Cooking for kids

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There were a few question about cooking quick easy meals for kids posted at Mamapedia.   I thought I would share a couple of my favorite quick easy meals that my kids love.  I am a stay at home mom of 3 but I haven’t always been.  My kids ages are 7, 4 and 15 months lucky for me they eat just about anything I cook, I do not have picky eaters.  I was in the military for 8 years and all I cooked were quick easy meal during the week.  I was always looking for short cuts, some turned out good and some not so good.

I still make quick and easy meals today, why you ask…well because they are quick, easy and the kids love them!  These meals can also be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a few days.  I have never tried freezing so I cannot offer any advice on that subject. A lot of people might say that the easiest way to get a quick and easy meal is with a slow cooker. I don’t believe that, mainly because I do not own a slow cooker, not that there is anything wrong with a slow cooker, never had one and I do not plan on getting one.

Try these quick easy meals and get rid of the frozen chicken nuggets and fish sticks! I promise your kids will enjoy atleast one of these meals! Promise is a strong word…I hope you and your kids find atleast one meal you can enjoy!

Here’s a list of items we also have on hand:

• chicken tenders (not the breaded kind)
• frozen vegetables (steam in a bag kind)
• ground turkey or beef (we eat a lot of ground turkey)
• canned tomatoes (whole, diced, pureed…)
• pasta (elbow, penne, spaghetti…)
• chicken broth
• seasoned bread crumbs
• potatoes
• dried herbs (dill, parsley, basil, oregano, herbes de provence, Italian seasoning,  this list could on forever)
• dried spices (curry, garlic powder, onion powder, season salt, lemon and herb)

Meal #1
Turkey Macaroni
This recipe calls for ground turkey but it can be substituted with ground beef, pork, chicken..whatever you like. My son loves this meal and it’s a one pot wonder…super easy clean up!

Meal #2
Lemon Herb Chicken
-Season chicken tenders with lemon herb seasoning and cook in the oven at 350 degrees until not longer pink. It should only take about 15-20 minutes. Chicken tenders are small so they do not require as much cooking time as chicken breast or thighs. Kids friendly because they can eat them with their hands!

Meal #3
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
-Dice chicken tenders into bite size pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Throw the chicken pieces into a ziploc bag or bowl with a lid and coat with seasoned bread crumbs and shake to coat.   Arrange the chicken pieces on a baking sheet and cook at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes.  Tiny pieces will not take long.
-Variations: Coat the chicken pieces with ranch dressing or barbeque sauce and then coat with bread crumbs. Now you have ranch nuggets or barbeque nuggets!! Kids love them, once again because they can eat with their hands!!

Meal #4
Pasta Salad
-Mini Bowtie pasta and frozen veggies. I like to use frozen corn and peas for this salad but frozen broccoli or carrots would work great. Cook the pasta according to the box and steam the veggies according to the bag. Drain pasta add to a big bowl throw the veggies of your choice season with salt and pepper. Add 1/2-1 cup of ranch dressing and mix until everything is coated. More of less dressing depending on how much pasta you cook and how much dressing you want to taste. I like to eat this cold so I put in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. You can also eat it warm, it’s delicious both ways. Another easy clean up!
-Variations: Different veggies, a different dressing, different pasta. You can use Italian dressing or even Balsamic vingertte dressing!

Side Dish #1
Roasted Red and Sweet Potatoes

Side Dish #2
Roasted Asparugus

Side Dish #3
Lemon Broccoli-Steam in a bag broccoli.  Cook according to package.  After it’s cooked toss in a bowl season with salt/pepper and add a tsp of lemon zest and juice from half a lemon.

Side Dish #4
Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower-Toss frozen cauliflower on a baking sheet cook for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, just until the cauliflower is thawed a little.   Remove from over season with olive oil, salt/pepper and garlic powder.  Return to over until the cauliflower starts to turn brown.  Remove from oven and add parmesan cheese, as much or as little as you like!  Return to oven just to let the cheese melt and you have a nice little side dish to enjoy!

Believe it or not my kids will eat every recipe I just posted.  I always try to throw in some type of vegetable.  The reason I use frozen a lot is because they taste better than the canned vegetables.  I do buy fresh vegetables a lot but not as often as frozen.  Sometimes I’m not able to cook the fresh fast enough before they go bad.  If I try a new vegetable I ask the kids to take at least one bite before the decide they don’t like it.  After that one bite if they like it then they like, if they don’t then they don’t have to eat any more.  When it comes to vegetables its all able trial and error, finding out what your kids like!

I hope I was able to give a few Moms and Dads or anyone for that matter, ideas on quick and easy meals to cook for kids or anyone!  Enjoy!

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