Ideas for healthy, quick weeknight meals that are kid-friendly
midlomel1971
Posts: 1,283 Member
I know I can't be the only busy parent with kids who have activities most evenings. For the next couple months we have after-school activities almost every night of the week, so planning for healthy dinners around the table are so hard for me. Before I would have (sadly) relied on fast-food or take-out, but I'm dedicated to healthier eating. I know this requires a lot of planning ahead of time, but I'm good with that. Please share your favorite kid-friendly, quick meals!
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There's really no such thing as "kid-friendly" food. Kids are human, just like us and have preferences, so it would help to know what exactly it is your kids don't like? My younger cousin was eating sauerkraut, pickled eggs, brussel sprouts, raw onions, and even beans. She would drink black coffee when she could sneak it, too. She always refused mushrooms, cheese that wasn't melted, and ketchup. She's 15 now and still won't eat most of those foods. Meanwhile, my other cousin is 13 now and a really adventurous eater. Oysters have been a favorite of his since he could talk, but the kid refuses to eat macaroni and cheese, anything in sandwich form, and fast food french fries.
HOWEVER, I do recommend getting an Instant Pot if you can afford one! The smallest size is $79. It's an electric pressure cooker that saves the day for me all the time. I've made enough chicken soup to last a week using a whole chicken in 35 minutes. It really is a time saver.5 -
English muffin pizzas (small and portion controlled), burritos on lowcarb/low cal tortillas (as easy as draining a can of chili for the filling). Home made chicken nuggets.
Kids are a tough bunch and super picky, so your milage will vary. In the end you have to be the adult and make sure they are eating what you tell them is appropriate. My policy is if you don't like it, you don't eat. And if you don't eat your vegetables you get no praise.3 -
A slow cooker could be a big help for you. I prep food the night before right before I go to sleep, then in the morning I just throw it all in the crock pot and let it cook all day. Pulled pork (bbq, mojo, carnitas), pot roast, stews, soup, tons of pork, beef, or chicken dishes. You can even make mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, mac n cheese in the crock pot. Endless possibilities.
I make a lot of meals when I get home from work. Easy weekday meals that take about 30 min - beef (or turkey) chili - literally browning meat and opening 3 cans and a spice packet. Groud turkey burritos - brown turkey meat, add drained can of black beans, drained can of corn, and taco seasoning. Italian sausage (you could use italian turkey sausage too) veggies pasta - cut sausage into thick slices, brown and cook, add garlic, can diced tomatoes, frozen (Italian blend of sliced veggies), and simmer while you cook pasta. Quick spaghetti and meat sauce - brown meat, season, add sauce. Chicken breasts - season and baked in oven. Pork chops are a weeknight go to because they cook fast. Chicken quesadillas - diced and cook chicken, add can of tomatoes and green chilies, simmer until liquid is gone, add to tortillas and cheese. There's a ton of meals that do not take long and do not require a bunch of skills or huge list of ingredients. I keep my freezer stocked with different kinds of frozen veggies for fast week night meals. Make a protein, add veggies, boom done!6 -
yellingkimber wrote: »There's really no such thing as "kid-friendly" food. Kids are human, just like us and have preferences, so it would help to know what exactly it is your kids don't like? My younger cousin was eating sauerkraut, pickled eggs, brussel sprouts, raw onions, and even beans. She would drink black coffee when she could sneak it, too. She always refused mushrooms, cheese that wasn't melted, and ketchup. She's 15 now and still won't eat most of those foods. Meanwhile, my other cousin is 13 now and a really adventurous eater. Oysters have been a favorite of his since he could talk, but the kid refuses to eat macaroni and cheese, anything in sandwich form, and fast food french fries.
HOWEVER, I do recommend getting an Instant Pot if you can afford one! The smallest size is $79. It's an electric pressure cooker that saves the day for me all the time. I've made enough chicken soup to last a week using a whole chicken in 35 minutes. It really is a time saver.
My son is autistic and he has texture issues and he pretty much only wants to eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets or bread (And the grosser the chicken nugget, the better...I make homemade nuggets, but he won't touch them.) He refuses to eat vegetables, and yes, I've been trying to sneak them to him for all of his 7 years. Thank god he'll eat fruit. So, when I say kid-friendly, I mean nothing exotic.-1 -
Utilize the crock pot!
