whatever

April - My boys are both so young – 2 and 4 – that I will probably give them much of what I had for summer meals growing up! If you plant a garden, we basically lived off that in the summer with veggies going in stir fry or my mom used to bread zucchini, squash, eggplant and fry it up for us to dip in ranch. So good and you could bake instead of frying the veggies.. Neither of my boys like veggies either, but in think will at least try them if they are “dressed up.” Cold cuts, fresh fruit, granola bars (homemade) were always available for snacking too. I have recently been finding good recipes for different popcicles that are basically a fruit and dairy but you could also sneak in some greens if you puree them. The sweetness will overpower the other tastes! My boys eat almost anything off a stick 🙂

Kellie McGarry - Green smoothies are awesome for the summer and they get those veggies without complaining!
Just blend about 1 cup organic spinach with 2 cups of your favorite fruit… add a banana for the creamy texture, and use coconut water, or nut milk (way better tasting and healthier than cow’s milk)… blend it all up.. you can add some honey to make it sweeter if you need to)
I also agree with the others on making your own fruit popsicles.
We like home ade hummus, as well as rolled up deli ham (nitrate free) with avocado slices inside.
Quinoa salad is awesome and so good for you (there are many quinoa recipes and lots of cold ones too).
salmon patties are always a hit, as well as tuna patties

the ramen bitch - Fuck this bitch. Your kids will hate you. Dumb cunt.
#Mac&RamenForever

Torie - My kids like eating what we call PB&J Roll-ups.I take a whole wheat Ortega Tortilla and spread peanut butter and jelly on it and roll it up. You can microwave the tortilla to make it softer if you’d like. They like that with a glass of milk and a cup of fruit yogurt. Simple an easy meal and perfect for a summer day.

Miss Jennifer - Okay, not sure if this is up to date or not, but I just found this blog via pinterest and wanted to share a few favorites… sweet potato fries (peel, slice, bake), panko breaded chicken nuggets (cubes of raw chicken breasts salted, peppered, smothered in honey mustard, and rolled in panko bread crumbs…baked at 375 for about 25 minutes), taco twists (google Taste of Home’s Taco Twists…makes 12 pockets and leftovers can be frozen), apples and other fruit with dip (1 can marshmallow fluff, one small container of strawberry cool whip), grilled cheese on wheat bread, chicken salad in pita pockets…that’s all I’ve got for now! 🙂

Nicole - My boys love lunch meat & cheese rolled up inside crescent rolls. Just bake at the normal temp & time.
They also eat more veggies if they are mixed into some thing else: corn or peas in mashed potatos, broccoli or cauliflower with melted velveta or mixed in stuffing, asparagus cut into bite sized pieces in a chicken cassarole or pasta.
Pizza is great, especially when they get to help make it. I use refrigerated biscuit dough (flatten each one for a bunch of mini pizzas), top with chunky veggie spaghetti sauce and cheese, bake as directed on biscuit can.
Also love caramel corn rice cakes with peanut butter & sliced bananas on top. Yummy!

Shanny - We have very hot summers so I pour yogurt in the popsicle containers and freeze them. They love that for breakfast!

red bottom shoes - Those are super cute. I like you on Facebook.

kristen - I feel your pain…can you post some of the top ideas from readers?! pretty please. that would be great because my eyes will start crossing & twitching if i try to read so many comments. : )

Carol S. - I’m the worst at this. They keep growing, so I take that as a good sign they are getting the basics that they need. I try not to take any one part of my parenting shortfalls too seriously, because I’m so amazing all around (lol). Meals 3-4 nights a week together is my main goal. I have frozen mini pizzas, cereal, bagels, granola bars, pretzels, chips/salsa. I work part time and I’m not positive what my 17 and 12 yr old are having for lunch while I’m away.

Julieunruly1 - Deli meat (turkey is our fave) slathered with a bit of honey mustard and wrapped around a pretzel stick, fruit mixed with cool whip, Graham crackers topped with peanut butter and or nutella and banana, cheese cubes and little smokies on a stick, tuna or chicken or egg salad on crackers/pitas/croissants etc., smoothies. That’s all I’ve got for now. Great post…. Lots of great ideas!!!

Melissa - We have started grililng flatbread pizzas. We have a ton of toppings to choose from then the kids make there own (mine are 2 and 3, and they eat about 5 things, one of which is pizza.) Since the flatbreads are already cooked you are just heating up the toppings and melting the cheese. The grill makes the pizza’s crispy and yummy. I guess you could also make these in the oven, but it makes us feel more summery doing them on the grill.

melanie - love all the suggestions.
we seem to eat lot of bananas and apples.
and i think that if i give my kids toothpicks as utensils, they will eat anything! anyone else noticed that?

amanda - have youo tried the cc cookie recipe w/ the chick peas? they are soooo good and I SWEAR you/your kids will never know or taste them! the recipe is from the Decepitely Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld! Try, they wont disappoint! 🙂

amy - My kids love piggies in a blanket {hot dogs cut in half and then wrapped with a crescent roll and baked according to the package. I buy the hot dogs with no nitrates or the angus ones….is there any such thing as a “healthy” hot dog? 😉
Recently at my daughter’s birthday party the kids made their own trail mix. I put out spanish peanuts, marcona almonds, dried pineapple, craisins, yogurt raisins, mini marshmallows, pretzel fishies, banana chips, and coconut m&m’s. They loved it and they can pick and choose to come up with their own concoction.
Sloppy joe’s. Build-your-own taco bar. Bean and cheese burritos. Grilled cheese dippers {cut off the crust and then cut into thin strips} my kids dip in ketchup or serve with tomato soup. Lettuce wraps http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/five-ingredient-recipes/teriyaki-turkey-lettuce-wraps. Peanut butter and banana smoothie: http://flipflopfollies.com/?p=2455.
Good Luck!

stephanie d - fruits with dips (yogurt, pudding, nutella, pb, pb&honey)
greek yogurt with addins (smashed fruit, honey, nuts, dried fruit)
homemade bagel pizzas
homemade fruit leather
wormy hotdogs are a fun treat (i toss them in ketchup for a more “wormy” color) http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/worms-on-a-bun-715226/
thanks for writing this post…there are a gazillion great ideas on here that will help me throught the summer!

Tara - yeah…our kids are alike in this way. two of us like veggies, and it’s me and our daughter, who is 4!!!
you’ve got a TON of response from this….looks like you need to do this every week…PLEASE.

Carrie Holler - Megan, if mac and cheese works, go for it! If you don’t add in the fat (butter, whole milk), it is a healthy snack/meal. OR, make your own, using whole grain pasta and a low fat cheese. Em is THE pickiest child ever, and it drives her nutritionist mamma crazy. I sneak in whole grain any time I can. (I also add pureed cooked carrots, onions and mushrooms to my spaghetti or pizza sauce and she can’t tell the difference!) Just my 2 cents worth!

Kara Paslay - FROZEN GRAPES!!! There cheap, fun to eat, and healthy! I love them!

Becky - I just tried this from once a month mom…spray a flour tortilla with nonstick cooking spray and sprinkle well with cinnamon sugar. Turn it over and glob on some jam (I used strawberry freezer jam) just left of center; top with some vanilla yogurt. Roll, starting from the left. Freeze for at least a half hour (you can wrap in plastic wrap if you want to keep them on hand). My five year old loved it; it was a little crazy for my 2 year old 🙂 The original recipe said to use fruit, but I think that might make for some weirdly inconsistent textures. This is a great muffin recipe http://leahs-ideas.blogspot.com/2011/03/not-too-branny-bran-muffins.html Sometimes I sprinkle the tops with cinnamon sugar, or if I’m the super nice mom, I’ll put a few chocolate chips in each muffin and my girls think they’re having chocolate chip muffins 🙂 I especially like that the batter can be stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Kelly - Chicken salad sandwiches are quick and easy. You can get canned chicken, and if you put grapes in it…you can pass it off with the fruit card!

deb meyers - yogurt and cottage cheese mixed, too. Ups the protein factor without having to go the greek yogurt route.

Tiffany - No way you cut back on cereal? Honey Nut Cheerios are a crowd favorite. My youngest (12) would DIE!!!!
Pasta with red sauce, white sauce, meat sauce, garlic sauce?
Chicken Salad. Pasta salad. Macaroni salad with tuna, yummm. Waffles. I love the idea of salads (top with buffalo chix tenders) then ranch. mmmm. Veggies and dip? Summer fruit is awesome. Watermelon. Cherries. Strawberries. Rotisserie chickens ($6) EASY! Cheese and crackers. Luncheon meat (my kids won’t eat it though). BLTs. Nutella sammiches. Bagels and cream cheese. I also agree that homemade quesadillas are a great idea and easy. What about crockpot stuff, BBQ pulled pork or chicken. I think that’s my whole fridge, if I come up with something else, I know where to find you.

Jill - Snacks: smoothies, watermelon, strawberries, cinnamon monkey bread (made with refrigerated biscuit dough; not healthy), fiber one bars. I think you said 5 so there are 5 that regularly make the rounds here. As far as a meal….lunch or dinner? I will assume lunch since I HATE making lunches in the summer. First, my kids rotate making lunch for everyone (sometimes I have to help). They are 15, 13 and 11. 5 lunches: fried rice with whatever leftover meat and vegetables we have in the house, turkey dogs, quesadillas with whatever meat we have leftover, chicken and cucumber wraps with a dill sauce you can make in 5 minutes and today we’re having potstickers (we wrapped them last night; my two youngest LOVE doing these).

Patricia - WOW!!! You got some really great suggestions here!! I didn’t read through them all. But I will and put this in my faves!
For easy goes to without prep and independant hands……
cereal bars/granola bars
and pre-made fruit salad for breakfast. Then they can help themselves!!!
Keep things available, fresh and ready. Take the few minutes in the morning and it will pay off during the day!! Promise. Love when I can tell my son it’s in the fridge all set!!
Hope everyone was a big help!

