It is a fact of life for families with children that one way or another dinner needs to be made. Do you remember in college when dinner was crackers with cheese whiz, ramen noodles still in the styrofoam cup or even just cookies from the package? At least for now, eating like that is not an option with your kids. The rule book that parents were given before they left the hospital with their first child is clear: supply your child with a healthy balanced meal or suffer a guilty conscience. However, just because you would like to provide a healthy dinner, sometimes there is simply not enough time in a day to cook a meal from scratch. Luckily, there are many healthy options available from take out menus that both parents and children can approve of.
The grocery store is an excellent place to look for pre-made meals that are healthy and tasty. Many modern stores have family size, freshly made entrees and salads in the deli or refrigerator aisle. Next to the single serving meals, you can find larger sizes that are meant for 4 to 6 people to enjoy. This can be a very convenient time saver if stopping by a grocery store is already on the to do list. These meals usually only need to be reheated and take little effort to serve. At the same time that you get dinner for the night, you can shop for bread, milk and any other necessary staples. Some grocery stores, Whole Foods for example, even have mini restaurant counters where a hot dinner can be made to order while you are in the rest of the store shopping for groceries.
Another easy way to have healthy take out food at home is ordering from a Japanese restaurant. Despite a common misconception, Japanese food is more than just sushi or sashimi. There are many kid friendly rolls, maki in Japanese, that can be made with fresh vegetables or cooked fish. As a bonus, most Japanese restaurants will substitute white rice for brown; making the meal even more healthy. Add a seaweed salad or a miso soup to your order and a nutritious meal can be enjoyed by the family without you having to cook it at home.
When time is extremely short, and the food needs to be picked up last minute, a fast food restaurant should be considered for healthy take out. All it takes is a little navigation of the menu. Instead of a crispy chicken sandwich or chicken nuggets, get the grilled chicken. All fast food restaurants have salads on the menu now, and you can use healthy dressing from home. If dessert comes up, and with kids it usually does, many fast food restaurants have fruit and yogurt on the menu now. Even fast food can be healthy with just a few moments of research.
These are just a few options for healthy take out meals for busy nights. There are many more ways to have a delicious yet fresh family friendly meal, they just take a little more thought. When you have some free time, consider making a handy list of places that you can order healthy take out from with only a moment's notice.
Renee Varney is a freelance blogger and occasionally writes for delivery.com a site she loves using to find local Chinese Food Delivery services using their LA Food Delivery directory.
