Helping your child thrive in school may be as easy as sitting down for a family meal. From better grades to improved health, nutrition and social skills, family meals help children to succeed in school, extracurricular activities, sports and life skills. Being prepared with a weekly meal plan or family calendar, a shopping-list and some new healthy cookbooks and recipes, family meals don’t have to be elaborate or time consuming to be beneficial.

Here are some family recipes ideas to experiment with! And be sure to let the kids help you in the shopping, preparation and cooking (safety first, of course!).

Tangy BBQ Pizza

Dough and cheese ingredients

12 -14-inch Whole Wheat pizza crust

2 cups (8 ounces) Reduced Fat Monterey Jack or Cheddar, shredded

Pizza Pantry Ingredients

1/2 cup bottled barbecue sauce (lower sodium & no high fructose corn syrup preferred)

2 cups cooked chicken, lean beef or pork, shredded or cubed

1 cup canned tomatoes, diced and drained, no salt added

1 cup sliced mushrooms

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Spread barbecue sauce on partially baked crust. Arrange meat and tomatoes evenly over the sauce. Sprinkle cheese evenly over pizza.

Bake about 15 minutes, or until cheese has melted and the crust is crisp and golden.

Barbecue Chile Pizza

This variation assumes a lively Southwestern accent. Mix one 4-ounce can chopped green chilies drained (finely minced) with 1/4 cup barbecue sauce. Mix cooked chicken, beef or pork (shredded or cubed) in sauce mixture and spread on crust. Add 1 cup fresh corn and tomatoes. Sprinkle with Monterey Jack or Cheddar.

For more healthy family dinner recipes, please visit AWeighOfLifeNutrition.com