Originally published 3/2017, this guide offers a wealth of kid-friendly meal prep recipes and strategies to make your life easier. When kids are young, meal prep can be both a challenge and a life-saver during the week. Food prep is a weekly habit for me but when they were really little, I made it a goal to do at least a little food prep each week, even when I was tired, or busy, or had fussy kids. I know from experience how helpful it is during the week, especially when it comes to feeding kids. I’ve rounded up some of my favorite kid-approved recipes from my site. If you’re looking for food prep ideas for your kiddos, these recipes are a great place to start. Like I tell everyone….you don’t have to prep all of your meals and snacks ahead of time, but every little bit does help. Choose the meal or snack time you struggle most with during the week and start there. Prep a couple of breakfast options or healthy snacks and see how much it helps.
Meal prepping is a stress-busting solution for parents of picky eaters, ensuring balanced and nutritious meals without the daily scramble. By setting aside time to plan and prep, you can create meals that are fun, flavorful, and kid-approved. The secret is to focus on versatile ingredients and easy recipes that can be prepped in bulk.
The Importance of Meal Prep for Kids
Parents often find it challenging to consistently provide nutritious meals for their children due to busy schedules and picky eating habits. Meal prepping addresses these issues head-on, saving time, reducing stress, and ensuring kids receive balanced diets.
Saving Time and Reducing Stress
Busy parents know the nightly scramble to get dinner on the table. Meal prepping eliminates the stress of last-minute meal decisions and cooking. By dedicating a few hours each week to preparing meals and snacks in advance, weeknight dinners become significantly easier. As one parent from Las Vegas, NV, Kayla, notes, “There’s so much pressure to have three square meals fully prepared every day, but the kids will really be OK as long as they have food. Everything doesn’t need to be fancy. A Lunchable and juice box? Great! PB and J for the fourth time this week? Great!”
Ensuring Balanced Nutrition
Children need a balanced intake of protein, carbohydrates, and fiber to fuel their active days. Meal prepping allows parents to control the ingredients and portion sizes, ensuring their kids get the nutrients they need. This is particularly important for children involved in extracurricular activities who require sustained energy.
Read also: Healthy food access with Highmark Wholecare explained.
Breakfast Meal Prep Ideas
Breakfast can be a tricky time of day. Some kids don’t wake up hungry, others are starving and sometimes you’re too busy running around getting ready for the day to spend forever throwing something together.
Sweet Potato White Bean Bars
These Sweet Potato White Bean Bars are perfect for breakfast or snack time.
Oatmeal
An easy way to prep oatmeal ahead of time. For Squish I often cook 1 cup oats with enough milk to cover them, a chopped apple, some cinnmaon and 2 Tbsp peanut butter in the microwave for about 3 minutes.
Banana Flax Waffles
These Banana Flax Waffles are made with just seven ingredients and no added sugar. They freeze well and make a great breakfast or snack!
Easy Egg Wraps
These Easy Egg Wraps are perfect for any meal. Make several ahead of time and fill with things like turkey, avocado, cheese, hummus and more. Or serve them plain.
Read also: Healthy Eating on the Run
Lentil Banana Muffins
These Lentil Banana Muffins make a healthy, high-fiber breakfast or snack. They’re kid-friendly and freeze well. And I promise you can’t even taste the lentils!
Waffle Maker French Toast
Prep french toast like you normally would, but throw each piece in the waffle maker!
Savory oatmeal cups
These savory oatmeal cups are a unique and wholesome twist on the classic breakfast.
Protein-Rich Burritos
Kickstart your day with these hearty, protein-rich burritos stuffed with fluffy eggs and nutritious spinach.
Cottage Egg Cheese Bites
If you’re a perimenopausal mom, you probably have cottage cheese in the fridge. So use it in these surprisingly light egg muffins from Naz Deravian for you and your kiddos.
Read also: Mobile Dining Revolution
Lunch Meal Prep Ideas
Here are some meal prep lunch ideas that your kids will love.
Frozen English Muffin Mini Pizzas
These Frozen English Muffin Mini Pizzas are perfect for a quick, kid-friendly lunch or snack.
Peanut Butter Banana Chia Pudding
This Peanut Butter Banana Chia Pudding makes an easy, kid-friendly meal or snack. These are easy to make and taste great warm or cold.
Energy Balls
My Go-To Energy Ball Recipe is full of protein and fiber and makes a great addition to lunch. Bursting with citrus flavor, these Lemon Energy balls make the perfect snack.
Macaroni and Cheese with a Boost
Make some macaroni and cheese but stir in some greek yogurt for extra protein or add some chicken sausage or taco meat.
Veggie Pasta Cups
These Veggie Pasta Cups sneak in wholesome veggies while delivering cheesy, comforting goodness. They’re perfect for picky eaters who want fun bites without knowing they’re eating something nutritious. Who knew pasta could look this adorable?
Cucumber Sushi Rolls
These cucumber sushi rolls bring the fun of sushi without any of the fuss! Hydrating, crunchy, and customizable, they’re a refreshing way to sneak in some protein and veggies.
Crispy Chickpea Wraps
These crispy chickpea wraps are a simple, flavorful, and crunchy option that's packed with protein and fiber. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
Cottage Cheese Veggie Boats
These Cottage Cheese Veggie Boats are a fun, nutritious twist on a classic snack.