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Spaghetti - make a pot of meat sauce on the weekend using ground turkey and turkey sausage
Tacos - add 1/2 can low fat refried beans to the meat mixture
BBQ Chicken bowls with roasted sweet potatoes (cube sweet potatoes and toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder - roast at 425 for 20 minutes. Move to the side of the sheet pan and add 1 lb chicken breasts brushed with 1/4 cup BBQ sauce - roast another 20 minutes. Shred the chicken and toss with more BBQ and serve with the sweet potatoes and steamed or roasted broccoli.
Go to Pinterest and search for sheet pan dinners - 30-45 minutes and only 1 pan to clean. Lot of BBQ and Ranch options to please kids.1 -
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I think kid friendly is going to be pretty subjective. Even between my two kiddos, their eating preferences are hugely different. My youngest is a true carnivore and will devour pretty much any kind of fish, meat, or poultry that you put in front of him...we're thinking my oldest (7) is probably going to end up being a vegetarian...he detests beef in any form...he doesn't like fish...and he will sometimes eat some chicken, but not often.
Both of my kiddos are pretty good with anything carby except potatoes...not even french fries. Neither are particularly good at this point with veg except for carrots and cucumbers, but they like fruit. They both have an affinity for Greek yogurt.0 -
midlomel1971 wrote: »
That's my problem too. I have to cook meats from solid frozen because I'm gone too long.1 -
Utilize your Crockpot. I use mine several times a week. Get on Pinterest if you're not there and search for healthy Crockpot meals. You'll have so many you won't be able to cook them all
I work full time too and am gone at least 10 hours. I just turn it on low and it's good when I get home. Even if the recipe says 6 hours.
ETA: I also use my Crockpot on the weekends to cook up a huge pot of chicken, then I shred it, put it in several Ziploc bags and freeze it. You can always find something quick to do with shredded chicken. Heck some nights I'll just microwave it and we put it on buns and eat it like that. Last night I made a 6lb pork roast in a BBQ sauce, shredded it and had so much left over that I froze individual serving sizes. Just pop them in the microwave for a quick sandwich. Even the kids can do that (age appropriate, of course).
I'll also brown a whole bunch of ground beef on the weekends, portion it out, freeze it and pull it out for casseroles, etc.
The other week I made hearty chicken and noodles and froze what we didn't eat. That will come out at some point. I'll reheat it and we'll have an easy, simple dinner.4 -
I do the sheet dinners with the Ranch dip packet. I just sprinkle it on chicken or pork then put any veggie and mini or cut up potatoes on the sides. I can't believe how flavorful the meat is and the seasoning actually sticks without any prepping like egg or flour.2
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midlomel1971 wrote: »yellingkimber wrote: »There's really no such thing as "kid-friendly" food. Kids are human, just like us and have preferences, so it would help to know what exactly it is your kids don't like? My younger cousin was eating sauerkraut, pickled eggs, brussel sprouts, raw onions, and even beans. She would drink black coffee when she could sneak it, too. She always refused mushrooms, cheese that wasn't melted, and ketchup. She's 15 now and still won't eat most of those foods. Meanwhile, my other cousin is 13 now and a really adventurous eater. Oysters have been a favorite of his since he could talk, but the kid refuses to eat macaroni and cheese, anything in sandwich form, and fast food french fries.
HOWEVER, I do recommend getting an Instant Pot if you can afford one! The smallest size is $79. It's an electric pressure cooker that saves the day for me all the time. I've made enough chicken soup to last a week using a whole chicken in 35 minutes. It really is a time saver.
My son is autistic and he has texture issues and he pretty much only wants to eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets or bread (And the grosser the chicken nugget, the better...I make homemade nuggets, but he won't touch them.) He refuses to eat vegetables, and yes, I've been trying to sneak them to him for all of his 7 years. Thank god he'll eat fruit. So, when I say kid-friendly, I mean nothing exotic.
If your son has a set list of food he is willing to eat, then why are you posting here? Most of us will not understand your son's needs like you will and those needs have nothing to do with requiring "kid-friendly" food (which is really just junk food).2 -
punkrockgoth wrote: »midlomel1971 wrote: »yellingkimber wrote: »There's really no such thing as "kid-friendly" food. Kids are human, just like us and have preferences, so it would help to know what exactly it is your kids don't like? My younger cousin was eating sauerkraut, pickled eggs, brussel sprouts, raw onions, and even beans. She would drink black coffee when she could sneak it, too. She always refused mushrooms, cheese that wasn't melted, and ketchup. She's 15 now and still won't eat most of those foods. Meanwhile, my other cousin is 13 now and a really adventurous eater. Oysters have been a favorite of his since he could talk, but the kid refuses to eat macaroni and cheese, anything in sandwich form, and fast food french fries.