Deb - deviled, pickled eggs? My family loves em. Also, my new fave….ready for this? Kale chips! Line a cookie sheet with foil that has been sprayed. Wash and dry kale leaves{having picked off the stems} spray or drizzle with olive oil, sea salt and parmesian cheese. bake @ 250 for 20 min. Do not overbake. My first attempt at making these, I ate the entire batch myself! You will love them too!

Molly - My kids really like mini-quiches. Like these, but I made them in a mini-muffin tins: http://www.breakfastbunchhandmade.com/2008/08/mini-crustless-spinach-quiche.html They are adorable and easy. I freeze them after cooking and then pop them in the oven at 400 for about 10 minutes when I want to reheat. I don’t like the texture of eggs, but these are yummy! You can also use sausage or whatever your kids like.

Ali B - Easy snacks:
– panini sandwiches – there are so many options… turkey and cheese for traditional, or go crazy with turkey and cheese and pesto. These dipped in some yummy tomato soup of the roasted red pepper soup from trader joes is heaven! You can also make peanut butter and banana paninis, and throw in a little nutella for an extra treat. With whole wheat bread or real sourdough bread it is healthier.
– hummus with blue corn chips and lots of veggies to dip (sweet red peppers and carrots are my fave)
– slice up a bunch of apples and pears, and put out a fruit and nuts tray with slices of cheese (even string cheese). I like spicy pepperjack cheese with almonds as a snack, but my kids prefer string cheese
– smoothies!!! Keep tons of frozen fruit and plain yogurt around for this. Almond milk is great in smoothies too.
– have the kids bake banana bread or pumpkin bread and freeze some. Same goes for healthy pancakes. Triple the batch and freeze them so that they can be tossed in the toaster oven and eaten when hungry. To boost the nutritional value, spread with peanut butter (real peanut butter!!!) and maple syrup. Oh heaven!!!
-english muffin pizzas – toast the muffins and spread marinara and cheese and bake until ready. 🙂
Or, you can also make whole wheat pita bread pizzas the same way, but they have a thinner and crispier crust and are BIGGER for hungry boys. These can be done on the grill too and is great for a crowd of kids. Just set up the “build your own pizza” bar and have them build and then place them on the grill or in the oven til toasty. A great use of leftover chicken!
– we do mexican night at least one night a week. The easiest version is me putting chicken in the crock pot (even frozen) and dumping a couple of jars of my favorite salsa over it. Cook on low all day and in the afternoon take two forks and shred the chicken. You can use this in tacos, or nachos or burritos and it is great for lunches the next day too – tacos, nachos, burritos, quesadillas, etc. My kids lOVE it.
I cannot wait to see all the other ideas. 🙂
– Oh, and for your rainbow love – put a bunch of fruit out that has been sliced up and let the kids build rainbow kabobs. Yum.
– you can take watermelon wedges and stick a popsicle stick in it and then freeze it and it makes a yummy treat.
-French toast with cinnamon swirl bread is good too. At least there is some protein in the eggs, which helps from getting hungry too soon.

jennmarie - Home made lunchables. Any and all lunch meat any kind of cheese you like different kinds crackers, pita, english muffins. All kinds of dips and dressings. As your kids find their favorite kinds youbcan let that be what you put out. I will let them use cookie cutters to make it more fun.
English muffin pizzas add what ever you like I make my own sauce and hide veggies in it.
I make tons of quick breads …. banana, zucchini, carrot, chocolate chip bread. It does go fast but it is easy enough to make.
New obsession is blueberry biscuits. We are going to try new flavors soon.
Always have cut up apples with dips: honey, peanut butter, nutela. And nuts all kinds shelled peanuts slow everyone down. And pretzles with dips honey mustard and sweet dips always a hit.
Good luck I didn’t list stuff I saw others post.

Karyn - We love smoothies – and I do smuggle spinach in there with berries (just need to make sure there’s enough berries to hide the green). We sometimes freeze the leftover as popsicles. For lunch/dinner (an idea I got from my parents) try burrito bowls. We use leftover rice, black beans, corn, cheese, chicken/beef/sausage (or no meat), tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, guac, etc. We just keep all the ingredients chopped in containers in the fridge and everyone layers whatever they want in their bowl before heating it up. DELISH!

happygirl - Blueberries, black olives, green smoothies, nuts, pb&j

Carrie - Do they like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? If you have or can purchase a Pampered Chef press and seal, you can make your own uncrustables.
Prepare a whole loaf at once, place in a ziploc (or plastic wrap) and freeze.
With the crusts that you cut off, just place in the food processor and make your own breadcrumbs.
Peanut butter, banana, and honey rollups are a great snack/lunch.

Carrie - My kids LOVED these zucchini fries!!!!!! I couldn’t believe it!
http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/zucchini-fries-10000001831902/

April M - lots of great suggestions here! saw some things we already do and some we need to try!
not sure if anyone mentioned edamame already. my kids eat it faster than I can make it
(the way they eat it up reminds me of the way they eat popcorn!)
we buy the frozen kind and quick simmer it on the stove.
we eat it without salt but you can add salt or other flavors.
sometimes we eat it as a snack and sometimes it’s a side dish
happy summer

Randi - Will they eat low-fat cottage cheese? My kids love that with fresh fruit added in. Vanilla yogurt is also great with fresh fruit.
Hummus and carrots or hummus and pretzels.
My twins love PB&J but I try to mix it with fresh fruit on the side to balance it out. 🙂
Peanut butter and banana smoothies are a favorite for my kids: I blend 2 cups of low-fat milk with a cup of ice, a banana, about 1/4-1/2 cup of PB, and a squirt of honey. They’ll eat it for a meal.

missb - I feel your pain, it is not always easy to please everyone.
I’ve got a lunch blog.
Hope it will give you ideas.
There is also a snack ideas page.
http://ideesalunch.blogspot.com/
Keep up the good work!
Hope you’ll tell us what you tried from all the comments, and what works for your family.

Erika - SNACKS:
Homemade granola is a hit. – http://thesapps.blogspot.com/2011/03/granola.html
homemade granola bars (also a hit)- http://cherishedmystery.blogspot.com/2011/04/delightful-surprise-and-faithful.html
LUNCH:
quesadillas. (which are really just regular lunch stuff grilled in tortillas)
bean salad or pasta salad. You can make a batch and have a quick lunch for a few days. –
http://thesapps.blogspot.com/2009/05/when-you-have-plethora-of-cilantro.html
lentil tacos – cook a bag of lentils (about 20 minutes) and season it with taco seasoning. Use like you would taco meat…stuff in tortillas, etc. Sounds wierd, but it is DELISH.

Kim - My kids and I enjoy snacking on;
frozen grapes
pickles(they count as a veggie)wrap a slice of turkey around for some added protein
edamame
salsa with baked chips
nuts-in moderation of course
Good luck

asibtroy - I love your Craft thursdays – maybe you can do a FOOD CRAFT! 🙂
“Picnic” is a huge hit at my house. BIG FANCY PLATE (i use a cut glass or a fancy summer platter I have from PB) with anything fresh sliced up – cherry tomato, cucumber, olives(he hasn’t touched those yet but I keep trying), avocado, blueberries, any berry really, banana, orange etc. The staples which make it a picnic are a hunk of french bread and some kind of cheese – so far I’ve gotten my two year old hooked on brie, new zeland cheddar, sliced munster, sliced havarti, and various goat cheeses. Not to mention the new found love of RED Peppers dipped/wrapped in cheese.
And then we sit UNDER THE TABLE on rainy days and out in the back yard on nice days and enjoy the food!
Pizza, Quesadilla, Taco – all make your own is super fun.
I see a lot of ppl are mentioning popcorn – you can also do a popcorn “bar” and try making different kinds of popcorn. Cajun spices or Mexican that you’d use on chicken or pork are usually really amazing. But you can also do cinnamon and toss with some vanilla extract (pure if you can). Drizzle with dark chocolate and take to the drive in! There are about a million combos!
If you want to get really swank you can have the kids make their own paper cone to put their popcorn creation in.
You can also “FOTAY” – Figure out the Appetizer yourself – and leave out some ingredients and see what they come up with…
Yay! Can’t wait to see what all you try!

Rebecca - -english muffin pizzas: toasted english muffins, canned pizza sauce, shredded cheese, kids choose toppings
-apples with peanut butter
-tacos (I haven’t met a kid who won’t go for tacos, and they are easy and relatively cheap)
-cheese roll ups are my secret weapon: for each kid, cut one piece of string cheese into four pieces and cut one piece of bologna into quarters; wrap each cheese stick in a piece of meat and close with a toothpick. I serve these with a handful of pretzels and they are happy (and satisfied!! I swear, if they eat string cheese and bologna the “regular” way, they want several pieces of each. cute presentation saves me money!)
Good luck!

Elizabeth - 1. Burritos for dinner..they are easy and you can customize them to anyone’s liking…and they can be so healthy!!
2. Always have cut up fruit just sitting out…the kids love to just graze on it!! And you can always throw it into the blender with some yogurt for a smoothie…everyone loves a summer smoothie!
3. Pesto…I make pesto with homemade pasta and homemade french bread at least once a week…my kids love “the green sauce”…and the leftovers are fantastic on toasted bread or with grape tomatoes!!
4. Fried tomatoes with corn on the cob….with rice…never white rice…..always brown rice…this is my children’s favorite summer meal!!
5. Curried tofu with bananas…another favorite dish!!
(We are vegetarian..so we eat a lot of veggies, rice, tofu…etc.!)
Good luck!

