Kids Lunch Recipes

The kids lunch recipes on this page help make teaching kids to eat healthy just a little bit easier.

Start a good habit now that will last a life time. Pick a recipe from these kids lunch recipes and add a fruit and a vegetable for an easy-to-eat kid meal!

There is nothing more influential in getting a child to eat their lunch than to let them make it themselves.

• Bread slices (halved) or Dinner rolls
• Margarine
• Miracle Whip
• Deli ham and turkey slices
• Sliced cheese
• Lettuce leaves

Place all items on the table and let the kids build their own sandwiches.

• Flour Tortilla
• Butter or Miracle Whip
• Deli turkey and ham
• Shredded cheese
• Lettuce leaves

Spread butter or Miracle Whip on the flour tortilla. Put on a layer of deli turkey and then a layer of deli ham. Sprinkle with shredded cheese and top with some lettuce leaves. Fold the sides in about a 1/2 inch to prevent ingredients from falling out while the kids are eating. Then roll the tortilla up tight. Cut in half and serve.

• 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 cubes chicken boullion
• 8 cups water
• 2 cups thin egg noodles
• 1 cup sliced carrots
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Measure water into a large pot and add boullion. Boil chicken until fully cooked. Remove chicken from the broth and cut into small pieces. Add the noodles, carrots, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving.

Grilled Cheese:

• 2 slices of bread per sandwich
• Sliced cheese
• Butter

Butter the bread. Place bread on a griddle over medium heat; butter side down. Place cheese on the bread. Monitor the bread and remove from griddle when golden brown.

Tomato Soup:

• 15 oz can diced tomatoes
• 15oz can tomato sauce
• 1 fresh tomato, diced
• Water
• 2-3 minced garlic cloves
• Italian seasoning, parsley, salt and pepper to taste

Put all ingredients in a large pot except for the water. Once all is warmed through, slowly add water until soup has the consistency and flavor you desire. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Place soup in a blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately.

The kids in my daycare are my taste testers when I'm trying new recipes. And to tell you the truth, while I was preparing these chicken fingers, I was betting nobody would eat them. Boy, was I wrong. Even the little girls who normally don't eat a lot of protein were asking for seconds!

Chicken Fingers

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups bread crumbs, crushed very fine
• 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 1-1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons mayonaise
• 1/2 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Cut the chicken breasts into lengthwise "fingers", 4 - 5 per breast. Place in a bowl. Add the vegetable oil and stir to coat evenly.

In another bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper. Transfer to a plastic bag. Add the chicken strips a few at a time and shake to coat with the crumb mixture. Arrange on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, turn the strips over and continue to bake for another 10 minutes or until nicely browned and cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, make the dipping sauce by combining all ingredients and mixing well.

I don't know what it is about this recipe, but I constantly have parents ask how I get kids to eat sloppy joes when they won't eat them at home.

• 3 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 3 tablespoons worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 can tomato soup
• 1 cup ketchup

Chop the onions so small the children will not see them. Brown the ground beef with the onions. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until you get the desired consistency. Serve on buns.

• 4 cups elbow macaroni
• 16 ounces of ham or turkey ham, cubed
• 12 ounces mild cheddar or marble jack cheese, cubed
• 1-1/2 cups miracle whip
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 8 ounces canned peas

Fill a large pot half full of water and bring to a boil. Add macaroni and reduce heat to medium. Cook the macaroni for eight minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Transfer to a large bowl.

Add miracle whip, cheese, ham and pepper and mix well. Mix in the peas last so that you don't smash them all.

Best when chilled overnight, but a minimum of 2 - 3 hours.

I don't have time during daycare to make a homemade pizza crust and homemade sauce, so this version of homemade pizza is the cheaters version!

Homemade Pizza

• 1 refrigerated pre-made pizza crust
• Jarred pizza sauce
• 8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
• 8 ounces shredded co-jack cheese
• Sliced pepperoni or cooked sausage crumbles (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Spread refrigerated pizza crust over the pan. If edges get too thick, cut off and dispose. Bake in oven for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven and evenly spread pizza sauce over the crust. Sprinkle both cheeses evenly over the pizza.

You can stop here for cheese pizza or add your own meat. Pepperoni I buy pre-sliced in the deli section of the grocery store. For sausage pizza, I buy a pound of ground sausage and cook it up.

This is a great recipe for those hot summer days when you don't want to turn the oven on.

• Precooked ham, cut into 1/2" cubes
• Cheese of your choice, but into 1/2" cubes
• Pineapple chunks
• Popsicle sticks

Cut the ham into cubes. Cut the cheese into cubes. Alternate loading the ham, cheese and pineapple chunks onto the Popsicle sticks.

I've tried a lot of homemade macaroni and cheese recipes so that I could appease the food program requirements, but I was giving the kids something they would eat. They were all so used to the boxed macaroni and cheeses that they would not eat anything else. I finally came up with this recipe and they like it!

• 2 cups elbow macaroni
• 1 boxed macaroni & cheese
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 cup milk
• 12 ounces shredded cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

In a large pan, boil the two cups of elbow macaroni along with the pasta from the boxed mix for 7 minutes. Drain.

Melt the butter in the pan from the macaroni. Put the macaroni back in the pan. Add milk, shredded cheese, salt and powdered cheese from boxed mix. Mix well.

If you need to add more protein to the meal, you can either cut up hotdogs to put in the macaroni and cheese or serve a small deli meat sandwich on the side.

I like finding meals that my daycare kids love and then are loved by my family later. This is definitely one of those recipes.

• 5 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 1-1/3 cups medium Picante sauce
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon Italian-style oregano
• Flour tortillas
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 16-ounces shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Sour cream & Guacamole (optional)

In a large skillet, combine the first six ingredients. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for ten minutes.

Brush melted butter on one side of a tortilla. Place the tortilla, buttered side down, on a baking cheese. Spread 2/3 cup chicken mixture over the tortilla. Sprinkle generously with shredded cheese. Top with a second tortilla, buttered side up.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 8 minutes. Flip the quesadilla over and bake an additional 3 minutes.

Remove from oven. Let cool for a few minutes and then cut into triangular wedges. Serve with sour cream and guacamole, if desired.

If you have a great recipe you'd like to see added to Kids Lunch Recipes, please post it here to share with all our visitors!

Pages of Interest:

• "Kids Breakfast Recipes"

• "Kid Friendly Dinner Recipes"

• "Snack Recipes for Children"

• "Dessert Recipes for Kids"

• "Sample Daycare Menu

  
  

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