January 14, 2007

Easy Kids Meals

Filed under: Articles — christine @ 12:55 pm

Easy Kids Meals
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With dance practice,  basketball, cub scouts, and tae kwon do, who has time to cook a nourishing meal for the kids in the evening? You do!  You can have time if you prepare an easy to cook kids’ meal.

Of course it’s effortless to toss a hotdog in the microwave or place a tortilla in a skillet on top of the stove top, add some cheese and 90 seconds later have  a plain quesadilla, but what’s the joy in that?  Instead try Casseroles and one-pot dishes which in most cases go over well with the kids; and are effortless to whip together.

Try this simple meal:

1 – lb. ground beef
1 - 16 oz jar spaghetti sauce
1 - cup water
1 1/2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 - cup shredded mozzarella cheese
 
Sprinkle beef in a 3-quart glass casserole and microwave for 4-5 minutes, or until beef is no longer pink. Mix & rotate halfway through cooking time. Drain Beef.  Mix in sauce, water and macaroni.  Microwave another 12 minutes, stirring halfway through.  Crumble mozzarella on top and allow to stand covered approximately 7 minutes before serving. Serves a couple starving kids.

There are tons of meals you can make with hamburger. Any recipe that asks for hamburger will work just perfect replaced with ground turkey, chicken or venison instead.  The easy recipe below uses ground meat.  It takes almost an hour to bake but merely a blink to prepare.

Combine together:

2 lbs. ground meat
1 can condensed cheddar cheese soup
1 can condensed mushroom soup
One bag of Crinkle Cut French Fries

Brown hamburger and strain the grease. Add both soups to drained hamburger and place in a 9 x 12 greased pan. Top with frozen crinkle cut French fries and bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until French fries are light brown.

Taco salads are very quick and easy to prepare.  Begin with lettuce.  Add tomato, onion and cheese (if your kids will allow it.)  Fry up some hamburger and toss in a packet of taco seasoning – or just add some taco sauce to the meat.  Then add crushed tortilla chips or Fritos.  Top off with salsa or Ranch dressing.  Don’t forget the sour cream and guacamole if desired!  Kids love this meal!

For a quick, on the go, nutritious, cold meal you’ll need:

A head of lettuce (not pre-cut lettuce in a bag)
Ham or Roast Beef sliced meat
Cheese slices
Condiments

Step 1: Remove a medium lettuce leaf.
Step 2: Layer meat, cheese, and condiments. 
Step 3: Fold up and stick a toothpick in the center. 
Step 4: Enjoy. 
Step 5: Wipe your mouth, there’s a trace of mustard on your cheek.

What about an interesting twist to the standard macaroni and cheese kids recipe?

1 (16 ounce) package macaroni (elbow, seashell, bowtie – doesn’t matter, just not spaghetti)
1 c. cottage cheese
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Cook macaroni according to package instructions.
2. Stir in cottage cheese, sugar, and cinnamon with drained macaroni.
3. Nibble and add more sugar or cinnamon, if necessary.
4. Serve right away. Delicious!

Incorporate a bit of creativity to put a twist on a regular recipe and even with the chaotic after school activities you will find time to cook up a nutritious meal for your kids evening meal.

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Want More Quick & Easy Kid Approved Recipes?  Visit  http://www.kidapprovedmeals.com

1 Comment »

  1. WOW thanks for the quick meal ideas. I am a busy mom of 3 and juggling the home chores, work, kids, TaeKwonDo and homework.. the last thing I want to do is to spend hours in the kitchen :)

    I love your blog and site!

    Comment by Aurelia — January 19, 2007 @ 11:32 am

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