy After School Dinners
We all know after school time is chaos! From picking up your kids from school, to cleaning out their half-eaten lunchboxes, it can certainly be a handful. Personally, the hardest part of it all has previously been thinking and preparing for after school dinners. I’ve now learnt to plan ahead for the week and grab all my ingredients in my weekly shop. I’m here to let you in on a little secret that quick and easy afterschool dinners that are tasty and nutritious exist!
Here are my top 5 easy afterschool dinners that both me and my kids absolutely adore and remember, each recipe can be tailored to your dietary requirements. Whether you or your little ones are vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, gluten free or have any other allergies.
MONDAY NIGHT PASTA BAKE
There are a million reasons I love pasta bake but my main one is because it’s so easy to hide veggies in it. Pasta bake is so versatile but here are some of my favourite ways to make it.
- Marinara sauce with carrot, celery and minced meat
- Creamy sauce with chicken and broccoli
- Tuna and asparagus with a white sauce
- Lentils.. lots of lentils
Follow these steps and adapt it to your preferences:
- Choose a pasta shape and then pop it into boiling salted water (my top picks of pastas are usually a penne or spirals)
- Prepare and cook all your veggies/meats in one pot
- Add your preferred sauce, you can buy these premade or make it from scratch – totally up to you
- Add your sauces, veggies, meats and cooked pasta to a greased or lined baking tray
- Put cheese and breadcrumbs on top
- Add to the oven until the cheese has melted or the breadcrumbs have a golden colour to them (this is usually around 15-20 minutes)
TUESDAY'S BAKED SWEET POTATO
Loaded sweet potatoes (or normal potatoes) are so simple tasty, you can’t go wrong. There are so many variations of this so pick what your kids love and run with it (this is also a great opportunity to use left over veggies or meats from last nights meal.- Bake your potatoes in the oven wrapped in foil until they’re soft enough to cut in half and ready for toppings.
- Load up your potatoes with some of the following: BBQ Chicken Potato, Taco Sweet Potato (with all the usual taco toppings) Vegetarian Potato (I add beans or lentils, diced avocado, and sour cream. or Broccoli & Cheddar.
- Top with cheese or plain and pop them in the oven for around 30 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy.
BURRITO BOWLS ON A WEDNESDAY
Whether you want to make the base of your bowls with rice or with lettuce, this meal is packed with veggies and can be one you get the kids involved in making!
For a rice base, cook your rice and maybe a little extra for your Thursday meal (keep reading for the Thursday meal I promise it’s a great one).
If you’re going for a lettuce base, chop up a heap of iceberg lettuce.
My favourite thing about burrito bowls is that you can add both canned ingredients (corn and beans) and fresh veggies as toppings so prepare these and refrigerate until it’s time to assemble.
You can make these with ground meat seasoned in taco seasoning or keep it vegetarian/vegan and for those pescatarians, this meal pairs well with some grilled barramundi.
THURSDAY'S ONE-PAN BAKED FRIED RICE
One-pot recipes for me mean less dishes and less mess that’s why I adore making them during the week. Now if you’ve got leftover rice from yesterday, this will be the base for today’s meal but if not, cook some brown or white rice.
- Wash and cook your rice.
- Put rice, garlic and ginger into a baking tray.
- Add boiling water & cover with foil.
- Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes or until rice is cooked.
- Add your veggies (I typically add frozen peas, carrot and chopped broccoli). You can also add any protein of your choice: seafood, chicken, meat, tofu etc.
- Add soy sauce for flavour & pop it back in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Lastly – add eggs into the tray and stick it back in the oven.
- Once the eggs are cooked, mix everything together and serve.
SALMON TRAYBAKE WITH ROAST VEGGIES FOR FRIDAY NIGHTS
Another one tray recipe that’s hearty and packed with protein are my salmon and potatoes.
- Wash and pat dry your salmon (you can also use chicken, meat or a vegetarian option if preferred).
- Add any seasonings or marinades to your salmon.
- Wash and season your vegetables (I use any leftover vegetables from the week such as broccoli, carrot or potato).
- Add all to the oven for around 30 minutes.
- Enjoy the meal and the minimal cleaning.
All the above recipes are sure to keep your kids happy and healthy and remember, leftovers make great lunches for the next day!