Well, first off: You bought the house with no kids, so the future buyers may be a couple like you or an older couple who are downsizing.
But assuming they are a young couple with small child/ren, this doesn't mean that all of a sudden they're not interested in modern design anymore...
But yes, it needs to be practical, so:
DW, microwave, plenty of storage with drawers, easy-care counter tops (most likely that means no marble)
I'd like a natural hardwood floor, easy to maintain
open sight lines, so one can watch the kids
banquette or counter for meals and homework.

On the other hand, it's really not so different unless you are going for the completely bare look

The best way to "imagine" it is to look on trulia or zillow and see photos of houses in your immediate area that have sold quickly, b/c this is what buyers must want. Look at their kitchens and see what style/updates/function they have and emulate them. Sometimes you see that that the ones that sell the most quickly are the ones that have kitchens that need to be updated b/c alot of people like to do their own, or like to enter the neighborhood on a lower price point. Please remember, that unless you're a DIY'er, a kitchen remodel doesn't typically return 100% of it's cost.

If you plan to sell in a year, I'd get a vinyl floor, paint the cabinets and add a dishwasher. As you say, you'll never get the money back, so why invest?

If you want a nice kitchen for yourself, then go with something affordable that will work in the short run. Maybe IKEA cabinets and a lower end granite countertop (or whatever you like that's in budget). I would not get hardwood floors, but would prefer something affordable, yet durable. Maybe vinyl plank flooring.

I'd remodel with the idea it will probably all get ripped out, but they may need to live with it for a few years...just like you are :)

You might consult a really good realtor to learn what area buyers want and the potential return on investment.

Our friends lived in the exact type of house you describe, but renovated their small kitchen with a very high end and modern aesthetic. It was very upsetting to my friend that buyer feedback was that they liked everything but her custom $50,000 kitchen.

The house sat longer than average and ultimately sold to another DINK couple. I think they would have been better off with a coat of paint and laminate counter and updating the brown appliances.

I'm not certain why you would want to go through the pain and expense of a remodel in a house where you are living short-term if you already know that you're not going to recoup your investment.

But, if you are feeling that you need to do something, I would suggest that you post a few photos of the kitchen so that we might be able to give some good suggestions.

Based on what you mentioned, it sounds like the best bet is to do some fairly easy and relatively inexpensive updates - a fresh coat of paint (perhaps paint cabinets if they are battered as you describe, although that is a good bit more involved).

Depending on the layout, if you could pull a 24" base cabinet and put in a relatively inexpensive dishwasher (Craigslist?), you might want to do that since most homebuyers do want a DW (no matter if they have kids or not) and that can be seen negatively if you don't have that. But, even at that, I woudn't beat myself up over it if you can't put in a DW easily.

Talk with a local real estate agent (or two) and have them give you opinions on what will help your house to sell quickly.

Personally, when we were shopping for a house, I would have preferred to purchase a house that was priced in a way to allow us to redo the kitchen rather than moving into one that had a kitchen that wasn't to my tastes and then feel bad about ripping an almost new kitchen out.