Moms that are good with food?

Question

I'm watching my sister's kids for 5 nights and 6 days. It's going to be a challenge. I prepared all the dinners so I have to heat and serve. For breakfast, I made everything so all I have to do is heat and serve (pancakes and waffles) or I can set the cereal in the bowls so all they need to do is add milk. I'm stuck on lunch. The kids are a little picky, and I want some fun things we can make together.

I bought chicken nuggets and french fries for 1 day. Another day we are going to be at the zoo, so we're planning on having a lunch there. The other day I promised we could go eat at the play McDonalds. For another I am going to have a picnic at the park with them. So my questions are:

What are 2 fun lunch ideas the kids can help me with?

What are creative things to make for the picnic?

Answer 1

Tacos! You can have all the ingredients prepared ahead of time and just set them out and let the kids choose hard or soft tacos and fill their own!

Pizza- you can make mini pizza's or bagel pizzas. Same as with the tacos, the kids can make their own.

Fruit burrito's: use a tortilla, spread it with peanut butter. Then, let the kids choose from a spread of fruits to put on theirs. Put a squirt of honey on top, wrap it tightly and YUM! Lunch.

Dirt and worm cups (dessert for picnic): You can make them ahead of time with pudding, crushed oreos and gummy worms.

Icecream cone cupcakes. Make cake batter and fill up icecream cones, then bake and frost it to look like icecream. The kids love this one!

Answer 2

kids love lunchables  but we make our own  small cookie cutters  with ham, turkey, cheese&  crackers    another thing is celery with cream cheese or peanut butter,  frozen grapes  there are plenty of things  look through your cabinets youll be amazed what you come up with

Answer 3

I will list a few meals that kids love and what the kids can do to help you make it. These are all recipes that you make, not out of a box and are semi-healthy.

Macaroni and Cheese: Make macaroni or rotini noodles. Place them in individual dishes (one per child). Also give each child a small dish of shredded cheese. Let them sprinkle as much cheese on top as they would like. Serve it with carrots and organic, baked, plain potato chips.

Mini Tacos: Cut soft tortilla shells into fourths. On separate plats, give each child appropriate portions of taco 'stuff'. Each plate should have 2-4 mini taco shells, taco meat, shredded cheese, shredded lettuce, sour cream, and small tomato pieces. They can make their tacos and then eat them. Serve with pretzels and cut up fruit.

Sandwich Shapes: Make ham, turkey, and PB&J sandwiches. At lunch, let each child pick out a cookie cutter. Help them cut their sandwiches with the cookie cutter. Everything tastes better when it is shaped cool. Serve with celery sticks&peanut butter.

Baby Spaghetti: Buy those mini noodles by Barilla. Let the kids pour sauce over their own noodles, so they can choose how much they want. Serve with homemade garlic bread and apple slices.

Mini Pizzas: You could do this a few ways. One way is to give each child one half of a bagel or english muffin, a small bowl of pizza sauce, some shredded cheese, cut up veggies, pepperoni, and sausage. Let them put whatever toppings they want on their pizza, then cook it for them. Another way to do this is buy or make pizza crust dough. Cut it into fun shapes with cookie cutters and let them put their toppings on it. Either way you do it, serve with cucumber slices&dip or Ranch sauce.

DIY Lunchables: Instead of buying unhealthy Lunchables, make healthier versions (minus all the chemicals and c**p) at home. Give each child 4 - 10 Ritz crackers, a few slices of turkey, a few slices of ham, some cheese slices, carrots, and strawberries. They can make 'sandwiches' and eat the strawberries and carrots as sides.

May I suggest you make your own chicken nuggets and fries? The thought of giving my children processed food all the time scares me. Buy boneless chicken b*****s and bread them. Cut potatoes into slices and bake them with some EVOO and a pinch of salt. Also, this is just me but I would also serve this with some fruit.

At McDonalds, encourage them to get apple slices rather than fries with their Happy Meals and milk or juice rather than soda. For younger kids (2 and under), do not give them the choice of soda.

If they don't like vegetables, encourage them to at least try them, but give them smaller portions.

PICNIC FOOD

Along with the main course, pack many snacks. When kids are at a park, they tend to pick at food and play and then pick some more.

Ham or Turkey and Cheese sandwiches.

Fruit Kabobs: Bring kabob sticks and chunks of fruit. Let them put whatever fruit they want on theirs.

Make pink lemonade to bring. Plus, make sure you have plenty of water.

Pasta Salad: Use pasta, Italian dressing, cheese chunks, tomato pieces, black olives, and pepperoni pieces.

Dirt and Worm Cups for dessert. (Ah! Sugar rush! lol)

For snacking, have cheese and crackers or pretzel sticks; puppy chow (Rice Chex covered in chocolate, peanut butter, and powdered sugar), Organic chips, homemade cookies, and granola bars.

At picnics, we always let our children have a little less healthy things such as the Dirt cups.

Answer 4

My kids love using cookie cutters to cut their own specially shaped lunch meats and cheeses.  With this I add whole wheat crackers, shredded lettuce, shredded carrots and whole wheat tortillas.  They make their own sandwich wraps or crackers and cheese and surprise, you have snuck in some veggiesl

Answer 5

Let the kids make their own pizza. Use bagels or small bread roils and jarred pizza sauce. This kids can add cheese and whatever else they like. You place them in the broiler for only a few minutes.

