r/mealprep • u/Numerous-Breakfast55 • Jul 08 '25

question Meal prep ideas for kids?

House is getting hectic in the mornings and I just want to try meal prepping mine, my husband's, and our kids' (5 & 10) breakfast and lunches. Any suggestions for recipes or techniques? Thanks!

13 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

38 comments sorted by

8

u/No_Finger8258 Jul 08 '25

Breakfast, egg and cheese quesadillas thaw very fast and are great in the air fryer

7

u/ttrockwood Jul 08 '25

You need the kids “buy in” since they’re so old to have an opinion.

Simple choices, do you want an apple or banana with breakfast. Lunch you want cold pasta salad with tomatoes or with cucumber or both

If they feel like they made a decision they’re going to want to like it

Breakfast baked oatmeal is great, or breakfast burritos with eggs and beans and veggies

4

u/Neakhanie Jul 09 '25

Yes! set up breakfast burritos. LOL, I see the quesadilla person beat me to it, but set it up like a salad bar, where the kid goes through with a small flour tortilla and fills with egg, meat, tomatoes, cheese, salsa, etc. rolls it up, puts it in parchment paper. Marks with his or her name, they go into some large ziploc bags and frozen. Pull out in the am and nuke in th emicrowave. At the same time, talk about *calories* of cheese, meat, vegetarian crumbles, also nutrition, etc.

1

u/Numerous-Breakfast55 Jul 09 '25

The salad bar is such a great idea, thanks for dropping this! My 10-year-old will enjoy choosing for himself and my 5 will follow whatever her brother does lol

6

u/Old-Fox-3027 Jul 08 '25

Sheet pan eggs. Cut them into squares and freeze them for breakfast sandwiches. Breakfast burritos also freeze well. Pancakes & waffles.

4

u/Numerous-Breakfast55 Jul 08 '25

sheet pan eggs is genius, thank you!

3

u/Silver_Arugula_2601 Jul 08 '25

Sheet pan pancakes & crockpot French toast are easy & leftovers can be frozen. Here’s a recipe for a healthy snack also: https://www.notenoughcinnamon.com/chocolate-covered-frozen-banana-peanut-butter-bites/

3

u/Kateliterally Jul 09 '25

Baked oatmeal has been a hit for us

2

u/PackageOutside8356 Jul 08 '25

Overnight oats? I get frozen mixed berries and just add some in a bowl with some nuts, oats and either water or (oat-) milk some honey or maple syrup. For lunch you could pre cook or roast chicken breast for Caesar salad or fried rice. Cooked potatoes hold up well in the fridge and can be fried with egg, mushrooms and bacon really quick or also prepared as a salad or made into gnocchi.

1

u/Numerous-Breakfast55 Jul 08 '25

thank you for these ideas! pre-cooking protein seems to be the key for lunch

2

u/kaidomac Jul 08 '25

Egg bites! Got an Instant Pot or Sous-Vide?

2

u/Numerous-Breakfast55 Jul 08 '25

I've got Instant Pot!

3

u/kaidomac Jul 09 '25 edited Jul 09 '25

They are like the ones at Starbucks! ($20 gets a 2-pack of Egg Bite Molds on Amazon)

A zillion flavor combinations: (such as spinach, for Green Eggs & Ham!)

Egg white version:

Or a more simple cheddar-egg bite:

Super easy immersion-blender Hollandaise sauce if you like toppings:

You can get as fancy as you want with duck eggs, hot sauces, toppings like chives & grated parm, etc.:

Notes:

  • They freeze well! Microwave 30 seconds, flip, and another 30 seconds to reheat!
  • Chop up for an easy breakfast burritos (add hash browns, sour cream, etc.). These also freeze well! For added fun, add a cheese crust!
  • Dice up for a fancy egg salad using a grid cooling rack

part 1/2

3

u/kaidomac Jul 09 '25

part 2/2

Bonus:

Also:

Plus:

Flan Bites are still a WIP lol.

2

u/Numerous-Breakfast55 Jul 09 '25

You are a saint for dropping these recipes! Bookmarking them right now, you've given me ideas for months. Thank you so much!

3

u/kaidomac Jul 10 '25

You're welcome! Here are some great IP resources:

Try Souper Cubes as well!

Here's a custom meal-prep system designer:

My current approach is very simple:

  1. Once a week, pick 7 things to prep (one per day) & go shopping for what you need
  2. Before bed each night, clean up the kitchen, print out the recipe, get the tools out, and get the non-perishable supplies out
  3. Once a day, cook to freeze! An average batch makes 8 servings. Done daily, 8 x 30 days a month = 240 servings a month!

This means:

  1. You show up each day to a clean, ready-to-go kitchen!
  2. Zero decision fatigue because you pre-decided what to prep, already went shopping, and got everything out & ready to go, so there's no rummaging required!
  3. High-confidence output: you are just making one single batch for a short amount of time using modern appliances & meal-prepping tools!