HOWEVER, I do recommend getting an Instant Pot if you can afford one! The smallest size is $79. It's an electric pressure cooker that saves the day for me all the time. I've made enough chicken soup to last a week using a whole chicken in 35 minutes. It really is a time saver.
My son is autistic and he has texture issues and he pretty much only wants to eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets or bread (And the grosser the chicken nugget, the better...I make homemade nuggets, but he won't touch them.) He refuses to eat vegetables, and yes, I've been trying to sneak them to him for all of his 7 years. Thank god he'll eat fruit. So, when I say kid-friendly, I mean nothing exotic.
If your son has a set list of food he is willing to eat, then why are you posting here? Most of us will not understand your son's needs like you will and those needs have nothing to do with requiring "kid-friendly" food (which is really just junk food).
I'm not expecting anyone to know my son's needs. I have another child to cook for. When I said "kid-friendly", I mean foods that are not too fancy and that are easy to plan and make. Other parents will get what I mean. I appreciate all of the great ideas! I didn't mean to get your panties in a wad.8 -
If you're using a meatless recipe, you can always put the crockpot on a timer to switch on whenever you want.Utilize your Crockpot. I use mine several times a week. Get on Pinterest if you're not there and search for healthy Crockpot meals. You'll have so many you won't be able to cook them all
I work full time too and am gone at least 10 hours. I just turn it on low and it's good when I get home. Even if the recipe says 6 hours.
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midlomel1971 wrote: »punkrockgoth wrote: »midlomel1971 wrote: »yellingkimber wrote: »There's really no such thing as "kid-friendly" food. Kids are human, just like us and have preferences, so it would help to know what exactly it is your kids don't like? My younger cousin was eating sauerkraut, pickled eggs, brussel sprouts, raw onions, and even beans. She would drink black coffee when she could sneak it, too. She always refused mushrooms, cheese that wasn't melted, and ketchup. She's 15 now and still won't eat most of those foods. Meanwhile, my other cousin is 13 now and a really adventurous eater. Oysters have been a favorite of his since he could talk, but the kid refuses to eat macaroni and cheese, anything in sandwich form, and fast food french fries.
HOWEVER, I do recommend getting an Instant Pot if you can afford one! The smallest size is $79. It's an electric pressure cooker that saves the day for me all the time. I've made enough chicken soup to last a week using a whole chicken in 35 minutes. It really is a time saver.
My son is autistic and he has texture issues and he pretty much only wants to eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets or bread (And the grosser the chicken nugget, the better...I make homemade nuggets, but he won't touch them.) He refuses to eat vegetables, and yes, I've been trying to sneak them to him for all of his 7 years. Thank god he'll eat fruit. So, when I say kid-friendly, I mean nothing exotic.
If your son has a set list of food he is willing to eat, then why are you posting here? Most of us will not understand your son's needs like you will and those needs have nothing to do with requiring "kid-friendly" food (which is really just junk food).
I'm not expecting anyone to know my son's needs. I have another child to cook for. When I said "kid-friendly", I mean foods that are not too fancy and that are easy to plan and make. Other parents will get what I mean. I appreciate all of the great ideas! I didn't mean to get your panties in a wad.
I'm a parent and I have no idea what you are looking for. *shrug*2 -
instapot for the win - you can make many crockpot based meals in about 1/4 the time (if that) - I made risotto in like 15min one night with butternut squash (so good - but may have that texture issue).
skinnytaste.com - is a blog I use and she has kid friendly recipes tagged - http://www.skinnytaste.com/recipes/kid-friendly/2 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »midlomel1971 wrote: »punkrockgoth wrote: »midlomel1971 wrote: »yellingkimber wrote: »There's really no such thing as "kid-friendly" food. Kids are human, just like us and have preferences, so it would help to know what exactly it is your kids don't like? My younger cousin was eating sauerkraut, pickled eggs, brussel sprouts, raw onions, and even beans. She would drink black coffee when she could sneak it, too. She always refused mushrooms, cheese that wasn't melted, and ketchup. She's 15 now and still won't eat most of those foods. Meanwhile, my other cousin is 13 now and a really adventurous eater. Oysters have been a favorite of his since he could talk, but the kid refuses to eat macaroni and cheese, anything in sandwich form, and fast food french fries.
