Kid Friendly Recipes To Make Together

Healthy Tips For Kids

We all want our kids to eat healthier but what exactly does that mean? As a mom of 3 kids, my go-to healthy eating tips usually include having a meal pan, having food prepped and ready, and the patience to know that not every meal will be my familys favorite -but I did a great job by providing it.

Ok, so maybe that was more healthy mental tips for us parentslol.

Healthy tips for kids include eat colorful foods, add variety to their meals -at all meals, and be kind to them when they dont like something. When we dont criticize and we use kind words they are more likely to try other things in the future that are fresh and healthy.

Easy Crock Pot Beef Chili

Diana Rattray

Chili makes a warming dinner on cold or rainy nights. This easy, delicious version cooks in your crockpot while you go about your day, so your family can come home to a comforting dinner. Serve with crusty rolls, crackers, or cornbread.

Instant Pot Chicken And Dumplings

When it comes to the kids, the dumplings may be the main attraction in this dish, but you’ll feel better knowing they’re also eating a good serving of vegetables and chicken. Onions and garlic are sauteed, chicken broth, seasonings, vegetables, and chicken are added, the homemade dumpling dough is spooned on top, and the stew is pressure cooked for just a few minutes. Peas, parsley, and cream finish it off.

Read Also: Best Keto Turkey Burger Recipe

Healthy After School Snacks

The kids just got home from school and they are STARVING! If you’re not prepared, they will eat everything in sight and then when dinner comes around they’ll say, “I’m not hungry”.

Today we’re sharing a ton of healthy after school snack ideas and recipes that you can make quickly and feel good about.

Easy Dinner Ideas For Kids

Weve rounded up our 21 best, easy dinner ideas for kids. From kid-friendly soup to pasta to healthy recipes this list will make your picky eaters happy.

What should I make for the family tonight that the kids will actually eat? Are there some HEALTHY and EASY options?

For kids , weve put together this list of the best dinner recipes that are kid-friendly some are quick recipes, some are healthy recipes, some are more indulgent regardless theyre proven to be popular among picky eaters. No matter if your kids are 4 years old or 10 years old, youll find something that will satisfy their taste buds.

Tender and delicious pork chops cooked in rich and creamy mushroom soup. They take just 30 minutes to cook in one pan for a family-friendly dinner for busy weeknights.

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Arepas With Pulled Poblano Chicken

Want a recipe that gets you out of your comfort zone, but will be quickly added to your family’s favorite meals? You HAVE to make these Arepas with Poblano Pulled Chicken!

We started making one of the kids favorite foods, pupusas, at home after countless Sundays of buying them at the Hollywood Farmers Market. After years of eating them weekly after shopping for our weekly food there I became determined to learn how to make authentic pupusas, a beloved Salvadorian dish topped with slaw, crema, guacamole, and pico de gallo that Kenya, Chloe and now even Gemma love.

The first time I tried an arepa, a Latin American cousin to pupusas, I fell in love. Theyre similar to a pupusa in the fact that theyre both made with corn and water, flattened into a disk and pan seared, but totally different in other ways. Its like comparing Kansas city and North Carolina barbecue if you know what I mean.

If you make these Arepas with Poblano Pulled Chicken, take a picture, post it on Instagram and tag @weelicious so I can see your creation!

Beef Bok Choy & Red Pepper Stir

Everybody loves the flavour, colour, and crunch of a stir-fryespecially kids! Theyll appreciate the sweetness of the red pepper and carrots in this recipe. Give them a small paring knife to slice up the baby carrots, baby bok choy and red pepper . Now all you have to do is toss the veggies in a skillet along with beef and stir-fry sauce and dinner is on the table in minutes.

Also Check: Hot Pot Soup Base Recipe

Cooking With Kids: 25+ Recipes To Make With Your Kids

Cooking with kids is a great way to get young children involved in household duties. Cooking gives kids a sense of responsibility, it gets them excited about mealtime, it allows them to bond with you, and it increases their pride in their work. There are so many amazing benefits of cooking with kids. Today, were here to help convince you to get your kids involved in the cooking and meal-making process. Weve got a list of kitchen tasks appropriate for kids of all ages and lots of fun ways to get them involved. Plus, were also sharing a few of our teams favorite desserts and main courses to make with our kids. Bon Appetit!

How To Budget Family Meals

With thousands of families in the MOMables community, Ive had an opportunity to survey them on their spending habits and how to budget family meals better.

One of the main reasons families spend more at the grocery is due to lack of planning and purchasing foods my kid will eat as a plan b since Im making an adult meal and a kid meal at most meals.

Another reason is purchasing boxed, pre-packaged convenience foods that help save time -Im not talking about single bagged sliced apples and carrots here, Im referring to frozen kid sandwiches, freezer meals, snacks, frozen breakfast items and single-serving cereals, for example.

Save yourself hundreds of dollars at the store by making one meal for the whole family. With the Classic Meal Plan, you can easily budget family meals, spend less time in the kitchen cooking and cleaning, and dread mealtimes less.