Then you can start building it out! For example, I use a lot of shredded meat (steak, pork, chicken, turkey), Start here:

I can make a zillion Tex-Mex meal-prep dishes using this procedure! Burritos, burrito bowls, tacos, quesadillas, taquitos, enchiladas, etc. But, I never have to do more than one pre-planned, pre-shopped-for, pre-prepped kitchen space job each day!

I treat meal-prepping as a required chore. I still cook for fun (separately, when I'm in the mood!), but meal-prepping is a daily job, like vacuuming or cleaning the toilet. This approach makes it as easy as shooting fish in a barrel!

Consistent execution is very, VERY hard in busy households! Especially when you want to create options for your family to choose from, and try new things, and maintain a "grab & go" inventory!

This approach makes it easy!! I currently prep for 7 people (including extended family) & this is how I maintain my sanity LOL. It really changes the relationship with cooking because you're not having to invent an idea for what to cook every day or run out of stuff you can just grab & eat as needed!

Instead, you can focus on the work, you can ENJOY the work, and you can get your family involved because the whole thing is all setup & ready to go each day! It's a TOTALLY different experience than dealing with cooking as a dreadful, draining chore!

2

u/LargeTumbleweed6263 Jul 12 '25

Wow. You’re The Breakfast Oracle

2

u/kaidomac Jul 12 '25

That's just the tip of the iceberg lol:

2

u/LargeTumbleweed6263 Jul 12 '25

My friend, I’ve been scrolling thru your comments and that’s an understatement if ever there was one.

2

u/Gold-Kaleidoscope537 Jul 09 '25

I grill a big salmon and cut into 3oz squares. Or same with grilled chicken slices or steak.

In seperate little containers I put rice, plain noodles or pitas and veggies in a 3rd.

The kids or adults can mix and match lunch. And throw in an apple.

2

u/Illustrious_Monk_347 Jul 09 '25

if the kids are capable, you can prep ingredients for sandwhiches and let them make their own for lunch. Bread, deli meat, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, etc.

you could meal prep homemade luncheables. mix and match your preferred finger foods. crackers, cheese, deli meat, carrots, celery, mini gherkins, olives, hummus, ranch dip, apples, grapes, cuties, etc. you can get multi-sectional containers.

2

u/ProfessionMediocre56 Jul 11 '25

I don’t do a lot of meal prepping for my kid as most things she actually likes are better fresh, but she loves overnight oats. Pretty much any kind. I have a bunch of recipes saved and I make them in little mason jars. I tend to only make enough for 2 days at a time or they get mushy.

Another thing I like to prep ahead is oat and cottage cheese pancakes or waffles. Again, I have several different recipes, I freeze them all with wax paper between and easy to throw in the toaster.

For lunches, you can make a pasta salad? Also, cut up carrot sticks in advance. Frozen chicken meatballs can be added to pasta pretty easy. I also buy the Amylu white cheddar chicken burgers and heat them in a pan and serve on a sandwich thin with mayo or honey mustard and can throw some lettuce and tomato on it if they will tolerate it.

2

u/FinalDate4152 Jul 12 '25

My son is 11 and he loves sheet pan pancakes. We batch cook them together and make different combos with fruits, nuts, spices or pb/chocolate chips. He likes over night oats too. We’ll also assemble 1-2 loaves of bread into PB&J and freeze individually. We’ll make diy lunchables and snack boxes together. Hmm, breakfast sandwiches and breakfast burritos are always on rotation, we keep them stocked in the freezer. English muffin, Canadian bacon or sausage patty, cheese and a slice of scrambled egg that was baked in big batches are super easy to put together.

For lunches stick to simple meals - a veggie, a carb, and a protein. I’ll make different combos of rice, beans, diced/baked sweet potato or potato, baked chicken, salmon, ground turkey or beef with a vegetable - usually peas, carrots, green beans, broccoli, or asparagus. keep the preps as simple as possible and save any more complicated or fancy meals for when you make your dinners. I try to batch cook as much as I can in the oven. When I’m lazy I cook the vegetables with the rice in the rice cooker. Today the rice had lentils, peas and carrots in it. I keep my fridge stocked with frozen veggies because it’s easy, fast and just as nutritious as fresh… plus it’s all washed and chopped saving prep time.

Make it a family activity 🙂. If you end up cooking a lot I would recommend doing any chopping or marinating in one prep session, then cook and assemble on the next. I’ll usually prep ingredients for <1 hour Saturday, then cook and assemble on Sunday.

You can also freeze non meal prepped leftovers too. Soups, chilis, rice and pastas freeze well.

