Easy Meals Kids Can Make

I love getting the kids involved with planning and preparing meals at our house. Each person is assigned a day in the week that they are in charge of preparing meals for the family. I help the kids choose what meals they want to make and then add them to our weekly meal calendar. The only challenge with getting kids to make food is finding recipes they can do on their own. This compilation of easy meals kids can make is a good start if you are planning to try this in your own home. If you want to learn more about how I get my kids to cook I have a whole article on this topic.

Our Favorite Easy Meals for Breakfast

• French Toast
• Overnight Oats – How to make overnight oats
• Yogurt Parfait- layer yogurt, fresh berries, and granola in a cup
• Pumpkin Oatmeal
  • Ingredients
    • 1/3 cup oats
    • 2/3 cup water
    • 1 tbsp. Pumpkin Puree
    • Dash of Pumpkin Spice
    • 1 tsp. Chia Seeds
  • Instructions
    • microwave oats and water for 2 minutes
    • add a dash of pumpkin spice, pumpkin puree, and chia seeds
    • microwave again for 30 seconds
    • Add milk and sweetener (optional) Enjoy!

Easy lunch for kids to make

• Nachos
• Avocado Quesadillas
• BLT Wraps

Tasty dinners kids can make

• Rotissesrie Chicken Panini
• Grilled Cheese Sandwiches and Tomato Soup
• Baked Potato Bar – little kids can microwave the potatoes
• Spicy Cauliflower

Our Favorite Easy Fall Treats

• Pumpkin Cookies – Use your leftover carved pumpkins to make cookies
• Pumpkin Pie Hot Chocolate made from scratch
• Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Ingredients
    • 3 cups Peanut butter
    • 3 cups sugar
    • 3 eggs
  • Instructions
    • Preheat oven to 375
    • blend all ingredients together until mixed well
    • line cookie sheet with parchment paper
    • use a tablespoon to divide out cookie dough onto a cookie sheet
    • space out cookies 2 inches apart
    • use a fork to flatten out cookies (press down on cookies both ways) this helps the cookies to cook more evenly
    • Bake for 8-10 minutes

How meals are prepared in our home

On each person’s day, they prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the whole family. When one of our younger kids needs help making the meal, an older sibling or I will help out. But I try my best to find meals they can do pretty well on their own. Depending on your kid’s ages they will be able to do some of the meal prep on their own. If you are unsure what you can expect from each age here’s more info about that.

I love getting my kids involved with cooking because it teaches them valuable homemaking skills that every person should know. Now Jase and I are seeing the payoff with Klailea in college. I don’t have to worry that she won’t eat well because she has had a lot of practice cooking. Now she is all grown up and fully confident making food in the kitchen!

Pro Tip: keep cooking simple. Kids will gradually get more comfortable in the kitchen as they practice, but you don’t want to deter them from cooking at the start. Choosing simple meals is a good starting point kids just learning how to make food on their own.

What easy meals do your kids love to make?

Happy Cooking!

Rach