Lunch Ideas For Kids

Find tons of kids lunch ideas that will have you cooking easy and healthy kids lunches right away!

Delicious Dessert Breakfast Sangie

May 21, 2012 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 9 Comments

So you all heard how I joined a new club, right?

I joined the crew at the

The Secret Recipe Club

And I love it!

And today is Reveal Day!!!

And I got to to choose from the many delicious recipes at

From Chapel Hill to Chickenville

The lovely and talented Aimee is busy whipping up deliciousness for her 4 kiddos…

And you know that makes me smile!!

I loved checking out all of Aimee’s fantastic recipes but the one that caught my eye was

Peanut butter, apple and bacon sandwiches

They sounded awesome.

But lo and behold the hubs had finished the Peanut Butter

So I made mine with Nutella.

Love Nutella.

And I didn’t grill ours, I made them on english muffins and therefore my friends,

Breakfast is served!

Nutella, Bacon, and Apple Sandwiches on English Muffins

What you need:

12 slices bacon, cooked

4 english muffins

4 T Nutella spread

2 Granny Smith Apples

WHAT TO DO:

Split and toast your english muffins to your liking

Spread each muffin with 1 T Nutella

Top each with thick slices of bacon and apple

Serve…and prepare to be amazed!

Thank you Aimee for this fantastic idea…and please be sure to go check out all the yummy things she is feeding her brood!

And check out all the other fantastic dishes the Ladies of the Secret Recipe Club are serving up!

Filed Under: Dinners on a Dime, Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes, Kids Desserts, Lunch Ideas For Kids, Snacks Tagged With: Secret Recipe Club

Slow roasted pulled pork sandwiches

May 7, 2012 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 4 Comments

I love pulled pork.

Not only is it delicious…

But it’s cheap…

And I can use it for days!!!

Perfect for a summertime BBQ!

Check out the three meals I got out of my $11.94 pork shoulder!

First one…

Pulled Pork Sangies

Serves: 10 Prep time: 15 minutes + 1 day Cook time: 6 hours

For the dry rub:

3 T paprika

1 T garlic powder

3 T brown sugar

1 T dry mustard

3 T coarse salt

1 t liquid smoke

1 t dried oregano

¼ cup olive oil

For the Sandwiches:

1 (5 to 7 pound) pork roast, preferably shoulder or Boston butt

2 T prepared mustard

2 packages Hawaiian bread rolls

2 cups BBQ sauce

In a food processor combine the paprika, garlic power, brown sugar, dry mustard, salt, liquid smoke, and oregano. Turn in the processor on and add in your olive oil until you have a nice paste.

Rub your pork butt with the prepared mustard then slather on your spice mixture. Be sure to massage it in well and get it into all the nooks and crannies. Let in marinate in the fridge for as long as possible, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Place the marinated pork in a roasting rack and roast at 300 degrees until an instant read thermometer reads 170 degrees F, about 6 hours, when the pork just easily falls apart.

Pull the pork into small pieces and serve on a Hawaiian buns with BBQ sauce and cole slaw. MMMMmmmm! So good!

Filed Under: Appetizer Recipes For Kids, Dinner Recipes For Kids, Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes, Lunch Ideas For Kids, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: bbq, game time, liquid smoke, pork

Secret Recipe Club – Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Taquitos

April 23, 2012 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 13 Comments

Oh I’m so excited.

I joined a club…

An awesome club.

I’m a joiner…

What can I say.

Today is my first reveal as a full fledged member of

The Secret Recipe Club

And this month I got assigned to pick a recipe to try from the wonderful

Carries Sweet Life

And there was so much to choose from!

I finally settled on a true crowd pleaser.

And even with my recipe OCD I hardly changed a thing!

Check out these baked taquitos that pretty much brought the house down!

Carries Sweet Life Chicken Bacon and Ranch Taquitos

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened
12 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
4 cups cooked, shredded chicken I used a rotisserie chicken
1/2 packet dry Ranch Dressing mix
2 cups Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded
3-4 Tablespoons green onion, chopped
20 (6-inch) whole wheat or flour tortillas
Salt
Non-stick cooking spray
bacon drippings

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with cooking spray.

Brown your bacon in a large skillet until crispy. Remove bacon and set aside.

Toss in diced jalapeno and scallions into your bacon drippings and quickly saute until slightly soft. Remove from drippings…be sure to keep the grease!

In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese, chicken, bacon, cheese, jalapeno and green onions.

Fold in your ranch mix.

Mix well.

Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into a tortilla and roll it up.

Place taquito seam-side down on the baking sheet. Repeat until you are out of chicken.

Brush tops of taquitos with the reserved bacon drippings and sprinkle with kosher salt.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes. Be sure to keep an eye on them in case you have to run upstairs to say hand out time outs to 3 year olds who hit their brothers in the face with a Wii remote…just saying.

Serve these bad boys up with ranch dressing or salsa!

Delish!

Thanks Carrie…these are going into permanent rotation!

Filed Under: Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes, Lunch Ideas For Kids, Snacks Tagged With: bacon, chicken, cook with your kids, Hidden Valley Ranch, jalapeno, ranch, scallions, Secret Recipe Club

Baseball Week – Sliders into home plate

April 9, 2012 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 12 Comments

Play Ball!!!!

I love this time of year.

Bring on the Boys of Summer!

What says baseball more than grilling burgers?

Well, sliders in this case.

Sliding into home plate?

Get it…?

Serve ‘em up with some garlic fries on the side!