Misty Schluchter - We get creative with quesadillas! Use whole wheat tortillas to make them a little healthier. We fill them with things such as:
peanut butter, honey and banana
marshmellow fluff or cream cheese and berries
any kind of cheese with any kind of meat (chicken, ground beef or turkey, bacon, shrimp, hot dogs, etc), beans, and veggies
and our favorite- filled with mozzarella, marinara, and pepperoni
Hope this helps! My picky eaters enjoy them 🙂

Amber - There are a TON of ideas on here! Awesome! So…no one may ever read this:), but I’ll add peanut butter pretzels to the list. Protein & snacky. Also…rachael ray’s kettle corn is awesome. Kashi has a new berry cereal out my kids are crazy about & the deceptively delicious cookbooks are a lot of fun. Not super convenient, but easy if you plan ahead. There ya go….have fun!

christi @ burlap and basil - what a struggle! i wonder if your kids would be more into veggies {carrots, cucumber} if you had a garden? but … here are some favorites in my house with the nieces and nephews.
nature’s valley oat n honey granola bars – they are actually pretty good for you
trail mix – buy the individual items at costco and make your own
mac n cheese … but we use elbow noodles and velveeta so it cuts out the cost of prepackaged. we always add applesauce on top!
grilled cheese on whole wheat
celery and peanut butter
grapes, apples
with cutting out cereals, what about making large batches of homemade pancakes and waffles, freeze them, and let the kids eat them for breakfast/lunch/snack? they heat up in the toaster really well.
yogurt – frozen with a spoon in it is a great smoothie for hot days and just in the fridge for snacks.
good luck!

Short, Sweet Season - 1. Make the King Arthur Whole Wheat no-knead bread with your kids as a “craft” project. 🙂 Then slice it, spread it with almond or peanut butter, and put sliced strawberries on top. Very filling and nutritious.
2. Put two tablespoons of popcorn kernels in a brown paper lunch sack and microwave for 1 minute. Have the littler ones grate some parmesan cheese and then have fun mixing the popcorn with the grated cheese, a little melted butter or olive oil, and a sprinkling of salt.
3. Have whole grain waffle sandwiches with peanut butter (protein!) and sliced bananas.
4. Greek yogurt layered with frozen mango cubes (super cheap from Sam’s or Costco) and topped with Bare Naked granola.
5. Make your own chewy granola bars. They’re really easy and there are good recipes online. Maybe make a kid-pleasing flavor like chocolate cherry, using dried no-sugar-added cherries and DARK chocolate shards?

dian oliver - wow! so many suggestions! i’ve thought about it…being from the south, how about biscuits? with butter andjelly. or with sausage gravy??? not too healthy, but every once in a while. how about cheese grits? yummy. grilled cheese…maybe with some deli ham? on wholewheat, of course. fresh peaches and vanilla yogurt. blackberries and yogurt with some crunchy cereal on top. breakfast pizza is good, too. homemade waffles with pecans. or pancakes. and chocolate chips>???? enjoy!

Sugar Mama - SO funny you posted this because just last night I bought Ramen noodles AND mac & cheese for my kids. A LOT of it. I don’t let them eat it through the school year. So I figured, what the heck.
I’ll have to look through these comments and get some ideas.

Alice H - My daughter has gotten into quesadillas!! She loves PW Salsa so I keep that on hand. She heats up a little butter in a skillet, adds the flour tortilla, shredded cheese (we shred our own), and sometimes canned chicken or leftover chicken. My son Loves fruit so as soon as I buy it I wash it and get it ready how he will eat it. Like slice up strawberries, cut the kiwi up, etc and I store it in airtight containers. They also like turkey/ham sandwiches with chips. You could do a trail mix thing too. My son also loves eating crackers, cheese and peanut butter. We don’t buy the prepackaged ones. We do them using saltines, sliced cheese and jar of peanut butter. My daughter also like dipping pretzels in cream cheese.

Nicole - We live on quesadillas and sandwiches (cold traditional or toasted, open-faced, etc). I also often make a big pot of soup (any kind- we like potato & bacon with carrots) and we eat off of that for a week. I try to make food look pretty to entice my son to try it (he is 4 yrs old). I stock the fridge every Sunday with healthy fridge snacks in little bags (indiv portions of raw fruits, veggies, boiled eggs, string cheese, etc). I do the same with pantry items (raisins, dried fruits, nuts, crackers, etc). This way we can grab and go, or my son can get his own snack if I am otherwise occupied. I also prepare a bunch of chicken breasts, boneless pork, etc and cut it to 4-5oz portions that can be reheated throughout the week. I think the key is a chunk of time for preparation so the rest of the week is easier. And if there are things you don’t want them to eat, don’t have it in the house because they will gravitate toward what is easy and familiar. 🙂

sharron - make your own pizza’s using bagels..you can use the small ones too…set up all of the toppings and let everyone make their own then pop ’em into the oven or toater oven. my kids loved these when they were younger…a “make your own set up” works well for so many different recipes! you can do quesidilla’s..wraps..sandwiches..omelettes etc..we also have breakfast for lunch or dinner some days.
hard boiled eggs in the fridge are an easy snack too and they can make their own egg slad sammies with them too!
i came from a large family and was very picky so i lived off of peanut butter for a long time!
looks like everyone left you some great ideas!
let us know which ones u try and what works!!
happy sunday!

beki - cut up fruit, cheese, ham, and crackers are always a hit with my kids. I’ll fix a big platter at lunch time and we’re good to go!

Colleen - Our favorite afternoon snacks are smoothies (with greens sneaked in), Chocolate dipped banana popsicles, carrots sticks, raisins, and lots of fresh fruit.

Ali - Sandwich bins – You might grab a medium/large size open top tupperware or organizing bin, throw in a bunch of different deli meat, or sliced up chicken breast, bacon strips, etc.
Then add in sliced cheese, like colby jack, muenster, provolone and cheddar.
Tuck in a squeeze bottle of mayo, mustard, or red wine vinegear & oil squeeze bottles (those are great for Italian style sandwiches).
On the counter you can have one or two types of sandwich bread, a few tomatoes, an avocado or two and a red onion.
That way they can pull out the bin and have a ton of sandwich making stuff right there. If they don’t know what to make, stick an index card in the front with suggestions, like what stuff to use for an Italian sandwich (salami, provolone, olives, oil & red wine vinegar) or Chicken breast slices, bacon & cheddar sandwich. Stuff like that.
It is a lot less intimidating to make a big sandwich like that when everything is in one place (in the bin) and they have some ideas as to what to make.

The Countess of Nassau County - Great question. I’m inspired by all the great suggestions.
Snacks –
Green grapes, especially good if frozen
popcorn, not microwave, the kind you make on the stove
trail mix
apples
pears
Meals – I’m lucky here, my kids are total champs in the eating department so I can get away with a lot more variety than some other households.
Pulled pork – I make this often in the summer because I can use a crockpot and make all kinds of lunches and dinners.
Poached chicken – Every Sunday I poach a bag of chicken thighs and cut them up to use throughout the week for salads, wraps, whatever.
String beans – ALWAYS in my house in either a fresh or frozen state as a side, muchie, stir fry. Great with a little tofu and hoisin sauce.
Pesto – pasta with pesto is great hot or cold.
Fish tacos – My husband is from CA so these are an institution in my house. You can fry the fish, grill the fish, whatever and then just add some salsa, avocado and your done.

Rachel J - When I nannyed for 6 children, summers were a struggle! Apples with peanut butter were a big hit and so was popcorn. I made ants on a log, with pb, celery and raisins or I would have a fruit salad in the fridge. Also, try making your own popsicles. With lemonade concetrate or make one of your famous smoothies and freeze! Voila!

Sandy W - One thing I like to do is buy some of those premade pizza crusts in 100% whole wheat. You just rub with olive oil and add whatever toppings you want and they cook in 10 minutes. He also likes Wheat Thin sticks dipped in soft cheese with lots of fruit on the side. Good luck!

jess - wowza!!!! coming back to check out all the comments!!!! how about a homemade chex mix with nuts, pretzels, and chex cereal…i know my kids love crunchy stuff! and we make lots of rice crispi squares with diffirent low sugar cereals like cheerios.

stephanie - We pretty much do the same thing here most days but they don’t complain so I don’t rock the boat at lunch. (Dinner is another matter). : )
-chicken nuggets (I have one that is addicted)
-sandwiches (pb&j, meat & cheese)
-quesadillas (I don’t even get out the pan – I just make them in the microwave since it’s quicker)
-pancakes/waffles
-egg in a hole
-hot dogs
-nachos
That’s about the extent of my kid lunch suggestions off the top of my head. I can’t wait to hear what other suggest.

kae - hello! i’m a vegetarian & my 2 year old loves everything i eat so i hope i can help in some way.
for breakfast our favorites are oatmeal, with brown sugar, soymilk or almond milk & add any fruits.
we also love yogurt with granola and fruits.
for snacks we love apples/bananas with peanut butter…hummus & pita bread…fruit salad…smoothies…anything with nutella like, banana & nutella panini…sweet potato fries (baked)
and for meals we love vegetables (usually brocolli, carrots, spinach, peppers) sauteed with garlic, onions, & oyster sauce. you can also add in any meats. eat that with rice and its so good.
anything with squash (like butternut squash soup) is always delicious!
have you tried grilled cheese with vegetables? like grilled cheese with tomatoes? that is always yummy!
eggplant parmesan…spaghetti…ummm..these are all i can think of for now. i’ll drop by if anything else comes to mind. good luck!!