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Big Batch Bacon Mac & Cheese Casserole Recipe

With loads of rich cheesy sauce and salty bacon goodness, this hearty mac and cheese recipe is a winner with the whole family. Even better, it serves 12, which means there will be lots of leftovers for everyones lunch the next day. Little hands can help top the casserole with cooled bacon bits and extra cheese before you slide it into the oven for 20 minutes.

Chicken French Bread Pizza

Thomas Firak Photography / Getty Images

Kids are always up for eating cheesy pizza for dinner, and busy parents will like how easy this nutritious meal is to put together. French baguette slices take the place of pizza crust, and using store-bought rotisserie chicken and pre-shredded cheese makes this dish a fast weeknight solution.

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How Kids Can Help Cook

Children can easily help prep and cook almost any meal, but what and how they help depends on the age of your child. There are certain kitchen tasks that are more suitable for older kids, but lots of ways even the littlest ones can help and get involved. Young kids are great helpers, so dont overlook them! There are lots of easy ways to get your children involved in the cooking process. The best way is sometimes to ask them what theyd like to help with .

Pro tip: For the younger kids, consider getting one of those kitchen helpers that adjust in height so that your child can safety step up to the counter to help.

Here is a general guide for how children can help you in the kitchen, broken down by age.

Pizza Stuffed Crescent Rolls

But, Im sick of pizza, said no child throughout the history of humankind.

Its hard to imagine ever getting enough pizza, especially if youre a kid. And this delicious kid friendly recipe for Pizza Stuffed Crescent Rolls will save you lots of dough on ordering delivery or takeout pizza.

And youll likely never repurchase frozen pizza after tasting the savory meat and sauce inside a buttery, flaky crescent roll for the first time.

Not only is this recipe a snap to make, but these rolls are also bite-sized and make less of a mess.

Perfect for dipping in tomato sauce.

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Dinner Ideas For Kids

I have 3 kids. They are picky. And they each like different things. And ultimately, I want my kids to eat a variety of foods because I know that its the only way to add both nutrition and get them used to new things.

Ive already shared 10 dinner ideas my kids will actually eat in this post. The truth is, that you should be making one meal for the whole family so dinner ideas for kids that adults will like as well, is really what were looking for.

One thing is to eat two or three tiny pieces of mac and cheese from our kids plate on occasion, but when youre relying on that blue box a few times a week, its time to up the game -for you and the kids- with little to no additional effort. Im serious. Easy recipes exist!

Instant Pot Beef Stew

The Spruce Eats / Diana Chistruga

An instant pot is an essential kitchen appliance for busy parents. Use it to create a rib-sticking, nutritious beef and vegetable stew that kids will enjoy eating for dinner. Pack leftovers in thermoses for school lunches, along with crackers for crumbling it tastes even better the next day!

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Home Made Spaghetti And Meatballs

Spaghetti and Meatballs is another all-time kids-friendly all-star meal thats really easy to make, producing lots of smiles over plates.

Weve found one of the most delicious recipes using homemade spaghetti sauce and meatballs that tastes so much better than store-bought meatballs and spaghetti sauce, its not even close!

The little extra effort it takes to make this classic dish will pay off when you see just how much your kids love this incredible dish!

Fun Recipes To Cook With Kids

The Run Wild My Child Creative Team came together to share some of our favorite recipes. These are all recipes that our children love to eat and help prepare. Not only do each of the following recipes share how kids can help cook it, but they are all tested and loved by the children and families who shared them.

Weve included both desserts and main dish recipes below. There are vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, and meat-filled options. Some of these recipes are great for busy parents that need a quick weeknight meal and some take time. All of them are customizable to fit your own familys needs and tastes. Theyre tried and true and guaranteed to be a big hit with your young chefs.

Photo credit: Tiana Kubik

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Chicken And Stuffing Bake

Leah Maroney

Bring a little taste of Thanksgiving to the weeknight dinner table with this chicken and stuffing casserole. Aromatics like onion, garlic, and celery are sauteed and then layered in a baking dish with chicken, cream of chicken soup, and stuffing mix. The kids will love the creamy mixture and crunchy topping.

Sustainable Kids’ Recipes For Parents And Children To Make Together

As the poet-farmer Wendell Berry reminds us, “eating is an agricultural act” and agriculture can have a tremendous effect on environmental health.

“Eaters,” Berry writes, “must understand that eating takes place inescapably in the world, that it is inescapably an agricultural act, and how we eat determines, to a considerable extent, how the world is used.”

He’s not wrong, but what does all this have to do with introducing kids to meal preparation? Well, Berry gives us a list of things everyone can do to develop a more sustainable relationship with food. The first two items on that list are to grow a garden and to prepare meals at home, where you can choose healthy, locally sourced ingredients with a minimal carbon footprint.

