“Build Your Own” Style Dinners
Since the theme for Nutrition Month (R) is “Food Connects Us” we wanted to show how to do a cooking demo for a “build your own” style dinner. Family meals have been shown to have so many benefits and yet they are super chaotic when you try to meet so many taste preferences, schedules, and the amount of time needed to cook and clean.
One of the most engaging types of meals you can serve is a “build your own” where you put out all the ingredients for an entree and people build their own. Pasta, tacos, chili, burgers, soup and sandwich, and ethnic meals come to mind.
You might end up prepping a little bit more food, but then you have leftovers for other meals, and everyone loves “building their own” to accommodate for taste preferences and less food waste.
Here are three excellent meals that can be served family style and “build your own”
Burger board - using a grazing board for burgers. You can have turkey burgers, beef burgers, and veggie burgers, all made on an induction stove, while the rest of the items are just cut up. An air fryer makes great French Fries, too. And for added engagement, members of the audience can come up and help prep!
Family Salad - a large platter makes a great way to serve salad so everyone can help themselves, but there is minimal cleanup.
Sheet Pan Dinners - allow for many things to be roasted and for family members to take what they want to eat.
Step one - list what you want to demo and how you will serve it. If you get audience members to help, you must buy the ingredients. If you are making a TV-style presentation by yourself, then you should buy enough items to show the prep and to show the cooked items. Get handouts ready and practice the dishes a few times.
Step two - Shop for the demo the day before. Look at our photos and see how the items are presented - do you need to get a large board, pan or platter? Make sure you have everything. Organize all the ingredients so the audience can find them and help or prepare them in advance.
Step three - arrive early to your demo and get your table organized. Place handouts on all the chairs or at the front so people can pick them up.
Burger Grazing Board
Ingredients
- 4 3-ounce lean turkey burger patties
- 4 small burger buns
- 2 cups lettuce
- 2 tomatoes sliced
- 1/2 onion sliced
- 2 carrots peeled and cut in sticks
- 1 sweet potato, cut in strips and air fried
- 1 apple
- 4 strawberries
- 1/2 cup low-sodium ketchup
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
Instructions
- Cook the burger patties according to package directions. We used quinoa veggie burgers for this dinner.
- Prepare all the fixings: lettuce, sliced tomatoes, air-fried sweet potatoes, apple slices, carrot sticks, condiments, and buns.
- Arrange everything on a large board and serve family style.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
492Fat
19 gSat. Fat
4 gCarbs
56 gFiber
6 gNet carbs
50 gSugar
22 gProtein
23 gSodium
550 mgCholesterol
67 mg
Chicken and Acorn Squash Sheet Pan Dinner
Ingredients
- 4 each chicken thighs skinless
- 2 tsp garlic pepper
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 each acorn squash cut in half, seeded, then cut in wedges
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes stems removed, rinsed
- 1 bunch of asparagus, tips cut and rinsed. reserve stems for soup
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 cups raw carrot and cucumber slices use these at the end for a garnish do not bake
- 1 each pomegranate arils from one pomegranate - put on at the end
Instructions
- Place the chicken on a sheet pan with a rack or with paper on the bottom.
- Place the cut wedges of acorn squash around the chicken.
- Arrange the asparagus around the chicken and squash.
- Sprinkle the cherry tomatoes on the tray around the chicken and veggies.
- Top all with olive oil, garlic pepper, and red pepper.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Top the tray with the carrots, cucumbers, and pomegranate arils. Serve at once.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
268.68Fat
7.41 gSat. Fat
1.58 gCarbs
26.73 gFiber
6.6 gNet carbs
20.12 gSugar
7.98 gProtein
26.86 gSodium
163.2 mgCholesterol
107.35 mg
Family Size Salad
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
- 8 cups ready-to-serve kale or other greens
- 2 cups cooked farro or brown rice
- 1 sweet potato, microwaved to done (4 minutes), peeled, diced
- 2 avocados, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1 cup sliced fennel
- 1 cup sliced radishes
- 1 tomato, cut in wedges
- 1/2 cucumber sliced
- 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and cut in half
- fresh chives
- Variety of dressings and oil and vinegar
Instructions
- Prepare all the ingredients. Arrange on a large platter as shown with the lettuce on the bottom and the ingredients on the top.
- Chill until ready to serve.
- Let every one gather their own salad and provide a variety of dressings.
- Leftovers make a great lunch the next day.
- Chef's Tips:
- The work becomes very easy when you use a Japanese mandolin, available affordably online at Amazon or in most cooking stores.
- The idea is to use greens, veggies, roasted squash or sweet potato, a protein item like eggs, and whole grains. Feel free to use what you like or what is seasonal in your area.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
331.21Fat
17.81 gSat. Fat
3.08 gCarbs
36.05 gFiber
8.75 gNet carbs
27.33 gSugar
5.25 gProtein
9.96 gSodium
112.78 mgCholesterol
124.33 mg
Make Your Own Taco - Family Meal Night Idea
Ingredients
- 8 ounces chicken breasts 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 8 ounces tilapia fish
- 2 tsp garlic salt
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp paprika
- 15 ounces pinto beans (1 can) drained and heated
- 2 each avocadoes pitted, peeled, and sliced
- 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion
- 1 each lime cut in wedges
- 2 ounces cheddar cheese
- 2 cups sliced cabbage
- 1 tablespoon Ranch dressing
- 12 each corn tortillas heated
Instructions
- Season the fish and chicken with garlic, paprika, and a little Italian seasoning. Bake the fish and chicken in a 375 degree (F) oven until done.
- Heat the beans and get all of the other ingredients ready. Place each ingredient in a small bowl. Place all of the bowls on a tray or platter. Heat the tortillas and place them in a basket. Place the cheese on a plate with a grater or grate it ahead of time whichever you prefer.
- Toss the sliced cabbage with the ranch dressing and place in a bowl. Cut the limes into wedges and arrange them with the fish and chicken.
- Serve family style and allow everyone to make their own tacos.
Notes
You can also add rice or lean beef to this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
708.38Fat
26.89 gSat. Fat
6.33 gCarbs
79.84 gFiber
23.93 gNet carbs
55.91 gSugar
5.27 gProtein
44.09 gSodium
1437.58 mgCholesterol
79.78 mg
