I’m a busy mom and a bit selfish because I like time to myself. I also work from home and my kids are home most of the day (Yay for me! Am I right?). My teen daughter attends online high school and my 6-year-old son only attends first grade for a few hours in the morning.
By lunchtime, I have to feed a hungry toddler and a moody teen. That means when it comes to lunch I’m in it to find something really quick and easy that my kids will eat. Here are my go-to simple mom food ideas that I make often during the week and that keeps everyone happy including me.
Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwich
Easy peasy and completely underrated.
A couple ideas on how to dress up a very simple grilled cheese is to use thick-cut hearty bread and add ham.
Turkey Tortilla Wrap
This kind of makes me feel like I’m feeding my kids a healthier meal. They like it, especially my teen daughter. My son won’t eat lettuce or anything green so I just don’t include it on his.
Just lay your tortilla flat and add turkey, cheese, mayo, lettuce, and tomato and roll it up. You are done!
Tip: For something really simple just spread cream cheese on a flour tortilla and add ham and roll it up. My kids love this version.
Hot Dog
Yea, That’s right! Hot dogs are on my go-to quick-kid-food list!
Hey, they are precooked you just have to warm up the hot dog in a skillet and add condiments. Hello! Kids love them.
Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla
So if you are feeling super unmotivated just opt for a Cheese Quesadilla but if you’ve time you can add sliced hot dogs, leftover rotisserie chicken, or ground beef, and serve it with avocado. YUM!
Pita Bread Pizza
Kids and pizza go together like peanut butter and jelly. Pizza, if you are not making the crust is very easy. You can use pita bread, bagels, English muffins, or tortillas as a quick and easy substitute for pizza crust.
Just spread the pizza sauce on the base and layer it with mozzarella cheese and whatever toppings you prefer. Bake it until the cheese is melted. It is always a big hit.
Homemade Mac and Cheese
I say homemade in the loosest sense of the word. I have no problem grabbing a box of mac and cheese for lunch but it’s just as easy to make it. No, really it is.
I just cook my pasta and after it is strained I stir in a bit of butter and use a packet of cheese sauce for the cheese flavor. Yes, the nacho cheese sauce.
What Should I Serve This With?
Ok, so my kids would not be full just eating the above for lunch so I usually serve these above easy lunch ideas with some sort of side.
I usually use one of 3 options,
- fresh cut fruit
- fresh cut veggies
- chips or fries
When I serve fresh-cut veggies I use whatever I have on hand usually carrot sticks with ranch or celery with peanut butter.
When I serve fresh-cut fruit I also just use whatever I have at home. Usually a combination of any of the following, orange, sliced pear, sliced banana, strawberries, sliced apple, grapes, or blueberries.
Do you often rely on these easy meal ideas like me?
What are some other favorites that I’ve missed?
Help a tired mom and share these Super Easy Lunch Ideas for Kids on Pinterest!
I Chug My Wine 