7 Meals Your Kids can Make Themselves

I am a BIG fan of getting my kids involved in the kitchen and it is a huge help for me when they are able to get in there and help with meal prep. Having a few kid-friendly meal options that are easy for kids to make on their own is a huge time-saver in our house. These are our favorite meals that kids can make themselves and they are a huge hit with my family.

I teach my kids to cook as soon as they are old enough to sit at the stool in my kitchen. I believe that cooking is an essential lifelong skill and I want to make sure my kids are comfortable with it and build up a repertoire of recipes as early as possible.

This comes in handy once my kids are a bit older. Because I start teaching cooking skills early, my kids are able to cook basic meals on their own by about 8-years-old.

One of the best things we’ve done to help simplify dinnertime around my house is assigning each kid one day of the week to be in charge of dinner. That means they plan the meal, give me a shopping list, and do most (or all) of the meal prep).

We’ve made cooking for kids even more fun with a Kidstir subscription. My daughter loves that this comes with kid-sized kitchen tools and she has built up quite a little collection now. My kids have also loved the Cook by Colours cookbook because it makes it easy for younger kids to follow a recipe (and it’s great practice for learning how to follow a recipe).

Instant Pot Barbecue Chicken Tacos

These Barbecue Chicken Tacos are a HUGE hit with my kids and they are so easy to make. I often make the chicken ahead of time and freeze it so it just has to be thawed and that makes it super easy for kids to prep on their own. You can really add any toppings you’d like with this and if you use pre-made BBQ sauce these are super simple to throw together.

Get the recipe here.

Peanut Crusted Chicken

I don’t know what it is about this recipe. It isn’t hard to make but it is one of the more time-consuming recipes here but my kids are OBSESSED with it. They love everything about it: making it, eating it, dipping it. I think it reminds my kids of chicken nuggets. It’s like fancy chicken nuggets. They love dipping it in all kinds of sauces

This reheats well too if you want to make a bit batch and have it on hand for meals later in the week.

Get the recipe here. 

Cheese Cracker Crusted Chicken Recipe

This is another one that is a huge hit with my kids. Again, there’s a little more prep time involved but it’s fun prep-work and every kid should know how to crust chicken because you can sub out ingredients and make a huge variety of dishes.

Get the recipe here. 

Egg Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I’m a big fan of breakfast for dinner. Not only is it quick and easy, but it is also delicious. This Egg Grilled Cheese Sandwich sounds a bit weird but it is one of our absolute favorite recipes and it is super easy for kids to make.  We’ll often pair this with a side of fruit or some yogurt and dinner is done.

Get the recipe here. 

Potato Hash with Smoked Sausage

This is seriously the easiest meal to make but it is a huge kid-pleaser. We are all about lazy comfort food around here. You can sub out any ingredients your kids don’t like. We basically throw anything we have in the fridge in here. It is super easy for kids to make too. They just have to slice up some veggies and summer sausage (which is pre-cooked) and throw it all together in a pan.

Get the recipe here. 

Mexican Stuffed Peppers

I’m really lucky that my kids like peppers because stuffed peppers can be made in nearly any flavor combination you like and they are so easy for kids to make. I help my kids by cutting the tops off the peppers and let them fill them with anything they’d like. We’ve done Sloppy Joes, spaghetti, and just about anything else that you can think of. These Mexican Stuffed peppers are delicious and super easy to throw together.

Get the recipe here. 

Chicken and Asparagus Crescent Pockets

 

Other quick meals that are easy for kids to make are:

• Tomato soup and grilled cheese
• Breakfast for dinner
• Boxed mac and cheese (Hey, I’m not judging)
• Frozen lasagna
• Beans on Toast (don’t knock it until you try it)

 

Want to simplify mealtime?

eMeals is one of my favorite meal planning tricks out there. My family has absolutely loved everything we have made from this. I have a few picky eaters too, and I haven’t heard any complaints. They have several styles of menus to choose from (including family-friendly, budget, 30-minute meals, Keto, and more) and you can switch back and forth between them. I’ll often pick a few recipes from a few different menus each week.

I LOVE that you can send your complete grocery list (including any other odds and ends you need) over to whatever local grocery pickup options you have. This makes eMeals as simple as a meal delivery service for way less money.

Try it free for 14 days HERE.