This’ll be a home run for sure!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (I like 85/15 for burgers)

1 T dried onion

1 T montreal steak seasoning

1 T cold water

sliced cheddar

baby brioche buns

WHAT TO DO:

In a large bowl combine the meat, onions, steak seasoning, and water. Mix well to blend and then form the meat into sliver dollar sized burgers. Stick em on the grill for about 4 minutes on the first side. Flip ‘em and then toss the cheese on top and grill for another 3-4 minutes.

Place these little beauties on a brioche roll and serve to your little leaguers!

Keegan loves to help grill

I dress up the grown ups with drunken onions and mushrooms…

I sauteed onions and mushrooms in a pan with olive oil, S&P, and beer till they were nice and soft! Pile ‘em high on your burger!

How are you celebrating the start of baseball season?

Oh, yeah, I’d wouldn’t be a proud member of the nation if I didn’t end this post with…

GO RED SOX!!!

Filed Under: Appetizer Recipes For Kids, Dinner Recipes For Kids, Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes, Lunch Ideas For Kids Tagged With: baseball recipes, brioche bread, cheddar cheese, cooking with kids, fun food, fun with kids, game time food, ground beef, kids recipes, onions

Bow ties with spring veggies and bacon

April 2, 2012 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 15 Comments

Happy Spring!

Aren’t you glad it’s springtime?

Though we’ve had a mild winter…

And it’s a bit chillier here than it’s been all winter…

So I’m pretending it’s spring.

And this will make you feel like spring…

A delicious and quick pasta that the kids will adore!

Mom and Dad too!

Feel free to add grilled chicken or shrimp to make it a heartier dish.

Bow ties with spring veggies & pancetta

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 box bow tie pasta

4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped

1 1/4 pounds asparagus, trimmed, cut on diagonal into 1-inch pieces

1 scallions, thinly sliced

8 ounces crimini mushrooms

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup heavy cream

3 T extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T lemon zest

1/4 cup italian parsley, chopped

1/4 cup basil, torn

WHAT TO DO:

Heat a large pasta pot over high heat. When boiling add salt and cook pasta until al dente. Drain, but reserve 1 cup pasta cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crispy. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Set aside.

Pour off all but 1 teaspoon drippings from skillet. Add mushrooms to the drippings. Cook for 3 minutes. Add asparagus, scallions, and garlic to the mushrooms in skillet and cook for 3 more minutes minutes. Remove from heat.

Add veggies, 1/2 cup pasta cooking liquid, 1/2 cup Parmesan, cream, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, parsley, basil, and S&P to pasta.

Mix well. Add more pasta water if necessary. Sprinkle with bacon and more cheese if desired.

Tasty Tidbit – Kids not asparagus fans? Try this dish with frozen peas!

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Featured, Kid Favorite Recipes, Lunch Ideas For Kids, Recipes For Kids Tagged With: asparagus, bacon, basil, cream, farm to table, parmesan cheese, parsley, pasta dishes, scallions, spring time recipes

Lentil Soup with Sausage – Soup Week

February 21, 2012 By Alex aka Ma, What's For Dinner 11 Comments

While it hasn’t been a particularly cold winter here.

It’s been a bit dreary.

Nothing makes me feel better than a hot bowl of soup.

This one is inspired by the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe.

I’ve been making it for years and the kids gobble it up!

Soup is a fantastic way to get your picky eaters to eat veggies and healthy food!

You’ve got to try it!

WHAT YOU NEED:

1 pound green lentils

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cups diced yellow onions

4 cups chopped leeks, white and light green parts only

1 tablespoon minced garlic

S&P

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

1 teaspoon cumin

3 cups medium diced celery (8 stalks)

3 cups medium diced carrots (4 to 6 carrots)

4 quarts chicken stock

1 pound sliced kielbasa

1/4 cup dry red wine

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

drizzle of balsamic vinegar

drizzle of olive oil

WHAT TO DO:

In a large bowl, cover the lentils with boiling water and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Drain.

In a large stockpot over medium heat, heat the olive oil and saute the onions, leeks, garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and cumin for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are translucent and tender.

Add the celery and carrots and saute for another 10 minutes. Add the chicken stock, tomato paste, and drained lentils, cover, and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, or until the lentils are cooked through and tender.

Test the seasonings, add more S&P if needed . Add the kielbasa and red wine and let simmer until the kielbasa is hot. Serve drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar and sprinkled with grated Parmesan.

Serve with crusty bread or cheesy grilled sandwiches.

You can leave out the sausage or use turkey sausage to make this even healthier!

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes For Kids, Dinners on a Dime, Featured, Healthy Recipes For Kids, Kid Favorite Recipes, Lunch Ideas For Kids, Recipes For Kids, Soups Tagged With: cooking with kids, feel good food, kielbasa, lentils, picky eaters, soup, soup week

Lunch Ideas For Kids

Delicious Dessert Breakfast Sangie

Slow roasted pulled pork sandwiches

Secret Recipe Club – Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Taquitos

Baseball Week – Sliders into home plate

Bow ties with spring veggies and bacon

Lentil Soup with Sausage – Soup Week

Featured Cooking With Kids Videos

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Lunch Ideas For Kids

Delicious Dessert Breakfast Sangie

Slow roasted pulled pork sandwiches

Secret Recipe Club – Chicken, Bacon, and Ranch Taquitos

Baseball Week – Sliders into home plate

Bow ties with spring veggies and bacon

Lentil Soup with Sausage – Soup Week

Featured Cooking With Kids Videos

Join Our Mailing List

Find us on Facebook

Connect With Ma

Find A Local Farmer’s Market

Favorite Ingredients

Ma’s Causes

Ma In The Press