My guilt is screaming at me as a I reach for the bag to make my son’s lunch!
“You should’ve planned better”
“You’re being lazy”
“He deserves a more nutritious meal”
Before I close the freezer door I grab a bag of frozen veggies to make his meal more complete.
My guilt/inner voice is obnoxious! I would never think any of that about anyone else who was serving chicken tenders to their child for lunch!
The truth is
- we don’t plan every meal
- sometimes I just want an easy meal
- adding some veggies next to it makes it a more nutritious meal
What is a staple in your freezer? You always hear about staples in your pantry but what about the freezer?
My husband usually has a selection of frozen pizzas stashed in the freezer for his late night snack attacks.
I choose to have chicken tenders available for lunches that I didn’t plan. I’ve tried various brands and select the ones that have the best meats or don’t contain fillers, but I still don’t like relying on this for lunches.
If you’re trying to make it through serving up every meal every day and trying not to feel guilty with what you serve let’s do it together! We can start with this easy kid friendly menu.
(I am a Tastefully Simple Independent Consultant – the links for TS products are direct links to my website. Sign up here for my weekly email)
Kids Menu Items
I’ve noticed the kid’s menus at most restaurant looks the same. They include most of the following:
- Chicken tenders/nuggets
- Burgers
- Pizza
- Quesadilla
- Spaghetti
- Hot Dog
- Grilled Cheese
- Mac & Cheese
French fries are often served with these meals. If you’re lucky you can get a veggie or a cup of fruit (for an up-charge)
So, I went though the Tastefully Simple recipe collection to find some great ideas for meals you can make at home that are easy and kid friendly menu.
Easy Kid Friendly Menu
Here is a plan for meals the whole family will enjoy. You can use these for lunch or dinner
Sunday -Do your batch cooking
- In slow cooker or pressure cooker, prepare Makin’ Magic Chicken Seasoning – Combine 4lbs chicken in slow cooker or pressure cooker pot, 2 cups of water and 2 capfuls of seasoning. Cook until internal temp reaches 165 degrees. (about 2.5 hours on High with slow cooker)
- Once cooked, shred chicken (I like to use the hand held mixer for easy shredding)
- Let chicken cool then separate into 2 cup servings each and place into freezer bags. Seal well and freeze all bags expect one.
- Brown up 2 lbs ground beef with 2 TBS of Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix. Cook until beef is no longer pink. Once cool – freeze 1 lb of cooked ground beef in a zip lock freezer bag
Weekly Schedule
Monday
Mama Mia French Bread Pizza Recipe
(Makes 6-8 servings)
Serve with a side salad
Wrap up uneaten pizza bread in aluminum foil and place in gallon size freezer bags. Seal well. Place in freezer
*Mix up Simply Salsa for Tuesday 1-2 capfuls of Simply Salsa with 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
Tuesday
Chicken Quesadillas – Using 1 cup of the shredded Makin’ Magic chicken, make quesadillas with shredded cheese, black beans, onions and other desired fillings
Serve with Simply Salsa & Giddyup Guacamole
If you have more time you can also make
*Mix up the guacamole in the morning and keep the avocado pit in the bowl to keep from turning brown
Wednesday
BBQ Chicken Flatbread
Serve with a side salad or fruit salad
- Naan flatbread (3)
-
½ cup Smoky Bacon BBQ Sauce
- 1 cup shredded Makin Magic Chicken
- 4 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion
- 1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella & provolone cheese blend
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Place flatbreads on a large baking sheet.
- Spread flatbreads with Smoky Bacon BBQ Sauce and top with remaining ingredients.
- Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and lightly browned.
*Take out frozen ground beef
Thursday
Serve with a crunchy raw veggies and a dip or dressing
- 1 pound cooked lean ground beef
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
-
3-4 tablespoons Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix
- 3 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
- 2½ cups 2% milk, warmed
- 1¼ cups hot water
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- Heat oil in skillet and reheat ground beef
- Add tomato sauce and Mama Mia Marinara Sauce Mix; simmer 5 minutes. Stir in macaroni, milk and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 11-13 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until noodles are cooked and sauce is desired thickness.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Salt and pepper to taste.
Friday
Enjoy leftover cheeseburger skillet with cooked up frozen french fries.
*Remove Monday’s leftover french bread pizzas from freezer and serve on Saturday as a meal or snack
Shopping List
- 4 lbs Chicken breast or thighs
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
Mama Mia French Bread Pizza
- 2 (12-inch) French bread loaves
- 12 slices American cheese, cut in half
- 4.5 oz. jar sliced mushrooms
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 4 oz. can sliced jalapenos (optional)
- 14.5 oz. can petite tomatoes, drained
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Quesadillas
- Flour tortillas
- Mexican Cheese Blend Shredded
- Black Beans
- 1 14.5 can diced tomatoes (For salsa)
- 3 medium avocados (For guacamole)
BBQ Chicken Flatbread
- 2 (8.8 ounce) packages original Naan flatbread
- 4 bacon slices
- red onion
- 1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella & provolone cheese blend
Cheeseburger Skillet
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
- 3 cups uncooked macaroni noodles
- 2½ cups 2% milk
- 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
Tastefully Simple Shopping List
I hope these give you some easy meal ideas yor kids will enjoy! And not cause you too much stress or time!
Linked recipes and photos courtesy of Tastefully Simple
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