What are your go-to easy prep meals for kids?

Nanner

The kids eat a lot of chicken hot dogs and peanut butter sandwiches for their easy, quick-cook or no-cook meals, and I'm trying to a) get away from the horribly unhealthy crap (I don't even know how we got in that gross hot dog habit), and b) get some variety.

I'm open to hearing ideas that require pre-prep (like homemade chicken nuggets, for example), but I'm particularly interested in your healthy no-prep ideas; stuff I can just grab and serve, but not full of preservatives and sodium and artificial stuff.

starlettedir

I know my kid is a lot younger than yours but C will eat almost anything in the form of a quesadilla(I use corn) or an omelette

chrisbride04

We need to work on this too so I am interested in seeing the responses. One of our "healthier" things that C will eat is lunchmeat, mostly smoked turkey, and cheese. I try to buy the best quality, but not super expensive meat, so it's not total junk. Another favorite is plain egg noodles with a little parmesean cheese sprinkled on top. I'll boil a big pot of them and then freeze into single serving ziploc baggies for quick meals.

aprilprincess

oatmeal is Addie's favorite go to meal.

ravioli or tortolleni are always good. sometimes i get some tomato soup and toss those in there.

 homemade chicken nuggets are easy (cut up a breast/tenderloin, toss it in breadcrumbs and bake) but she's not a fan (and I'm grossed out by raw chicken at the moment).

Jena503

Noodles with butter and parmesan. I prefer egg noodles, but the kids don't care what kind of noodles. Sometimes with peas.

Any leftover chicken or porkchops sliced into sticks and served in a cup.

melrrr

we put anything and everything in a frittata or scrambled egg. I always keep tortellini and various frozen vegetables in the freezer. In fact she eats frozen green beans or broccoli most nights because they're easy. I just ask her which one she wants.

Tonight I made this stir-fry for all of us:  http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/lemon_chicken_stir_fry.html , and had all the veggies chopped and sauce mixed ahead of time but cooked just enough for her as she eats earlier most nights.  It was super quick and it has some of her favorite veggies in it. 

For grab and cook, I love the Dr. Praeger's items, but I know you probably can't find those. They have fish sticks that are actual solid cuts of fish and not chopped mystery fish, and she LOVES them. They're a big step up from the Mrs. Paul's we ate so many of as a kid.  

LisaK2b

I do a lot of sandwich melts, where I put the ham and cheese with the bread in the toaster even.  I sometimes also use cresants and put cheese in it prior to baking.  Super fast.

Another fast thing to me is pizza with a premade crust.  All you do is add tomato sauce, cheese, and if you want any other toppings.  Pop it in the oven and it'll be ready in 15 mins.  With the left over tomato sauce, I also toss it in cooked pasta (I like to use the one that has a lot of protein) and sprinkle cheese on it (microwave for a couple of minutes) and the kids like that too. 

 

ZAngel

I guess I "lucked" out because my daughter refuses to eat hot dog.  I've tried that as a go to but she eats everything around it and leaves the meat.  She loves eating a mixture of sliced fruits and veggies so I will give her avocado, cantaloupe, strawberries, apple, peas, etc.  Sometimes we will do wheat thin crackers with sliced cheese and turkey.  Another quick idea is a tortilla with black beans and cheese.

I also like to make mini quiche but that requires a little bit of prep work.  Egg, shredded cheese, ham and Pillsbury crescent rolls.  Only takes about 20-25 minutes to prepare and bake.

Nanner

Thanks so much for the ideas, ladies!  Writing it all down.

I think I need to keep a list on my refrigerator or something.  Every time DH and I are going out and I try to think of a quick meal when we don't have any leftovers, my mind just goes blank!