Life

7 One-Handed Dinners You Can Make While Tending To A Screaming Child

by Autumn Jones

There is something about the dinner hour that turns my household into a circus. Every night, without fail, my son scrapes his knee or bumps his head just as I’ve assembled all the ingredients for that night's meal. Bandages and hugs are needed, which means something is bound to burn and dinner will be ruined. I used to turn to canned soup as a substitute, but lately I’ve found many dinner recipes you can practically make with one hand.

Scraped knees aren’t the only roadblocks a mother faces when making dinner. There are sibling squabbles, tired toddlers who want to be held, and children who want to help but end up making more work for you. It’s those nights when you wonder why you even try to make dinner at all, and start to think takeout is the only way you’ll ever get food on the table.

Although there is no shame in ordering in, sometimes you just crave a homemade dish. And, thanks to some one-handed wonders, you can cook a quality meal even with a little one whimpering at your heels. Here, seven easy-to-make, delicious dinners that offer tasty solutions to the question, How will I ever make dinner while dealing with a tantrum?

1

Rice With Shrimp And Tomatoes

This hearty shrimp and rice dish from What’s Cooking, Love uses a packaged rice mix and a can of diced tomatoes to create a tasty meal in five simple steps. Since most of the leg work is done, this recipe involves minimal prep and attention. Just heat, mix and serve.

2

Roasted Lemon Chicken With Tomatoes And Potatoes

This roasted lemon chicken from The Comfort Of Cooking uses baby potatoes and cherry tomatoes, so the only chopping you’ll have is half an onion and one lemon - really, that’s it! Then while dinner is roasting away, your little one will have your undivided attention.

3

Pork Medallions With Mushroom Sauce

The Healthy Foodie has this pork and mushroom dish down to a science. Clocking in at just 20 minutes from start to finish (meat prep included), you can have this gourmet-feeling dinner on the table before an episode of Dora The Explorer is over.

4

Pan Fried Mango Curry Chicken

Think you don’t have the time or patience to pull off a curry dish while the littles are screaming? Well, Steamy Kitchen has your back with a pan fried mango curry chicken dinner that requires very little in exchange for a flavorful meal. After chopping some mango, the most you’ll need to do it turn the chicken, once. That’s a dinner assignment I can handle.

5

Creamy Avocado Pasta

On busy and hectic nights, a good ole pasta dish is a reliable go-to. But weeknight pasta doesn’t have to be boring. Instead, try this pasta with a simple avocado sauce from The Comfort Of Cooking. All you need to create this creamy sauce are a few ingredients and a blender.

6

Beef And Broccoli

It’s hard to run out and grab some Chinese when your toddler is in meltdown mode. The good news is, you don’t have to sacrifice your craving thanks to this easy beef and broccoli recipe from Cooking For Keeps. Your taste buds won’t know the difference.

7

Potato Pancakes

Need a light dinner or a little something extra to go with leftovers? Try these potato pancakes by Damn Delicious. They are more simple to make than you might think, especially if you have some cooked or mashed potatoes from dinner earlier in the week.