Gabi - I confess were sukers for cereal and syrup laden pancakes and waffles, those I freeze. Smoothies are good as is home made iced coffee. For lunch we do egg salads, and blt, grilled cheese, quesadillas with copped tomato and onion (vinegar and oil) pico de gallo, which they love. Were puertorrican so we do lots of rice but my favorite is arroz guisado with hot dogs or sausage and corn fritters. They do enjoy a chef salad loaded with ham cheese and dressing but I’ve gotten them to eat raw broccoli. The slaw has 3 tbsp of mayo, 3 tbsp red wine vinegar, 2 tsp sugar,1/2 tsp of salt and fresh black pepper to taste, and one big bunch of broccoli chopped really small, although I’m convinced they just eat it because I tell them errr, beg them to please not eat my little trees. We also love pasta with bacon peas and red onion with a cream and Parmesan sauce, the 2 year old only eats the green balls as she calls them. And lately we’ve been into corn on the cob and bean salsa, it just assorted caned drained rinsed beans with oil and vinegar and chopped veg, like peppers, onion, olives, tomato…

Jacci - WOW! You’ve had a ton of responses! I don’t have time right now to read thru them all to see if I’m repeating (I probably am!), so here it goes…
*Chicken and cheese quesadillas with fruit kabobs (make extra xhicken breasts one night when you have them for dinner and then just have one of the kids shred the leftovers for the quesadillas). We make ours on 2 big griddles.
*beans & rice served with guacamole and tortilla chips(can you start trying to switch to brown rice? maybe it can be a goal to get to by the end of summer? it’s easier if it’s in a flavored version, like brown rice with salsa and garlic powder stirred in). Not sure if they’ll eat guacamole, but my kiddos love it and it has lots of good fats for their little brains 🙂
*mini pizzas made with whole grain english muffins. Annie & Talby could make these. Just spread with a little pizza sauce and top w/ mozzerella then bake in the oven or toaster oven. Maybe they’d eat carrot and celery sticks with a dip (?) or just with ranch dressing.
Hope it helps!

Debbie - I really struggle with this, too, especially because I don’t like cooking! I just tried these homemade Egg McMuffins, though, and the kids devoured them! We had them for lunch. 🙂
Crack one egg into each cup of a muffin tin. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Then toast some buttered english muffins in the oven. Fry some thin sausage patties, or bacon, or turkey bacon, if you like. Assemble into sandwiches, and you’re done!
(P.S. Cooking eggs is really hard on teflon-coated muffin tins. I learned that the hard way!)

Amy - As a kid I always loved (and still love) pita bread pizza. Buy some pita bread, a jar of pizza sauce and whatever toppings you want. Everyone can make their own and then broil for 5ish minutes…until the cheese is melted, and browned if you want. 🙂

Debra - My daughter isn’t terribly picky, thankfully but we have our days! A sample day here is:
Breakfast-1/2 bagel w/light cream cheese, 1/2 apple,water
Lunch:turkey,cheese,lettuce rolled in tortilla, carrots&ranch, watermelon,water
Dinner:grilledd salmon, veggies,fruit
I buy everything in season and/ or on sale. I also stopped buying mac n cheese & she’s gotten used to it. Check out Jessica Seinfelds cookbook for ways to ‘hide’ veggies in dishes-she has some good ideas.
For snacks we have popcorn, bananas w/ peanut butter, popsicles made w/ orange juice.
Good luck! 🙂

Meg T - My kids wont eat veggies but they will eat the snap pea crisps I get a Trader Joes! YUM and I think they even have some decent protein in them.

mel - Hey! Here is a recipe for a fast easy healthy snack! http://kidscooking.about.com/od/healthysnacks/ss/healthy-snack-recipes-for-kids_8.htm

leigh - Okay you will probably get a lot better comments than this one BUT…with all my nannying experience (ha!) this is what I do…
-trail mix/peanuts
-hummus and pita chips
-carrots and ranch
-apples and pb…I would use an apple cutter and only cut it like most of the way so it was an apple “flower”
-turkey and ranch wraps
-pasta with butter and parm cheese
-pretzel chips
-nachos
-mini pizzas maybe? I never made them for my kiddos but with your 5 it would be more fun

Amy Slavik - Is an avocodo a fruit or a veggie? I think fruit. Anyhow, I found this recipe and tried it this morning and it was delish!
Avocado Smoothie
In a blender combine a peeled and pitted avocado with 1 cup each milk and ice cubes, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Blend until smooth. Makes 3 servings (or rather one full drinking glass)
btw, just googled it and an avocado is “a fruit that tastes like a vegetable”. But I still think it’s worth a shot. Maybe you can fool them 😉
Good luck!

Jenna - Awesome iseas! We like frozen bananas with a bit of melted chocolate…. frozen bananas are also great to toss in smoothies.

Kelli Ross - Every week- I make a veggie tray, and I put it out around 10:30am-ish on the counter- and everyone snacks on it…. everyone- even my “non-veggie” eaters. WHY? Because it’s available, and easy.

Lisa - here are some websites that have really great recipes 🙂
http://www.howsweeteats.com/
http://smittenkitchen.com/
http://www.bakersroyale.com/
http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/
http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node
http://tastykitchen.com/
http://www.ourbestbites.com/

karen - good idea meg! now i too can get some great ideas!
1. grilled cheese…you can go exotic on this one. I like tomato in mine.
2. hummus and veg sticks…or baba ganoush and veg …even with pita.
3. what about deli sandwiches…Mortadella and Provolone is the best in fresh italian bread.
4. tempura style veggies…i know most of them don’t like veg…but if you batter it and coat it with Panko bread crumbs them deep fry..so friggen goood!
5. Chicken caesar salads…left over chicken with your fav toppings on greens.
Picky eaters, open your eyes…you are missing a world of goodness out there. Good luck Meg. I’m so hungry now!

Kelly - p.s. Quaker Oats Oatmeal Squares cereal, the brown sugar kind is really yummy dry or in milk. Not the cheapest but not the sugary/empty carb-est either. 🙂 Kelly

Katie @ Kitchen Stewardship - Holy moly! You’ve got an awful lot of ideas here…I saw some clicks coming through from your site and wondered who had written what about me 😉 and I was one of the recipes in the comments (granola bars). I actually have an eBook called “Healthy Snacks to Go” with a bunch of recipes and simple ideas, and I’d love to send you a review copy. I can’t find your email, though, so I’m trying a comment and hoping you’ll get a hold of me. Let me know if you’re interested! 🙂 Katie

Necole - My children never get tired of fruit salad. Cheese and crackers have always been a great hit at my house. Apples and peanut butter. Our most favorite thing to make is trail mix. You can find an easy recipe just about anywhere. Try some ranch dressing with the vegetables. My kids will eat just about anything with ranch!

krystall - Girl, you are in my mind I swear! Same problem here and I am very excited to read all the tips after I clean up the McDonald’s wrappers from dinner tonight:)

Angela - How about ICE CREAM for breakfast? Peel spotty bananas, throw in a Ziploc bag, freeze overnight. Throw frozen bananas into a food processor and puree until they look like ice cream. Yummy! You can add other frozen fruit for a sorbet-like treat. Bluberries are good. You can also add a heaping spoon of unsweetened cocoa powder and a splash of real maple syrup or honey to make chocolate “ice cream”. If you don’t have a food processor you can do this in a blender but need to add a few splashes of milk to get it going. Happy snacking!

iclamp - Clearly you have many comments already, but just in case it hasn’t been said already – let me just say “snack plate”. The mere mention of it sends my kids into a tizzy, and whatever I put on this “snack plate” they will gobble up in seconds. Cheese cubes, pepper strips, crackers, cucumber coins, berries, tiny cubes of low-fat kielbasa, hummous, apple wedges, a ramekin of peanut butter. They don’t even realize they are eating a well-rounded meal. And – so easy to prep and clean up. My kids are 6 and 9, they do half the prep on their own now so the work for me is minimal. Make it a picnic and they love it even more….

Sarah - Nigella Lawson!
Try her:
Ritzy Chicken nuggets (feast)
muffin recipes (all her books)
pancake mix (Nigella Express)
toad in the whole (Nigella Kitchen)
salami pasta (Nigella Kitchen)
Chicken Caccitore (N Express)
… shoot, so many things to mention!

Jen - It’s been said before, but we do yogurt with granola and fruit – it may help stretch the dollar when buying fresh fruit if nothing else.
Also, I know moms who do “nights”: Meatball Monday, Taco Tuesday, etc. Maybe within that framework you can try turkey meatballs, vegetarian meatballs, then fish tacos, fajitas, etc. and see if that helps stretch the palate.

mandy friend - my kids could eat noodles ( barilla plus so it’s healthy) with butter and parmsesean EVERY DAY! i buy smart balance butter too, so they are getting a somewhat healthy way easy meal:)

Jenny B. - I don’t cook, so this is really basic stuff I do for lunches (my husband cooks dinner). We do a lot of PB&Js or Ham & Cheese sandwiches. We buy our bread from the Walmart Bakery (our favorite is the Italian loaf), and have them slice it for us. It’s much tastier than regular sandwich bread. We keep it in the fridge so it doesn’t mold too fast. We use cheddar cheese on the sandwiches. Sometimes we do cheese and crackers and/or peanut butter crackers (2 Ritz with pb in the middle) with a piece of lunchmeat rolled up instead of sandwiches. On the side, we have fresh fruit or Craisins, and sometimes olives or pickles. They also like yogurt, and we have popcorn, mixed nuts, or granola bars for snack a lot.

amy jupin - al fresco brand sundried tomato chicken sausages. i was shocked but they love them!
make your own pizzas on whole wheat naan bread. i stick them under the broiler for a minute until the cheese melts and they gobble them up. i always offer different ingredients, ham/pineapple, prosciutto/parmesan, fresh mozzarella/basil from the garden.
crock pot pork bbq. throw a pork butt or shoulder in the crock pot.
cook for 6-8 hours on low. pull it out, shred it, throw it back in with a bottle of bbq sauce. let it warm up again and eat it on hamburger buns. good stuff.
grilled chicken and cheese quesadillas. sometimes i use leftover chicken cut into strips, sometimes i cheat and use tyson frozen strips zapped in the microwave. i can make LOTs of these and then they can snack on them for a day or two.
snacks: anna will eat baby carrots and light ranch dressing. but the other kids will gag on them. haha! i keep lots of fruit in the house. bananas, strawberries, pineapple, pears, tangerines, nectarines, red grapes, gala apples.
frozen grapes are yummy. so are homemade fruit bars. stick a plastic spoon in a yogurt cup and freeze, then remove the plastic container and eat like a popsicle.
i’m not really shocked at the big response here–i think we all struggle with this. just writing this response proved to me that we do not eat very healthy at all. way too much processed foods. makes me feel sick thinking about it. but here’s my main helpful hint (that i am going to work on too), shop the perimeter of the grocery store the MOST. that’s where the good stuff is. the aisles are what we want to avoid.
a great site i love is cookingwithmykid.com
we have tried several recipes and each were simple, healthful, and plain–in a good way that kids enjoy.
good luck this summer. i feel your pain! 🙂