Spinach and Feta Pockets
These spinach and feta pockets are a deliciously savory and nutritious meal prep idea, perfect for anyone looking to combine flavor with convenience.
Portable Caprese Salad Jars
These portable Caprese salad jars are a fresh and vibrant option loaded with tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. Seal the jars and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
White Bean Caprese Salad
My big kid loves to take a Caprese salad in her school lunch. This one from Colu Henry adds white beans for extra oomph, so my oldest can make it through a school day and two hours of dance class.
Dumpling and Smashed Cucumber Salad With Peanut Sauce
My 13-year-old kept stealing bites when I made myself this clever salad from Hetty Lui McKinnon, so I’m taking the hint and packing it in her lunch. Hetty calls for vegetarian dumplings, but I make it with chicken.
Chicken Quesadillas
I love making cheese quesadillas for breakfast, but these chicken quesadillas from Ali Slagle are a great heartier option for lunch. Ali smartly suggests mixing together the chicken and cheese for even melting and distribution. It’s the little things.
Tortellini Pasta Salad
Cheese tortellini and salami give this reader-favorite pasta salad from Ali Slagle a bit more staying power. Because delicate arugula will become soggy in a lunchbox, I’ll sub in roughly chopped broccoli that will soften as it sits.
Lemon Turmeric Chicken Salad
Afghan murgh kebab, grilled spiced chicken kebabs that are served with a garlicky white sauce, inspired this not-boring, creamy-spicy chicken salad from Zaynab Issa. A mix of Greek yogurt and mayo keeps it out of gloopy territory.
Egg Salad
A well-made egg salad is sublime, and this one from Lidey Heuck does not disappoint. To guard against sogginess if you’re making a sandwich: Toast the bread a bit first, lightly butter it, then put a piece of lettuce on each slice before adding the egg salad.
Easy Chickpea Salad
You’ll almost always find chickpeas in my cabinet because they’re great in so many things. In a pinch, I add a small container of plain chickpeas to my kids’ lunches, but this recipe from Kristina Felix is something special.
Pimento Cheese
As a pseudo-Southerner, I am thrilled to announce that one of my kids loves pimento cheese, so this is already a lunchbox go-to in our house. She likes this one from Matt and Ted Lee with Ritz crackers and cucumbers.
5-Minute Hummus
This superfast hummus from Michael Solomonov and Steven Cook of the Philadelphia restaurant Zahav calls for an entire 16-ounce jar of tahini so it’s incredibly flavorful (and also packed with good fats that will keep my girl going through soccer practice).
Dinner Meal Prep Ideas
Dinner is tough on busy evenings when the kids have a million activities.
Tater Tot Waffles
These Tater Tot Waffles are kid-friendly and perfect any time of day!
Air Fryer Steak Bites
If you’re intimidated by the grill, these air fryer steak bites are the way to go.
Instant Pot Pasta with Meat Sauce
This Instant Pot Pasta with Meat Sauce is a simple, healthy dinner recipe the whole family will love.
Freezer Chicken Tenders
These Freezer Chicken Tenders are perfect for meal prep. Make several batches ahead of time and stick them in the freezer. Ashleigh from Canada and her two kids are big fans of Rachael Ray’s homemade chicken tenders, alongside sweet potato wedges and frozen veggies. Make it even easier for yourself by prepping and freezing the nuggets ahead of time.
Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Tortellini
This Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Tortellini is so easy to throw together for an easy dinner that practically cooks itself!
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs
This recipe for Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs is an easy, kid-friendly weeknight dinner.
Veggie Noodle Stir-Fry
This Veggie Noodle Stir-Fry is a vibrant, crunchy, and satisfying dish packed with fresh veggies and a savory sauce.
Mini Stuffed Peppers
These mini stuffed peppers are a bite-sized delight, packed with flavor and nutrients.
Individual Shepherd’s Pie Cups
These individual shepherd’s pie cups are hearty, comforting, and packed with protein and veggies. Add tomato paste, broth, and frozen vegetables, cooking until heated through. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden.
Bite-Sized Turkey Meatloaves
These bite-sized turkey meatloaves are protein-packed and irresistibly flavorful. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Meatballs
Juicy and flavorful, these Meatballs are packed with protein and can be paired with pasta, rice, or eaten on their own.
Easy Burritos
These excellent burritos from Ali Slagle are always a winner. Make them ahead, wrap in foil and freeze, then heat up and pop into a Thermos. I make ours with ground turkey or chicken.
Baked Chicken Meatballs
These simple chicken meatballs from Lidey Heuck can be piled into a container or tucked into a squishy hoagie. I toss in a few packets of ketchup left over from takeout. Melanie* from Canada knows that her three kids will always appreciate a piping hot tray of this lasagna from Pinch of Yum.
Everyday Dal
Cozy and soul warming, this 10-minute, 5-ingredient red lentil dal from Priya Krishna gets better over time, so it’s the perfect thing to make on a Sunday to have for lunches all week. Lentils and rice is a meatless dinner that Brian from Buffalo knows will always please his two kids. Countless members of the WWL community have mentioned that not only is this one of their personal favorites, but a favorite of their kids as well! Another option that my mom always used to make for me is a pasta fagioli. This is an Italian bean and noodle soup like this one from Cookie and Kate.
Snack Time Meal Prep Ideas
Don’t forget about snack time.