Kid Approved (EASY!) Meals

If you are like me, there are at least a couple nights each week where you stand in the middle of your kitchen staring blankly (at the fridge, the pantry, the walls) as you try to figure out what to do for dinner. You are tired, you are unmotivated, and you don’t want to listen to the complaints from those little darlings about whatever you end up selecting. For these moments, I have some “go to” meals that are generally a hit with my two rugrats, but are also fairly uncomplicated to produce.

Kielbasa and Bell Peppers with Pasta

• Boil water and cook your pasta. Egg noodles go really well with this dish.
• Slice the kielbasa into quarter rounds and cut your bell peppers into strips (I use red, orange and yellow peppers.)
• Saute the sausage and peppers in a skillet with some olive oil until sausage is slightly browning.
• Add the cooked noodles and heat to warm everything through.

Egg and Cheese Burrito

• Make scrambled eggs.
• Place the eggs onto the center of a tortilla and add some shredded cheese.
• Wrap the eggs up into the tortilla and cook briefly in a skillet to crisp both sides. (I just do a quick cleaning of the same pan I cooked the eggs in and use it again to save on dishes.)
• My kids eat this as simple as that, but you can also do any “add-ins” that sound good to you… peppers, onions, avocado. There is a ton of potential here.

Hotdog Octopus (You have probably seen this on Pinterest.)

• Take uncooked spaghetti pasta and push through cut up hotdog pieces.
• Boil the entire creation until pasta is tender to create a fun and easy meal.
• I tend to serve this with fruit.

Tortellini with Cherry Tomatoes

• Boil water and cook which ever ravioli or tortellini you prefer (chicken, cheese, spinach, etc…)
• In a skillet, saute minced garlic and red pepper flakes (optional) in olive oil for a minute or so.
• Cut cherry tomatoes in half and add to the skillet, sauteing a while longer until the tomatoes are heated through and starting to leak their juices.
• Add in cooked tortellini and toss to coat.
• I often add in avocado for myself after the fact, but my kids won’t eat that (in their opinion, absolutely disgusting) food.

Build Your Own Finger Sandwiches

• Cut up some deli meat and cheese and lay out on a plate.
• If your family uses condiments, put those out as well as anything else you think you or your kiddos would want on the sandwiches.
• Allow the kiddos to make their own little sandwiches. Kings Hawaiian rolls or other slider size buns work well for this. There is just something about eating a bitty sandwich that makes it so much better than a regular size sandwich.
• Serve with pickles, pretzels or something else equally easy and call it a night.

Please share any easy, kid friendly meals you turn to regularly in the comments below. I am always looking for new ideas to add to my list above.