Heather Crawford - We do quasadillas a lot too…
One of our favorite things is to buy the small premade pizza crusts and everyone makes their own pizzas…10 minutes in the oven and you are done! I do those a lot when we have kid’s friends over…the kids usually are boring and just do sauce and cheese, sometimes pepparoni, but my husband and I deck ours out with the above plus bell pepper, onion, olives, etc…so good..you can even turn it into a little activity and set out all the toppings in bowls and have a “pizza party”…

Andrea R - Wraps – even a ham & cheese sandwich is transformed when you put it on tortilla & roll it up! You can add tomatoes, cucumbers, or whatever! We use shredded cheese instead of slices on our wraps. Other ideas for wrapping are chicken caesar wraps or tuna salad.
English muffin pizzas – everyone makes their own.
Quesadillas
Pasta salad
Check out a kids’ cookbook from the library & have them each take a day. Sometimes the pictures are so enticing that kids will try something new!

melissa*320 sycamore - Such great ideas posted here! Just made a list for ourselves for this summer:
* air popped popcorn with different toppings (parm cheese, butter, seasoned salt, sugar & cinnamon, etc
*smoothies~when fruit gets really ripe, stick it in the freezer and it is perfect to throw in
*nuts in shells~get a nutcracker and then it keeps them occupied as well. It’s fun to try different kinds of nuts
*cheese rollups~not the healthiest, but we get the little flour tortillas from walmart and sprinkle some cheese down the middle (and salsa if you want, but my kids mostly don’t), microwave for abt 15 seconds, roll it up. yum. you can also put pepperoni or deli meat in them with the cheese. If you’re feeling really wicked, let them put sprinkle some brown sugar and butter on the tortillas and then melt it…yum.
*hummus and celery or carrots. You can get hummus recipes online or buy it at the store
*frozen grapes
*homemade popsicles with fruit juice
*graham crackers and milk
*sweet potato fries! The hardest part is cutting them up, but they are sooo good. we love the ones from ourbestbites.com with the dip
*breadsticks are actually really easy to make and you can do garlic/parm cheese type toppings or cinnamon and sugar.

Chauncey - Our favorites are:
– cheese quesadillas (you can put anything in these, really)
– cheese and pepperoni cracker sandwiches (our own Lunchables)
– peanut butter crackers with celery and raisins
– apples with peanut butter
– yogurt drinks
– turkey sandwiches or subs
– peanut butter and honey sandwiches
– grilled cheese
– soup and salad
Hope that helps! Enjoy your summer. 🙂

colleen from alabama - I am sure i will have more ideas but the only one that comes to my mind right now is a yogurt dip… mix plain yogurt(sometimes i use greek yogurt for a little protein), peanut butter and honey… just to your taste.I like a little less peanut butter than yogurt and lots of honey for sweet 🙂 We dip apples, graham crackers, pretzels if you like salty/sweet and celery in it. It is really yummy!

Lee Ann - I try to fill them up with eggs for breakfast. We have our own chickens, but even without, eggs are cheap and keep them full.
LOTS of healthy muffins. Even if a kid made a batch every day, they’re relatively cheap, healthy and filling.
Smoothies.
Grill up lots of chicken (or cook a ton in the crock-pot and shred). So easy to pull a bit out of the freezer and use for quesadilla or burrito. Add your rice for another good filler.
Sandwiches. Tuna. Egg salad (there come the eggs again).
Serve fruit with peanut butter. Sticks with them a bit longer.
This is fun to read everyone’s comments 🙂

Ani - Things we eat:
quesadillas: I just put a regular size tortilla in a skillet with some cheese, chicken or whatever else I have available and let the cheese melt and serve with sour cream. I call it Mexican pizza because my kids would eat anything called pizza! 🙂
sandwiches: all different kinds but their faves are peanut butter and honey and meat and cheese. We also have grilled cheese (sometimes with ham). And for dinner we sometimes have fried bologna with sauteed onions. For some reason my kids like cooked onions. They are the first ones I’ve ever met that do…
Homemade lunchable type things: I just cut up your average lunch meat, and cheese and serve with crackers and dip. I almost always serve fruit with this. I have seen people serve these in muffin tins, which makes it fun! I sometimes serve them in silicone cupcake liners.

Lo - Cheese crisps
Wrap/soft tortilla shells
Cheese
Sour cream salsa other dies
Oven 350 f
Put shell on baking sheet and poke all over with fork
Put in oven for 5mins or so
Take out of oven and spread grated cheese over them
Put back in oven and bake until cheese melted
Cut up in triangles with pizza cutter
Serve;)

Tanya H - My kids are close to Talby & Annie’s ages, but its my youngest (the girl) that has been eating me out of house and home since December! I’m loving the ideas I’ve glanced at so far, thanks for asking this! 🙂
Breakfasts- mostly cold cereal but I’m working on cutting this way back. Smoothies, left-over-then-frozen waffles and pancakes, and oatmeal are making their way into our days.
Lunches- one kid would live off pbj daily, the other will. not. She eats a lot of left overs for lunch, quesadillas, ham & cheese sandwiches…
Dinners- I try to make a good meal 6 nights a week. Have my own food blog here: http://dinnersandthings.blogspot.com/
Snacks- I keep apples, bananas and carrot sticks in the house at all times. Depending on the season I also have grapes, strawberries and celery, and anything else that strikes my interest. The kids get one string cheese and one yogurt a day, chips & fresh salsa, granola bars, canned fruit, crackers with laughing cow cheese wedges (or other cheese), craisins…and tons of water and milk! 🙂

Victoria Clements - Smoothies with everything in them including oats, you can hide things in them and they never know! Eggs on toasts are good too and yes yoghurt of course! Carrot sticks when your out and about, they’ll eat them if you offer nothing else! And Corn cobs cold or hot, are always good and filling!! I feel your pain it’s such a long hard summer when they all want to eat at different times and every twenty minutes!

Rebekah - I try to keep at least some of these on hand to offer Ginny when she whines about being hungry (roughly every 50 minutes):
cheese
apples
bananas
grapes
whole wheat snack crackers (Wheat Thins or Trisquit)
dried cranberries
baby carrots
not-so-sugary cereal like Chex or Quaker Oatmeal Squares
almonds
boiled eggs
yogurt

deb meyers - definitely the spinach smoothies, too. Strawberries, spinach, cold cucumber, and orange juice … really good!

carly - take a whole wheat tortilla with some shredded cheese, microwave for about 45 seconds and add whatever lunch meat and veggies, salsa, salad dressing…

deb meyers - Heat 2 jars favorite spaghetti sauce (like Ragu, etc) with 1 box THAWED chopped kale or spinach from the freezer case, you can also add 1/2 bag pre-grated carrots from the produce section. The greens cook up very dark and scattered through the mix aren’t obvious; spinach is of milder taste than kale but both are superfoods. Serve over pasta of choice with a side of pre-boiled, then grilled Italian sausage for the big eaters.
From frozen foods section, too: Large bag of whole, Long green beans. Toss with olive oil and sea salt and roast at 375-400 until crispy. Dip in sweet/n/sour sauce or ranch dip.
Peanut Sauce (I like Alton Brown’s recipe or you can buy pre-made) poured over hot rice tossed with frozen green peas (they stay bright green this way, and gently thaw without getting pale stinky), pineapple chunks, and a side of baked chicken drumsticks. YUM!
Boxed Kraft Bacon/Ranch pasta salad mix tossed with 2-3 cans of drained tuna. Make a boatload. Serve cold!
Hot dogs over the firepit.
Any hand-held fruit grilled is delicious. Also red peppers, mushrooms and corn on the grill, yum.

shannon - you have so many ideas here i ended up skipping through them….so these may have already been shared….
easiest way to get kids their veggies? zucchini muffins….and, the completely healthy option? smoothies with either spinach or carrots thrown in….they will know they are in there, so it might be the challenge to get them to go for the green color – but make it a dare or something….promise you they can’t taste the greens. favorite has strawberries, bananas, pineapple, orange, oj or water and spinach….i also love smoothies with milk and/or plain whole yogurt to get more goodness in. i use any leftover smoothies in popsicle molds….i’m sure they’d eat popsicles even if they don’t drink the smoothies!
my kids just ate scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast for lunch.
chick peas, cheese sticks, popcorn, yogurt, hummus with crackers or veggies, apples with pb, canteloupe and watermelon, have been some of our pool favorites lately.
black bean and corn salsa…eat with tostitos, so it isn’t totally healthy but gets the beans in them! they love it. great option with the quesadillas….plus homemade guacamole.
i do wagon wheel pasta with peas and carrots with a little butter, garlic salt and parmesan a lot. easy and quick.
fun desserts lately….any fruit drizzled with a little chocolate.
chocolate milk can fill a belly.
have fun!