HOWEVER, I do recommend getting an Instant Pot if you can afford one! The smallest size is $79. It's an electric pressure cooker that saves the day for me all the time. I've made enough chicken soup to last a week using a whole chicken in 35 minutes. It really is a time saver.
My son is autistic and he has texture issues and he pretty much only wants to eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets or bread (And the grosser the chicken nugget, the better...I make homemade nuggets, but he won't touch them.) He refuses to eat vegetables, and yes, I've been trying to sneak them to him for all of his 7 years. Thank god he'll eat fruit. So, when I say kid-friendly, I mean nothing exotic.
If your son has a set list of food he is willing to eat, then why are you posting here? Most of us will not understand your son's needs like you will and those needs have nothing to do with requiring "kid-friendly" food (which is really just junk food).
I'm not expecting anyone to know my son's needs. I have another child to cook for. When I said "kid-friendly", I mean foods that are not too fancy and that are easy to plan and make. Other parents will get what I mean. I appreciate all of the great ideas! I didn't mean to get your panties in a wad.
I'm a parent and I have no idea what you are looking for. *shrug*
Just ideas for quick dinners. It's really not that hard.0 -
deannalfisher wrote: »instapot for the win - you can make many crockpot based meals in about 1/4 the time (if that) - I made risotto in like 15min one night with butternut squash (so good - but may have that texture issue).
skinnytaste.com - is a blog I use and she has kid friendly recipes tagged - http://www.skinnytaste.com/recipes/kid-friendly/
Great website! Thank you!!0 -
Just wanted to tell you that I completely understand why you're looking for. Not sure why some people are trying to be rude....it's pretty easy to just not comment. Lol.
Anyway, I have 3 kids and we are busy a lot too. Taco night is huge at our house and fairly easy to make it healthier. My kids also like those English muffin pizzas. My dad makes these tortilla pizzas in the microwave with low calorie tortillas. He just microwaves the tortilla until it's crunchy (patting bubbles down and flipping every 30-60 sec) and then puts pizza toppings on it and microwaves it for another minute. My kids love those.
I'm not a fan of crockpot meals. I try to like them and I love the convienence but I don't like the texture of the meat. That skinnytaste site is awesome though. I've made several recipes from there and we've loved them all.3 -
Have you ever tried freezer meal prepping? I have recipes from a direct sales company, but you could make your own. The trick is you prep everything you can fresh, then freeze in cooked. You thaw the night before and when you get home all you have to do is cook. I can make meatloaf in 20-25 or so minutes because I Have the meat prepped and just divide into muffin tins for quick cooking. You can use a couple tablespoons of oil and your favorite seasonings on pork chops/chicken/fish. Freeze already seasoned and you just have to throw it in the oven or on the grill when you get home. We do a lot of prepackaged pasta and rice sides for my kids, I tend to skip these and opt for a salad instead. I add a steamer pack of veggies and dinner is done! Other than those basic meals, homemade pizza, taco bar, homemade soup, pasta bar are all our favorites.
Oh and I work full time too, a crock pot with a timer has helped cut down on overlooking my crock pot meals.0 -
I don't understand the rudeness either, I think kid friendly is a pretty general term most people understand - even if THEIR kids are blessed with a sophisticated palate. LOL!
Anyway...
Have you TRIED the crockpot? I haven't had a problem cooking on low for 10+ hours.
Ok not necessarily "healthy" but better than fast food options that are in our regular rotation:
1)BBQ pork is a favorite: pork roast or shoulder (whatever is on sale) in a crockpot w/a can of root beer or cherry cola (I use diet). Cook on low all day, shred then add BBQ sauce of your choice.
2) chili in crockpot. Brown meat night before. Put in crockpot in the morning with spices, etc. cook all day - ready to eat when you get home!