Or they could make wraps with tortillas (I use whole wheat). Fill with deli meats, cucumber, cheese...whatever you and the kids like. This one would also work for a picnic.

Answer 6

Fruit kabobs are fun to make and kids love fruit and any food on a stick.  PB&J's cut out with a cookie cutter, it kind of makes your own uncrustable. What about make your own pizzas? You can buy the small crusts or bagels and put sauce and cheese on them then have toppings in bowls for the kids to put on them selves.  Good luck!

Answer 7

Make a cracker bar, so they can make little "sandwiches" on their own with their own toppings. Set up several toppings, such as lunch meats, cheeses, peanut butter, jelly, tuna salad, even some chopped apples and raisins (great with the PB) or anything else you can think of.

Roll-ups are another great (and healthy) lunch idea. Have some pre-cooked, cut up chicken b*****s. Put them on tortillas with some cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, any other veggies you can think of, and a dressing. The kids can do the "construction". They are a nice light lunch, and the kids think they are something special (since it isn't the same old sandwich).

You can spice up sandwhiches for the picnic with simple cookie cutters. Let the kids pick their shapes. It makes lunch fun.

Answer 8

Home made lunchables are fun for kids.  get a couple different meats, cheeses and crackers.  then let them build their own!

Answer 9

My son loves to have PB & J on graham crackers.....here in italy Nutella works as well.  But the wrap up nicely w/aluminum foil and in the fridge.  I love them!!! Remind me of elementary school bkfst!  Great snack/lunch.  The side w.jelly gets soft, not soggy....but I think it's the best part.  Also homemade pizzas are fun.  Just cook crusts ahead of time, then give each plate with toppings portioned appropiately.  I even make one with alfredo sauce...broccoli w/ parmesan and mozzarella and chix......everyone loves it.  An easy clean up and keeps them busy.  I am used this method for bday parties and and activity and lunch/dinner!!!  Good luck!!!

Answer 10

Since they are picky, have them think of somehing that they would like to cook, and then add your ideas with theirs. give each kid a job for meal preparation. one kid can gather the ingredients, and then another kid can stir etc...After you and the kids eat then give them a job( kitchen clean up), and then reward them with dessert (use paper bowls or plates where they can throw them away, and then this will give them a sense of accomplishment especially if they don't have to clean up after they eat dessert)

food ideas;

french bread pizza

bitty bite cheese burgers (dinner rolls for the buns)

chicken littles (boneless chicken cut into quarters to make small burgers with ranch dressing)

chilli cheese sphagetti

Answer 11

When you go to the park, think about making "sidewalk ice cream" -- basically, homemade ice cream.  You can make up the milk mixture the night before, chill it overnight in the fridge, and transport it in a large thermos.  Here's a recipe for one -- just multiply it for the number of kids:

http://homeparents.about.com/od/recipesa...

Pour a serving of the mixture (about a half-a-cup, measure out that amount in a plastic cup so you can judge it better during the picnic) in a STRONG zip-lock sandwich bag.  Then place the bag with ice and salt in a gallon-sized bag, and start tossing it around.  (Hint:  Depending on the age of the kids, it might not be a bad idea to use TWO gallon bags, one inside the other!)  It really does freeze up and turn to "ice cream"!  I did this with 85 girls at a Girl Scout day camp in 90 degree weather, and it was a blast.

Also, instead of cheese sandwiches, trying slicing apples cross-ways into 1/4 inch slices, and using them as "bread" for a slice of cheese.  Apple sandwiches!

Freeze grapes ahead of time, they are very refreshing when they are icy cold.

Depending on the age of the kids, you can make baked potatos to take on the picnic.  Microwave them before you go, wrap them in foil and put them in a small cooler to keep them warm.  Then bring cheese, bacon bits, sour cream, etc. with you to put on the potato.

Again, depending on the age of the kids, you might be able to serve a cold fruit soup:

http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1919,1471...

Strawberry soup is also refreshing:  http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1948,1511...

If you are creative, you can find one of those little s'more cookers to bring with you (sorta like fondue pots -- I've seen them in houseware stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond and houseware outlet stores) -- bring graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate and make s'mores!

Answer 12

For the picnic, or any other lunch - make a giant hoagie.

Use a loaf of unsliced french bread, slice horizontally. Layer on sliced onion, cheese, variety of sandwich meat, chopped lettuce - drizzle on some italian dressing. Press together tight, slice in chunks at an angle. Kids are always amazed by this, because they get such a BIG sandwich.

Answer 13

My picky eater loves to eat  peanut butter-banana rollups. I just spread PB on a whole wheat tortilla, add sliced banana, and make a wrap! She also loves personal pizzas made on 4 inch pitas. I often add a veggie puree or something under the sauce so she gets a vegetable sneaked in.

She often helps me in preparing both of these meals, and kids are more apt to eat something that that participated in making. There are tons of cookbooks geared towards kids that you could pick up from your local library or bookstore.