Monica - i was at the library one day and noticed Jessica Sienfeld’s Deceptively Delicious cookbook. Thought we would give it a try and my daughter loved all the receipes we tried. she even helped in some of them. There are brownies that you can put cauliflower or spinach in and you CANNOT taste it ! You just puree the spinach or whatever. Just my opinion and worth a try. Plus I don’t know if ya’ll have a whole foods or a fresh market in kansas but they have great premade dips and salads. And they have great recipes on their websites and coupons ! Good luck !

adrienne - i love reading everyone’s great ideas!! my kids like hot lunches often. they don’t get one everyday but here’s a few…
chili mac: barilla whole wheat pasta elbows, mix with a can of chili (turkey chili is really pretty good and healthy), top w cheese. not my fave but the kids love it.
grilled cheese or grilled ham n cheese
beanie weenies (really!) hot dogs or even left over german sausage cut up small, pork n beans. add bbq sauce to taste. cook in microwave or oven till boiling. yummy with cornbread.
nachos
and for snacks…
popcorn, while hot pour m&m’s (any kind) on top
pnb toast, sprinkle with sugar before broiling or top with bananas after cooking
good luck!!!

Kristy - I know what you mean! I think all of us moms struggle with this at times. I’m going to have to go back and read these. Here’s mine:
Snacks:
Hummus with crackers, carrots and cucumbers
Edamame – but these don’t last and you would have to buy a lot for 5 kids 🙂
Trail mix – store bought or I make my own
Bananas and apples with Peanut Butter
Hard-boiled eggs – my kids love them!
Avocado spread on sourdough toast
Vanilla yogurt topped with fresh berries and granola
Try making smoothies with Kale (spinach). They won’t even know it’s in there! I add whatever fresh fruit I have and/or frozen fruit. I always have some bags of frozen fruit in the freezer and I freeze overripe bananas. I use some kind of juice that has no added sugar. I don’t find that I need honey to make it sweeter. You could add yogurt too and I’ve added avocado (fresh or I freeze overripe) for protein. If you have enough fruit you can’t taste the Kale or the Avocado. It’s the bomb and great for mama too!
Meals:
Tuna Casserole with frozen baby butter peas as a side
Tacos or Burritos
Grilled Cheese
Scrambled Egg sandwiches or Pancakes for Dinner
BLT sandwiches or substitute Avocado or Cucumber – they love it on sourdough
Pasta with butter and freshly grated parmesan. I buy a big block of parmesan and grate it myself or the kids do. It’s more expensive but it lasts a long time. They love topping their pasta with it.
Frozen meatballs from IKEA – they LOVE them!
Another trick – add a bag of spinach leaves to your pasta when it’s almost done.
Have they tried artichokes? One of my kid’s favorites! They can be expensive but they are a nice treat. You can google how to cook. We eat with melted butter not mayo – ick! – but a lot of people like the mayo
Great post!

betsy berre - pasta salads:
great way to get raw veggies (smothered in dressing) eaten…
cheese tortellini or rotini are our favorite pastas
add broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cubed cheddar cheese
easy dressing is italian…
BUT our favorite dressing is a little pesto & balsamic vinagrette

Lana - Chips & salsa;
PB & bananas;
Veggies & dip;
DIY pizzas w/english muffins;
Fruit salsa & cinnamon chips
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Annies-Fruit-Salsa-and-Cinnamon-Chips/Detail.aspx

Jessica - Love my food processor! Here are a few ways it’s used
Another idea for make your own pizzas…shred 2 lb. of carrots in the food processor and store in the fridge. I sneak these into the pizza sauce:) The kiddos don’t notice with the cheese. sometimes i’m able to sneak a little spinach, too. Also, they’re great in salads and hidden in quesadillas. I find we eat more of them if they’re ready to go.
Zesto pesto recipe (again from recipezaar) uses lots of spinach and basil…my kiddos love it on pasta for lunch. Sub pumpkin seeds for the pine nuts for better nutritional value and less flavor:)
Pumpkin bread. I usually cut the sugar in most recipes. We like to add molasses!

katie p - trail mix, a little sweet but not too much! make a big batch of whole wheat waffles, pancakes of muffins and then microwave them each morning for breakfast. Make your own fruit roll ups with real fruit! freeze yogurt and make popsicles. popcorn. apples and peanut butter. smoothies..

Christy - Breakfast: everything bagel w/cream cheese, oatmeal, cereal (not the sugary stuff), rice cake w/natural PB, PB & jelly on a high fiber whole grain english muffin. I serve w/either yogurt (Horizon makes tube yogurt) or a drinkable yogurt.
lunch/dinner: pasta w/a little olive oil (or butter & garlic) & parm cheese, sometimes we add mini-pepperonis & mozzarella, home-made bagel pizzas(plain mini bagels, little garlic powder, sauce, cheese & toppings if desired), meat & cheese roll-ups w/crackers, chicken soup, home-made chicken nuggets (www.skinnytaste.com), pizza-dillas (tortilla w/cheese & pizza topping, dip in pizza sauce), quesadillas, lasagne, spaghetti, subway :). I always serve w/one veggie, usually brocoli w/light ranch, sometimes lettuce, carrots, cukes & one dairy (colby jack cheese is a fav).
For me I found it helpful for my son to help in the kitchen & also the way I described fruit/veggies to him. He loves brocoli (raw),which I told him were like mini-trees, pomegranates, he LOVES, I told him they taste like candy, same w/bluberries, etc. My son isn’t a big snacker, although we have healthier baked chips, graniola bars (or make it) & wheat goldfish. I work FT+ outside the home, so I try to make bathes of stuff on the weekend so we can have good options for the week. I also like to wash/prep/cut fruits & veggies to be ready to go for a quick snack & bananas & such available at kid-reach to have easy access. There is the occasional soda & oreo cookies (both for DH & son), luckily though my son prefers water over capris & likes milk w/cookies. 🙂

Anne Marie - I’m not a parent but I am picky eater so I have some veggie ideas. First, almost any ground meat meal can be supplemented with frozen soup veggies (those cheap packs of carrots, corn, peas, etc.). Meatloaf, tacos and sloppy joes all taste great this way and it saves some money since frozen veggies are cheaper than meat. With the sauce, you can’t taste the veggie flavor. Also: spinach hides well in sauces. Frozen spinach can be grated into pasta sauce or mac & cheese without changing the flavor. Lots of pasta brands now are cheap and have fiber, whole wheat, calcium and vitamins. Many sauces have full veggie servings. Hope this helps!

Angie M - Eggs every morning….with diced ham or sausage. The frozen kind you just warm in a little water.
Ham rolled with “sprinkle” (shredded) cheese.
Grill extra the night before…hamburgers, chicken, pork chops. We eat chicken and chops on salads for lunch the day after. Yes, my kids LOVE salads!
Applesauce (strawberry only)
carrots and dip
apples and almond butter
all kinds of fruit
dried fruit–cherries with a few walnuts tastes like cherry pie…..if you squint your eyes and hold your head sideways:)
Love seeing all of the new ideas….Thanks, moms!

suzka - Quesadillas. Use whole wheat tortillas and cheese, but supply a few other items (like sauteed zucchini or thin strips of red bell peppers or shredded chicken or shredded carrots or avocado or tomato) that will also get added. Our rule is that our kids are exempt from eating one of the items on the list. They get to choose which one they exclude, but it means that they are getting the rest of the stuff, and they feel like they had a say in things. They also help to build it, which greatly improves their buy-in.

Bethany {3SonsPlus1} - Oh man, do I hear ya! Great ideas above, too…wow! One of our absolute faves is stonewheat crackers (or triscuits or other cracker) topped with whipped low-fat cream cheese and strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and other fruits- I promise, it is so, so good! And it’s easy for kids to make solo. Good luck!
Another fave is a breakfast tortilla, perfect for any meal- scrambled eggs, bacon or sausage, and shredded cheese wrapped up in a tortilla or…totally copying Dunkin Donuts here…in between an Eggo blueberry waffle- yum! Great protein, too!
Are your kids interested in “taking charge” of a certain meal each week? That seems to lighten my load a little bit and it breaks up the monotony. 🙂

Aimee - Carnitas (pork) tacos is one of our newest favs (the WHOLE family). Buy a package of carnitas at Costco or in that section of the grocery store where you can buy pot roast that is precooked and heated in the microwave. The carnitas comes in the same kind of package. You heat up the carnitts, and put it in tortillas with some cheese (goes awesome with jack cheese, refried beans, diced tomatoes, whatever you like. Super quick and easy but still super yummy.

rebekah - refried beans with shredded cheddar quesadillas
pizza toppings and sauce on english muffins
homemade “lunchables” crackers, meat, cheese
nachos
cheese tortellini with marinara
leftovers – make double of whatever you cook for dinner and put it in the fridge. my family prefers this over anything.
i always add fruit to everything we eat for lunch and try to have some sort of cookies for dessert.
we eat alot of popcicles and popcorn for snacks in the summertime. i only allow one cup of juice/milk per day. anything else they drink has to be water.

Marie - My kiddos like apple slices with almond butter and raisins. (our version of ants on a log). For lunch, we go through a lot of tortillas with almond butter and honey. Sometimes, we add some granola for a crunch. Mixed nuts and dried fruit are a treat here, too. We add dark chocolate chips to make it special. I’m looking forward to sitting down and reading all the comments to get some fresh ideas. Great topic/question!

shannon - Bagel pizzas. Whole wheat bagles toasted, tomato sauce with garlic and basil mixed in for sauce, grated cheese, and then you broil it in the oven for a few seconds until it gets all melty! My kids love them and they are easy!

Gretchen - Wow!!! The comments are amazing! I’ve gained so many great ideas!
My kids like pretzels dipped in peanut butter.
Simple cheese quesadillas.
Frozen Gogurts: they think they are eating popcicles (sneaky momma!)
Cheap snack: oyster crackers. My growing kids love them and they’re el cheapo!
*** By the way, could you do a little tutorial on how you made your “what do you feed your kids” sign/photo? Love the look. So many possibilities!

Naomi - Have you seen the idea of muffin tin meals? You put little bits of finger foods into each compartment, it makes eating so fun. It might be too young for your older kids, but I am 23 and I would love to eat every meal this way!
Just google image search ‘muffin tin meals’ and you’ll get the idea. (I can’t remember whose blog it is from, sorry to whomever is not getting the credit for this!)