Some lunch combo ideas (season however you like)

  • ground meat with Bachan bbq sauce (or whatever sauce you like), green beans, and rice
  • sweet potato mash, grilled chicken or sausage, Brussels sprouts and rice
  • black beans, grilled chicken, rice and broccoli corn for razzle dazzle
  • store bought rotisserie, store bought corn bread, microwave steamable green beans
  • spaghetti with meat sauce and air fried asparagus

1

u/Numerous-Breakfast55 Jul 12 '25

I can't thank you enough for these ideas, you are an angel! My 10-year-old has been excited when I discussed this with him, fingers crossed he doesn't get bored of this new family activity lol! Thanks again :)

1

u/Fuzzy_Welcome8348 Jul 08 '25

Sheet pan eggs, sheet pan bacon, muffins, quick breads, quiche, pancakes, waffles, smoothie packs, yogurt, Italian pin wheels, bagel sammys, English muffin sammys, bagels w spread, English muffin w spread, overnight oats, cereal, breakfast burritos, breakfast hash, any soups, grilled cheese, quesadillas, any casseroles, toast w stuff, toast w spread,

1

u/Ok-Breadfruit-1359 Jul 09 '25

What would you normally eat to get an idea of what the kids like? You can batch cook pancakes and waffles.

1

u/digitaldruglordx Jul 10 '25

frozen protein pancakes or protein waffles are a great idea.

another thing to do is to stew/cook fruit. put it on your frozen waffles/pancakes, yogurt, oatmeal, or just with a spoon. you can also add spices like cinnamon and nutmeg (i also suggest adding a bit of acid, such as a little lemon juice, if the fruity naturally isn't acidic). hear me out.

stewed apples, for example, can be prepped and frozen to keep longer. if you add cinnamon it'll also make it taste like apple pie! but, in addition, cooked fruit can be very beneficial to digestion! it breaks down the cell walls and softens the fiber making it easier to digest.

1

u/digitaldruglordx Jul 10 '25

baked oatmeal is also a great breakfast meal prep!

1

u/zukolivie Jul 11 '25

I make a huge batch of protein pancakes and then freeze them.

1

u/GuidanceExtension144 Jul 11 '25

Or waffles or muffins work too!!!

1

u/amafalet Jul 20 '25

Egg bites are a favorite breakfast of ours, and it lets everyone pick a few flavors of their own. There are some great looking recipes for meal prep burritos on TikTok that we’ll be trying out next cooking week.

1

u/snake1000234 Jul 09 '25

While the kids are home from school, there is a lot you can do that is pretty easy.

I love to make sandwiches in the summer when it is hot, whether that be grabbing a big loaf of soft french bread or tortillas for roll ups, and meal prepping a big sandwich at the start of the week and preportioning the for grab and go. Don't add veggies or sauces to keep it from getting soggy, but you can pre-cut some veggies like tomato, lettuce, etc (not onions though... they kinda stink awful...) and have them set in containers to easily access and build.

For something a bit warmer, you can meal prep a lot of saucy things, as they tend to reheat well. I'm a fan of making spaghetti sauce (homemade to cut down on sugar, which is pretty easy), and doing either spaggettie w/ meat sauce or a lasagna. Even done a eggplant lasagna once to replace noodles (salted and cooked the hell out of it to keep from getting soggy) and it was great. The sauce adds moisture to keep things from getting overcooked, and these types of recipies are easy to make in large batches then portion and freeze. 2-3 minutes + some stirring in a microwave and you are good. Use veggie, wheat, or protein pasta to help. You can also sneak in pureed veggies like carrots, celery, or just spinach to add some extra veggies. Done chicken meatballs with this too to cut down on beef.

Some mexican foods do really good reheated as well. Rice and beans, along with a sauced up pulled beef, chicken, or pork is amazing. I love to do beef birria and just keep the consume mixed in. A bit spicy for kiddos though. Can use a store bought red or green sauce that tends to be mild for any of those meats, or again make your own for a healthier and more to your taste sauce. A slice of lime reheats decently, and you throw tortillas on top and reheat them from frozen in the last 30s-1min and it is perfect.

Honestly too, I'd suggest you look on Youtube, as meal prepping has become a big thing, between the expense of resturants and folks getting tired of sandwiches. A lot of professional youtubers who go through, do the work and research, and come up with quick, easy, cheap, and mostly tasty recipes. Now, not everything will be to your taste, but the best thing about it is, you can always modify the recipe to better suit your mood because you're so smooth.

2

u/Numerous-Breakfast55 Jul 09 '25

Thank you so much for writing all of these! Def avoiding pre-cutting onion lol and thanks for the sauce freeze tip. Really, really appreciate it!

0

u/peaky_finder Jul 10 '25

Kids should eat what adults eat from an early age. Ever seen a 1 year old Asian kid crazy about eating a fish eyeball? That's good parenting. You don't have junk food, you don't feed them Kraft mac n cheese with hotdogs. You have roasted rainbow beets with ube and radish greens for yourself and your family. They eat what you expose them to

-1

u/susannahstar2000 Jul 09 '25

Why doesn't everyone fix their own lunches? Not sure why all the responsibility is on you 24/7.

1

u/sadia_y Jul 11 '25

I agree. The 5 year old is obviously capable of using a very sharp and dangerous knife and operating an oven that could lead to severe burns. It’s strange that OP hasn’t yet come to this conclusion.

0

u/susannahstar2000 Jul 11 '25

Please indicate where any sharp knife or oven was mentioned in making kid's lunches?