3) tacos: skinnytaste has several recipes (+crockpot versions)
4) chicken and stuffing: emilybites.com
5) chicken Parmesan: mix cup of breadcrumbs + 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Coat chicken in crumbs (I don't dip in egg first but you can). Bake ~20 -25 min at 425, add slice of mozzarella cheese to melt. Serve with spaghetti sauce (I use canned) and spaghetti noodles
6) any version of chicken breasts - grilled, baked seasoned with garlic salt or season salt (with or without panko or breadcrumbs) or BBQ sauce served with mashed potatoes (can buy premade if needed), baked potatoes or rice
7) spaghetti: brown ground Italian sausage and simmer in sauce (again store bought) can be prepared night before. Nothing fancy but good enough for weeknight!
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Anything build your own. Veggie or turkey burgers, cheese, pita, avocado, veggies. I can skip the cheese. Kid can choose what she wants to eat. Same idea with a rice and meat bowl. Can add stir fried veggies/fried egg or beans/salsa/veggies Mexican style. My family will do sour cream, I'll choose hot sauce.
I like to make double batches of things in the weekend and freeze half. Chicken soups, posole, marinara with turkey meatballs, beef stew all freeze great. They are then a snap to heat up and serve. Of course, you have to remember to take them out of the freezer!
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Baked spaghetti is a fav here. Lots of recipes on line. Can make ahead,then pop in oven for dinner.Beenie weenie,baked potato bar,breakfast for dinner,ground beef gravy over noodles or mashed potato,bean soup,macaroni & cheese or with tomato & ground beef.None of this is low calorie,but smaller portions are part of our eating plans.
http://www.culinarynutrition.com/top-25-kid-friendly-food-blogs/
http://www.theleangreenbean.com/kid-friendly-food-prep-recipes/
PS....you are welcome here.Let us know how it goes.1 -
Crockpot recipes give the minimum cook time, but they can usually go much longer if you use the low setting.
I prefer to rely on leftovers during the week so make big batches of whatever on the weekend and then put in fridge/freezer until needed.1 -
My guys really enjoy anything build-your-own. Build-your-own salad can be great; this sounds very silly, but my guys really buy into presentation.
For example, build-your-own-salad night consists of little bowls of many options: grated carrots, diced bell pepper, diced avocado, diced tomato, cubed ham, cubed cheese, etc. Everything is separate, rather than mixed together, so if your kiddos are picky, this option is very attractive because they can pick and choose what they like.
I also choose to add a metal mixing bowl at the end of the assembly line so that they can mix their unique salad with the dressing of their choosing, and then it all goes on their plate.
Build-your-own-tacos are great too. You don't have to tell anyone if you substitute ground turkey for ground beef either. You can also sub plain yogurt for sour cream. Lay all the fillings out so that little hands can fill their own tortillas with lean meat, and veggies that you have already cut and put out.
Both of these options pump everyone up with veggies.
Best of luck!2 -
try here for lots of different ideas http://allrecipes.com/recipes/453/everyday-cooking/family-friendly/kid-friendly/0
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midlomel1971 wrote: »
I also highly recommend the Instant Pot. It can make things quick because it is a pressure cooker (so frozen chicken is cooked in less then 30 minutes, start to finish). It also has a saute feature, so you can start the dish in it (browning beef) AND finish it quickly in the same pot by putting on the pressure cooker. But...it also has a keep warm setting, so things can sit a bit longer and stay warm; and a delay timer so you can start things a little later. For instance, if the crock pot recipe suggests 6 hours and your gone 10, then set a delay.
I am not a kitchen gadget person (I don't even own a food processor), but I LOVE my Instant Pot!!!0 -
midlomel1971 wrote: »yellingkimber wrote: »The has texture issues and he pretty much only wants to eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets or bread (And the grosser the chicken nugget, the better...I make homemade nuggets, but he won't touch them.) He refuses to eat vegetables, and yes, I've been trying to sneak them to him for all of his 7 years. Thank god he'll eat fruit. So, when I say kid-friendly, I mean nothing exotic.
I have texture issues too, although no autistic, except I am the opposite....nothing squishy. ewwwww!! Anyway, have you tried making homemade chicken nuggets by putting the chicken in a food processor, with some egg, etc. to make it that texture, then breading them? I understand that it is not quick, but I am thinking you could make up a bunch of them, freeze them and have them on hand. They would certainly be much healthier then the purchased ones. I figure you pick your battles as a parent. He eats fruit. Give him some vitamins. Is that terrible?1 -
Grilled cheese and soup were always a hit, like 3 nights a week. Sometimes I could slip sliced apples into the sandwich and even veggie soup0
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I agree with grilled cheese, it's quick to make and most kids love it. Great with tomato soup.2
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