Melissa - What a great idea!
It’s bad enough that we have to find something to cook for dinner every night of the week, now we have to do it for lunch also. Haha.
Here are some I have found, i find a lot on pinterest, and it helps me to keep a list of ideas or i forget.
bananas and p.butter rolled in a tortilla and sliced.
taco in a bag
baked potatoes or cubed cooked potatoes with broccoli and campbels broccoli cheese soup.
little sausages wrapped in cresents and then baked.
chili dogs
blt’s
pizza on the grill (using tortilla shells)
i have a lot of great ideas on my pinterest..here is the link
http://pinterest.com/melissa_dubbs/must-eat-foods/
hope this helps, please share with us your finds.

Charity - Greek Yogurt keeps my kids feeling fuller longer…Chobani is the BEST (cheapest at Costco & Target), Hummus w/ Pita Chips or Baby Carrots, Bagels & Cream Cheese, Raisins & Cashews/Almonds/Peanuts, Watermelon (have it sliced in gallon bags with grapes), Granola Bars & Bananas

Beth @ Dirty laundry - I don’t cook for lunch, just dinner, and mozzarella cheese sticks, fluffer nutters, yogurt, turkey dogs, and fresh fruit are our standard lunches.
Another fave is the mini pretzel rolls, if your store has them. (Not the big ones, there are maybe 12 in a bag)…I just put ham and cheese on them and microwave a bit, they love ’em).

Kimmie - My super picky 7 yo loves “rolls”: tortilla spread with peanut butter or ham & chesee rolled up. He would eat them everyday and he can make them himself. My kiddos also eat a lot of yogurt, string cheese, apples. We also have our fair share of mac & cheese & nuggets 🙂

becky@oursweetpeas - Oh and a couple of decent cereals that my kids and husband LOVE are Honey Kix and Multi-grain Cheerios.

becky@oursweetpeas - Such a good question. So many great answers. I 2nd or 3rd, 5th whatever, smoothies, quesadillas, hummous & pita bread. I found good basic smoothie recipes on sparkpeople.
My husband and I are getting healthy and taking our 4 year olds along for the journey. One thing I have discovered is it HAS to be convenient or NO ONE is eating it. Sometimes for us that means Lean Cuisines and for the boys just simple sandwiches or bowls of yogurt with fruit and some crackers just so that we are not picking up fast food or pizza.

Sophie - I agree on the peanut butter and apples thing.
If they start to get bored, you can core whole apples and stuff the PB where the cores would be. It keeps serving size constant and stops them taking extra peanut butter, too.
If you can make wholemeal muffins, they’re really great. From what I’ve seen kids love them, and plus, if you make them yourself they’re healthier.
You can make your own ice pops for when it’s super hot. Getting the kids involved means its more rewarding and fun for them, and plus, you know exactly what’s in them.
One of my favourite things is smoothies. It quashes hunger for a long time and they’re super easy and super healthy. Each one can make it with whatever they prefer and they taste AWESOME.
Hope everyone’s suggestions help. I don’t have kids so I can’t vouch for what they like but I’m only three years older than Lauren and those things up there are things that I really like and have for a long time (:

G. - Quesadillas are always a hit in my house. We use whole wheat tortillas and you can fill them with anything you like. Hummus is always a good choice. My kids love it, but some do not.
Also, cut up fruit with a yogurt dip is good and they can do that themselves. Pita pizzas are fun and easy, too. Just take pita bread, and spread it with sauce, cheese, the usual pizza topping and pop it in the oven. Your big kids could easily make those. I also cut up a bunch of veggies and put them in a tupperware in the fridge so, when we need a snack, I can just pull those out and they are ready. I also just keep a bowl of fruit out so, they can grab something when they are hungry. One more idea..smoothie packs. You can put a bunch of chopped up fruit (your favorites) into little baggies in the fridge, and if they want a smoothie, they can take out a bag, throw it in the blender, add some juice, and viola! instant smoothie. You can also freeze the bags of fruit as well. I do this for quick breakfasts sometimes. Hope this helps a little.

Holly - ok wow! YOu have gotten a ton of help already!
I always keep fruit in the fridge(watermelon, cantelope, oranges)
quesadillas(kids love these)
mine love tuna also
pb and j
my boy loves fluffernutters( pb and marshmallow fluff sandwich)
hmmm, I am lucky that my kids are not too picky and will eat some veggies but they too could eat ramen noodles everyday if I let them

Amy - Smoothies! I agree with others on this one. I have extremely picky eaters over here, my 6 year old wont eat carrots because “they are orange” really its that bad. I make “green smoothies” every day and both boys (ages 6 and 3) gobble them right down, they have no idea what they are eating, i put them in solid colored cups with lids and straws 🙂 I make mine with water, spinach sometimes spring mixed greens, a few (ok maybe like 6-8 swirls of agave nectur, frozen strawberries, a peeled apple and a bannana. They are yummmy, and this is coming from someone who doesnt like greens or green salad AT ALL!. Good luck!

Rachel J - So many great comments- I am making a list!! Smoothies are awesome- and veggies can be added to fruit smoothies without changing the flavor.
We eat the same things= but change it up. Sandwiches get old- making wraps or braids help with the mundane. Pizza is a favorite- I make a big batch of naan and freeze it for fast crust. We also love to use bagels, pita, tortillas, or french bread for crust. Tons of quesadillas and make your own nachos.
I have a veggie eater- so we try out lots of salad (although I need some help in the vinaigrette department so that I don’t get bored!).
It always seems like a lot of work to plan out our dinner menu- so adding lunches makes it easy to get in a rut. Thanks for all of the great ideas!

Kimberly Au - http://beccacc.tumblr.com/post/1167607002
How yummy do these look?! Probably trying these today since I have all the ingredients.

Shelly - OH man i am loving all these idea’s… and i was desperate too having 3 boys myself.
One of our faves is to take a can of Grands biscuits, press them to form a little hollow, spoon on pizza sauce and top with mozzerella cheese and any other toppings you like. Bake according to the directions on the Grands biscuit tube. Super easy and the kids love them!

cassie o - deli ham, spread with cream cheese, wrapped around a pickle
toast bread, spread with mayo, top with tomato slices
grilled cheese and soup
blt sandwiches
frozen pizzas
shredded chicken sandwiches
taco soup/walking tacos

Erin - 1. Whole-wheat english muffins w/ a little tomato sauce, cheese, and whatever other “pizza” toppings they want
2. Peanut butter on celery, with “raisin” bugs or sub-in apples instead of celery
3. Turkey and cheese “roll-ups” on tortillas
4. Yogurt w/ granola or fruit
5. They love any kind of “breakfast” for lunch, too
Luckily, I only have to please 2 these days… but with the third on the way, I know I’ll be in your shoes in a few years. Good luck 🙂

Erin - I don’t have any food ideas to add…but I do have these 2 things…
1. KC is getting a Trader Joe’s this summer!
2. To make smoothies easier (even the little kids can do it), I’d highly suggest buying the Magic Bullet. Totally an infomercial event – but really easy to use and you can make your smoothie in the same container you drink it out of. My kids love it!
Good luck! I’m going to try the suggestions of the other readers!

rebecca, who has to sneak out for food after the kids are in bed because I can't stand the thought of pizza again - Without cereal, mac & cheese and ramen our household would starve. Picky doesn’t even begin to cover the food issues we’ve got in this house. And that’s just my hubby….never mind the five kiddos.
I have found a variation on chicken nuggets that makes it not so boring for me to eat: chicken breasts cut up (or the tenders/strip kind where the work is already done) dipped in flour, then egg, then panko japenese breadcrumb things and fried in a pan of oil. Cook them the rest of the way in the oven (about 10 minutes at 350) and then let ’em dip in the yummiest stuff ever: panda express mandarin sauce that you can buy in a bottle at Walmart.
{I read through all the other comments looking for ideas and I can’t believe the things that other peoples kids will eat.}

allison - Make your own pizzas (easier to do with english muffins, browned tortillas or just a big loaf of italian bread or rolls), stuff your own baked potatoes, brown some ground beef and do tacos, grill chicken and do quesadillas, spaghetti and meatballs (make enough for 2 nights or to freeze). I also do a grilled cheese (with summer tomatoes, or you can add ham etc.!!) night each week, in the cooler months with soup.
Turkey Roll-Ups…far from gourmet, but tasty. Buy some good quality turkey breast, prepare some store bought stuffing and roll the stuffing inside the turkey…top with some store bought gravy (I’m lucky to have stores who carry some decent ones with not a lot of loaded sodium and other “stuff”) pour gravy over roll ups and bake at 350 for about 30-40 mins. Pretend it’s T-giving and serve up with some cranberry sauce:)
Monotony with dinner is pretty usual in my house. It’s the only way to get through…I hate thinking about what’s for dinner ALL THE TIME!
For breakfast…do they like eggs? Make egg sandwiches on toast…crack an egg in a mug, beat it with a fork, add shredded cheese and nuke for 1 minute, put on toast and eat! Yogurt is good too, frozen waffles…have to confess though, I love the easy convenience of cereal!!
Looking forward to reading other suggestions…good topic…I don’t know one mom who likes the phrase “what’s for dinner”!!!

Sy, Shaunna & The Boys - 1. Quesadilla with chicken and cheese, a bit of sour cream on top.
2. Apples and peanut butter, or apples with cheese.
3. Popcorn!
4. Anything with peanut butter on it, frozen waffles, bagels, bread, crackers….seriously, anything.
5. Egg tacos (just scrambled eggs, cheese, sour cream, salsa, taco shell).
6. Trail Mix (always have a huge homemade batch on hand, cereal, cheese its, peanuts, m&m’s, raisins, etc. Love!)
7. I blend fruit/veggies with some juice and put them into little containers in the freezer, the kids think its dessert, and nobody is the wiser.
8. smoothies.
that’s what we eat all summer, and then all the veggies growing in our garden, the boys love snap peas and ranch. who am i kidding, my boys love anything in ranch. good luck!

