It’s time for another installment of Babyminding’s healthy dinner series. We’ve had a couple of seriously hot weeks in our area, and it’s been really hard to get motivated to cook. I needed to make a quick and healthy dinner for my kids last Monday and had to come up with something that wouldn’t raise the temperature in our house. I also had a full dishwasher, so I grabbed some paper plates and put this meal together in 25 minutes:

Monday Night Dinner – Total prep and cook time: 25 minutes
Toasted whole wheat pita pockets filled with Sloppy Joe mixture made from one pound low fat ground beef, onion, green pepper (optional), 8 ounces all natural tomato sauce, 1/4 cup all natural ketchup, 1 tablespoon mustard, brown sugar to taste, shredded cheese (optional)
Raw carrots and broccoli
Ranch sauce for dipping

Dessert
Fresh strawberries with a sprinkle of sugar and whipped cream

So tell me, what do you think? Is this a healthy dinner? I could have better chosen the produce to be organic, but options are limited at our closest grocery store. When I have hungry children and am out of time and options, I gauge our meals based on meeting nutritional needs and healthiness rather than whether or not the food is 100% natural or organic. While eating organic is a great option for those who can afford it and have access to it, healthy eating is my number one priority. I think this meal is much healthier than take out or fast food, it’s low in fat and sodium, and covers the food pyramid pretty well. My son ate it all up very quickly, but my daughter prefers her Sloppy Joes on buns rather than in pita pockets. What are you having for dinner this summer? Babyminding wants to know!

Related posts:
Is This A Healthy Dinner? Part 1
Is This A Healthy Dinner? Part 2

Tags: food pyramid, healthy dinner, kids, organic