The sooner your kids get started cooking, then, the better off they’ll be and you can say the same about the planet. With that in mind, here are a few recipes that could help your child develop eating habits that are healthy, enjoyable, and environmentally friendly all at once:

1. All-Natural Applesauce

Indulge your kid’s love of applesauce without all that plastic packaging with this delicious, late-summer classic! Visit your local pick-your-own orchard to further reduce transportation emissions associated with this healthy treat which, we should add, has absolutely zero added sugar.

Get the recipe here.

2. Fruit Kebobs with Vanilla-Honey Yogurt

Get the recipe here.

3. Basic and Delicious Tomato Spaghetti

Get the recipe here.

4. Pizza Skewers

Read Also: Easy Vegan Gluten Free Recipes

Bacon Cheeseburger Tater Tot Casserole

Tater tots are another staple kids food thats easy to make.

Now, this is one recipe that youll definitely want to use premade tater tots to save time as homemade versions can take between 30 and 40 minutes just to make by themselves.

Once you have all your ingredients, youll just need to cook your ground beef and then mix it with all your ingredients.

After that, put it in the pan and let it bake.

Once you pull this dish out, the fragrant smells are bound to get everyone excited about dinner.

Easy Recipes To Make With Your Kids

More time inside means more opportunities to make some fun recipes with your kids! These are 20 of my favorites.

Banana Sushi has endless possibilities of combinations and is super fun for kids!

Vegetarian Sandwiches are simple and only require 2 ingredients. See if you can come up with any other fun combinations with your kids!

Frozen Yogurt Fruit Bites can be made into any shape you want! How cute are these unicorns?

Strawberry SunButter Bites are great for working on fine motor skills by rolling them up after you spread the ingredients.

Yellow Rice Cakes are fun for my kids to help mix up the ingredients before we cook them!

Make these Arepas with Pulled Poblano Chicken with my kids is one of my favorite things to do. Patting out the dough is so relaxing and fun!

Any time my kids get to choose topping they are 100% game so these Whole Wheat Pizza Bagels are always a hit!

Rolling these Protein Balls into their shape is a fun activity for little ones! It’s a win-win that they’re also packed with healthy ingredients for their bodies!

Let your little ones choose fruit goes into these homemade Fruit Pop Tarts!

I mean, these No Bake Cookie Dough Balls need no introduction. It’s like sneaking raw cookie dough without the risks!

Who doesn’t love making cookies? Try these Vegan Cowgirl Cookies and thank me later.

Stack you and your kids favorite nacho toppings on these Nacho Scoopers!

Use your cutest cookie cutters to make fun shaped Uncrustables!

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Easy Desserts For Kids

This list of easy desserts for kids are so much fun to make!

This is a great way to get them to learn kitchen skills and get interested in cooking.

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When youre a parent, its nice to have an extra set of hands in the kitchen, but when the kids want to help, things can get a little messy!

Plus, most recipes are simply too complicated for their tiny hands.

These desserts are so simple, theyll be a treat for the adults, too! Theyre mom tested and kid-approved. Enjoy!

Kid Friendly Dinner Recipes: Updated Classics

These classic dishes may sound familiar, but weve upped their flavor, healthfulness, and kid-approvedness in a big way.

• Whats crunchy and juicy and keto all over? These Baked Pecan Chicken Tenders, thats what! Serve them with a side of homemade buttermilk ranch and your kids just might think theyve died and gone to heaven.
• This Turkey Quinoa Meatloaf is protein packed and full of lots of veggies. And the best part? Your kids will never know just how healthy it is.muhahahaha!
• These Steak Bites with Sweet Potatoes are perfectly sized for little mouths and, as an added bonus, are paleo-friendly! Healthy and delicious is something we can all get behind.
• Everyone loves a juicy cheeseburger and we think our Classic Cheeseburger with Secret Sauce is the best!

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Strawberry And Cantaloupe Yogurt Pops

Most kids love fruit, which is why strawberry and cantaloupe yogurt pops make a perfect snack.

Strawberries and cantaloupe are both loaded with fiber, vitamin C, and folate, a B vitamin thats important for growth and development .

Dipping fruit in protein-packed yogurt ups its nutrient content and boosts feelings of fullness.

This easy recipe is appropriate for children of all ages. Kids can cut the fruit, dip it in the yogurt, and slide the fruit onto popsicle sticks, depending on their age.

Many banana bread recipes require multiple steps that can leave your kitchen a mess.

Notably, this healthy recipe requires just one bowl and is kid-friendly.

Its high in protein, fiber, and healthy fats thanks to its almond flour, eggs, and flax meal. As such, its sure to keep your little ones satisfied between meals.

Plus, the dark chocolate chips and banana give this bread a hint of sweetness.

Have your children mash the bananas, measure ingredients, and fold the chocolate chips into the batter. Once its out of the oven, they can top their slices with nut butter for a boost of protein.

Ants on a log, which combines crunchy celery, smooth or chunky nut butter, and sweet, chewy raisins, is a classic snack for many kids.

If your child has a nut allergy, you can fill the celery with cottage cheese, cream cheese, or even mashed avocado for a more savory twist.

This recipe offers many variations of ants on a log sure to please even the pickiest of eaters.

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