Lisa - Ok, I lied. I have one more…. I make these yummy chicken tacos that all 4 of my kids love. Its the only meal no one complains… and its such a simple recipe. Stole it from a friend.
frozen chicken tenders
Light Kraft Catalina dressing
Corn (or flour tortillas to make burritos or soft chicken tacos)
Whatever toppings you like
Cook Chicken in pan (however much you think you’d need to
fill up the tacos for your family… cut up into small bite sized pieces with kitchen
scissors when cooked a little but not all the way
Add Catalina dressing to chicken and cook chicken completely. Add salt and pepper to taste
While chicken cooks, heat up oil and make crunchy taco shells (This is a little
time consuming but I prefer homemade crunchy shells versus store bought.
Obviously you can do whatever. Or use the flour tortillas to make chicken
burritos/soft chicken tacos.
Add whatever toppings you guys like…. sour cream, salsa, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese…
We eat them just chicken and cheese most of the time. And we eat white rice with it because
my husband is Samoan and eats rice with everything! 🙂 Also I make extra to keep in the fridge for the next day or so. Easy to heat chicken and throw together a soft taco with extra corn or flour tortillas.
Seriously, simple but the catalina dressing is such a great flavor on the chicken! If your kids don’t like them I will be surprised!
This isn’t a snack or a meal they could necessarily make themselves but maybe it’ll make a night with no complaining over food?!

Amy - I have one vegetarian (12 yo boy) and one with food allergies (9 yo boy) so we don’t do many convenience foods. I make yogurt/fruit smoothies alot, often adding some protein powder. We like all kids of dried fruits (regular and freeze dried) so we have that with some Cheerios for crunch. We eat lots of quesadillas, like others have mentioned. They really like greek salad and caesar salad (with chicken for the carnivores). We recently tried Alton Brown’s Thai spring rolls (without the shrimp) and they were a huge hit! Since then, I have wrapped leftover salads in the rice papers and they think it’s super cool. My boys are much better about veggies than they used to be but they tend to prefer them raw or barely cooked. The vegetarian doesn’t like cooked beans but loves hummus (including varieties made from other beans) and roasted beans (like wasabi peas). Great question – one everyone struggles with at some point!

Eckmama - one place I’ve found for healthier snacks/meals is heavenlyhomemakers dot com. She has four bottomless pits. I mean BOYS. LOL
Our most recent breakfast discovery that has been super great are egg muffins, although I don’t think they can be called muffins if there’s no bread in them. ??? LOL
Muffin tin. Spray it a lot a lot a lot.
put some kind of potatoes in the bottom (square cut hash browns, shredded hash browns, tater tots…).
Mix up a dozen eggs with…hmm. probably 1-2 cups of milk. whisk together. pour eggs over the potatoes until the muffin cup is about 3/4 full.
then you add your toppings. (I’ve experimented with this and found this to be the best way so far.) shredded cheese is a must, and we’ve used bacon and sausage (already cooked). I like mine with green chiles but nobody else does. There might be a way to puree your veggies and mix them in with the eggs/milk. I need to try that (we have the same veggie issue).
Then you bake the egg not-muffins at 375 for about 15-20 minutes. One dozen eggs should make two dozen not-muffins. THEN, you let them cool, and put them in the fridge, and make a rule that they’re each only allowed two per day (preferably two for breakfast). The protein will help keep them full longer, they’ve started their day with a healthy breakfast that they can microwave themselves, and you’ve got a few days’ worth of breakfast ready to go.
What I remember as a kid, and what I see now in my own kids, is that often they are eating because they’re bored. So I tell mine, when they’re huuunnggrryyy (and whiny) that their only snack choice is, for example, celery with peanut butter. Or carrots. Or a piece of fruit. If they’re really hungry, they’ll eat it. If not, they’ll stop asking. : )

Kerry - American gals…….. are your kids SERIOUSLY on vacation from now until September???????????????

Sheena Richmond - I agree…keep trying the veggies. They say that kids taste buds continually change and what they don’t like one week, they may the next.
I find if I get my kids involved in preparing them, even growing them, they are more likely to at least try them.
Waffle maker was the best purchase for us. They are quick to make and can be topped with anything from syrup to yogurt and fruit.
Pita chips…cut up pita bread, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and toast under the broiler til crisp. Serve with hummus…yumm!
Try having your kids go online or look through a cookbook, pick out a recipe that interests them and is fairly simple. Pick up everything they need to prepare and see if they can do it themselves. They will be so proud 🙂 It will keep them busy for a while :):) and you don’t have to make dinner :):):) If all goes well, it becomes their specialty and they are proud to prepare it again and again.
TV eggs are fun: Cut a circle out of the middle of a slice of whole grain bread using a glass. Butter the bread of both sides, circle included and put in a frying pan. Crack an egg into the centre of the bread. Flip when firm and toast the other side. Quick and easy.
Two of my three love a toasted whole grain bagel, topped with light cream cheese (any flavour) and sliced cucumbers. Sprinkle with fresh dill and salt and pepper. Sometimes we buy the strawberry cream cheese and top with fresh sliced strawberries.
Great post idea Meg…I’m enjoying everyone elses ideas too!

Katy - gerber baby food. 😉

Jen CD - I will vote for smoothies too…there is so much you can hide in there and they never notice (I have even put tofu in and it just adds to the creamy-ness).
Peanut butter and apples rolled up in a tortilla.
My kids will eat lots of veggies, as long as there is dip involved…home made ranch or hummus.
Granola bars, GORP, and quesadillas always work too.

Shelby Rice - 1. hummus (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/05/classic-hummus/) and raw veggies/pita chips/pitas
2. chicken rollups (https://docs.google.com/View?id=ddw22jkz_147dffpq4f7&pli=1)
3. crunchy roasted chickpeas- (http://www.cookingwithmykid.com/recipes/crunchy-roasted-chickpeas/)
4. BBQ pulled pork (http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/3-ingredient-pulled-pork-recipe/1/)
5. crispy yogurt chicken (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/08/crispy-yogurt-chicken/)
6. cheese/cracker/fruit plate

BriBedell - 1. Cous cous with sundried tomatoes and diced chicken! Good hot or cold!
2. BLT sandwiches
3. Steamed Broccoli or asparagus (yes my one child does eat this!)
4. Nuts (sunflower, peanuts, almonds)
5. Pretzels with humus or nutella!!!!

tiffaniboren - Wraps
Buy the large wraps in the bread section (Tomato and Basil..yum)
Cheese, Black Beans (drained), Salsa, Rice and Corn
Warm all in a pan and add to the tortilla and wrap and cut
Serve with Tortilla chips
Great dinner too!

Lisa - I make smoothies for my kids a lot… pretty easy where I think your big kids could do them their selves. I always put a handful of fresh spinach in and I promise they cannot tell. I think my son would win for pickiest eater in the universe and he still loves the smoothie. I feel better knowing all my kids are getting spinach every once in awhile! Because they too don’t really eat veggies. For one person I just do 4 oz apple juice, about 4 oz of vanilla lowfat yogurt, 1/2 frozen banana, good sized handful of frozen fruit and a handful of spinach and blend away. You could just use non frozen fruit but it might be thinner consistency. I buy some frozen fruit and also freeze bananas and other fruit that is going bad. Pretty easy and full of good stuff! And a little different from the regular fruit they eat.
We also do turkey, cheese and crackers (wheat thins, trisketts) with fruit for lunch. My little ones love making “sandwiches” out of the meat cheese crackers. If they like avocado that’s yummy too. (My kids won’t eat avocado).
I also will make a huge plate of a variety of fruit and leave it out for a bit. They can come and get some whenever they want.
But I also do chicken nuggets a lot cause lets be honest, its easy and they’ll eat it.

tiffaniboren - Pizza pockets: Pizza crust in the refrigerated section (1 can will make four) Spread out and cut into 4 sections
Pizza sauce: Spread on half of dough
Top with pepperoni, cheese, onion, bell pepper (sometimes we just do a veggie stuffed and leave off the pepperoni
Roll the other side over and close edges with a fork
Bake at 350 until golden brown
Use extra sauce to dip and add a salad with strawberries for a side
Yum! My kids are in high school/junior high and still love this even for a dinner!

Leslie - 100daysofrealfood.com has some great kid friendly healthy snack ideas and recipes. Keep trying veggies! My little brother hated veggies for years. And then one day he ate all the green beans on the table. All of them.

Regina - my boys really like chicken caesar salads these days!
they sometimes enjoy rice cakes w/ almond butter & crasins
one of them LOVES cheese & crackers every day every way possible
the other is more of a yogurt & fruit kiddo
ive been making TONS of smoothies lately for breakfast & after-school snacks (sneaking in the ground flax seed and/or spinach when possible) w/ the yogurt & fruit.
OH ~ *RAINBOW* fruit kabobs!
their fav summer time dessert (well besides ice cream) is cantaloupe w/ jello inside (i know how awful jello is for you but for a rare treat it’s ok)

Jenn Shock - Yogurt and fruit parfaits! Just throw some plain or vanilla yogurt in a bowl, top with any kinds of fruits, and add some granola on top…YUM!
Tortillas with cheese in-between, heated on a griddle until cheese melts = instant cheese quesadilla (you could add canned or rotisserie chicken, or beans too) dip in guac or sour cream
nachos: tortilla chips topped with cheese, refried beans, ground beef or chicken, sour cream, rotel, or just about anything you like on nachos (you could make a nacho assembly line so they can add what they want)

Kerry - French Toast! (Eggy Bread) my kids luuurve that with syrup or ketchup 🙂
I totally know what you mean though.. they eat me out of house and home… and if i make stuff like a good mom should, they scoff it in FIVE minutes flat.
aarrgggh! Good idea to share though, could use the help myself xx