Broccoli on the Grill

Sounds a little crazy? Well I thought I'd try it while I had the grill going anyway. Last deployment I chose to be stubborn and avoid the grill. This time around Dave gave me a lesson so I'd be able to do it by myself. I'm glad I took him up on it, tonight was only the second time I grilled so far but its so nice not to turn the oven on this time of year.

Lemon Chicken Kabobs

Cut boneless, skinless chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes, marinate for at least 30 min in a mix of equal parts Meyer Lemon Oil & Salad Vinegar, sprinkle to taste with coarse salt, ground black pepper and crushed garlic. Skewer with red onion & other veggies to your liking, grill approx. 3 min per side or until chicken is done.

Broccoli on the Grill

This is the same as I make it in the oven, I just wrapped it in foil instead. Place broccoli on large piece of foil, drizzle with Olive Oil, season to taste (I use salt, pepper & garlic). Close the foil packet and place on the grill for 10-15 min, checking firmness until it is to your liking.

The thing is... when you're cooking dinner for the under 4 set its easy to get into a rut. They would be happy with things like chicken nuggets, hot dogs, pizza, eggs & pancakes, PB & bananas... every night of the week. But I do try to feed them healthy. I also try to cook in under 10 minutes most nights. Can you imagine how frustrating it is to spend 30+ minutes on a nice meal (while they drive each other crazy in the other room) only to hear "I don't like it" and see them push it around the plate without eating any. So if anyone has really simple, really quick, really kid-friendly dinner ideas please send them my way!

Here are some of our current favorite meals...

Spaghetti (or other noodles) w/ turkey meat or meatballs

Lime Chicken w/ quesadilla & light sour cream for dip

Chicken in Lemon Oil w/ rice or pasta

and yeah that's all I can think of...