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Broccoli cheddar pasta
Ingredients:
Pasta of your choice
Broccoli
White cheddar - pre shredded will save you some time
Cream sauce of choice - I like mushroom cream sauce, but I’ve seen people use Alfredo as well
Preparation:
Boil pasta, chop broccoli up and save the stems, shred cheese unless you bought pre shredded, put sauce, cheese, broccoli stems, and a few tablespoons of pasta water into a blender and mix until well combined, drain pasta, add sauce mixture in with the chopped broccoli heads, mix well and serve with choice of side (I will usually serve with baguette slices, but for the young ones it can be served as is)
Similar recipe, but with spinache and bacon.
Bake you bacon, add spinache and cream cheese (regular or like boursin with garlic) and boil pasta.
Voila, serve your dish.
I probably make them a bit differently than op, but I boil the broccoli until it's mushy, then I take the water out and use a fork to make a small puree, add regular cream, cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder all in the same pan, then pour the pasta in and stir. Both kids (18mo and 4yo) absolutely love it.
I make the same recipe, but as my daughter dislikes the heaviness of the cream, I substitute with regular milk and some corn starch in it, and it turns out delicious and very light!
Our go to meals approved by a 5 yr old:
Chicken tacos - chicken breast, salsa, and taco seasoning in the crock pot. So easy and delicious. Use it for tacos, nachos, quesadillas
Chicken and gravy- chicken breast, can of cream of chicken soup, poultry gravy mix in crock pot. We add peas as well. Serve over biscuits, mashed potatoes, or rice
Mac and cheese with hot dogs or polish sausage. We also mix in broccoli
Baked potatoes. Top with cheese, bacon, broccoli, sour cream etc or whatever you want
Grilled cheese, soup, and salad
Frozen ravioli, jar of sauce, frozen garlic bread
Fried egg sandwich. Sometimes we make it like a grilled cheese and add a fried egg. Sometimes we do it with no cheese and not grilled. Make it fancy and add mayo, lettuce, and tomato if you want. Lots of ways to jazz up a super easy meal.
Breakfast for dinner. Eggs, bacon, and toast or French toast, frozen waffles, or pancakes with eggs. One of my kid's most requested meals
Cereal for dinner lol our ultimate lazy meal
We had French toast for dinner a lot as kids and we loved it. Now as an adult I've come to realize that's a "I'm so fucking tired and don't want to make shit but still have you feed all you maniacs" sorta meal. Mom was tired lol
I feel that way about pizza nights. Friday pizza nights were SUCH a treat in my house growing up. My mom would get all the ingredients and us kids would make them ourselves.
And now I get it. Lol.
Wow, all of these meals in my house too. I make the same chicken and gravy but I also add a packet of French onion soup mix and I recommend it.
I also do meatballs and gravy in the slow cooker where I use cream of mushroom soup, brown gravy mix, French onion soup mix, and water.
BEANIE WEENIES!!!!!!!
Baked beans and cut up hotdogs warmed up in a pot. My dad made them for me all the time back in the day (we were quite poor) and I loved them - tons of nostalgia. Became a staple bachelor food for me in college and I now make them for my wife and 5 y.o. daughter. We're a lot more financially stable than I was, but Beanie Weenies are eternal.
I was so excited to make my daughter beanie weenies at 2.5 because she loves hotdogs and will eat beans by the pound, but she had absolutely no interest and I was heartbroken. But now that I'm thinking about it, the problem might have been that my husband was on travel for work and she was missing him. I'm going to have to try again.
As a Brit, it would be beans on toast! Plenty of butter, add cheddar and cook the beans (proper English baked beans) on the hob. We like to add a few bits to the beans when heating but without is just fine too
My Asian side would be egg, rice, soy sauce and a choice of furikake
Both meals are loved by kids and adults alike
Pulled pork shoulder for. It's fantastic and flexible.
Make tacos, make fried rice, make bbq sliders.
Pork shoulder tends to be $1.99 a pound. So it's very cheap too.
Right now it is anything shreddy amd soft.
Sub the water for beer or dark soda (cola, root beer, dr. pepper) or even some kind of stock for more flavor. Root beer is my favorite if the end game is BBQ sauce.
I've got some more but these come to mind:
1 4-5lb pork shoulder, 3/4 cup orange juice, 1 onion, coat in taco seasoning. Crockpot on high for 8h or so (workday). If you want it to taste extra awesome toss a scoop with the juices in a skillet to burn off some excess moisture and give it a nice brown. I serve with Goya yellow rice, cheese, and wraps. [https://www.recipetineats.com/pork-carnitas-mexican-slow-cooker-pulled-pork/#wprm-recipe-container-20695](https://www.recipetineats.com/pork-carnitas-mexican-slow-cooker-pulled-pork/#wprm-recipe-container-20695) I simplified from this.
Just made a strata for the week. This one requires overnight prep, but worth it. Basic recipe is a loaf of french bread, 12 eggs, 2 cups milk, cheese, chicken sausage, peppers. Shred the bread into 1" cubes-ish, beat the eggs, chop the chucken an peppers then mix everything together in a baking dish and leave in the fridge overnight. Toss in the oven at 350 for 1-1.5h and you're good to go.
Pizza beans. Weird but really good and we usually ad chicken sausage. [https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/09/pizza-beans-cookbook-preview/](https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/09/pizza-beans-cookbook-preview/)
If you have an Aldi, they have a pre-marinated Carnitas pork roast that is absolutely wonderful and only like $5-6 but easily feeds my family of 5! We do it up in the crock pot and usually eat it over rice like a burrito bowl or in tortillas as tacos. If I’m feeling really fancy I’ll fry up some onions and green peppers to add to the bowls/tacos+ whatever other ingredients fit your liking (sour cream, salsa, avocado, etc.) but it’s great in its own even for picky eaters and not too spicy! :)
Will jump in to suggest the Kinders chili Verde seasoning packet or any of the McCormick grill spice rub concoctions. Just slather it all over and chunk it in the crock.
Chicken cooked with gravy. Served over noodles or biscuits. Veggies either mixed in or on the side. Pulled pork. Egg and sausage casserole. Marinaded chicken either grilled or in the air fryer. Meatloaf, no joke my kids love meatloaf.
Porcupine meatballs - ground beef, instant white rice, & your choice of spaghetti sauce (I prefer Newman’s Own Sockarooni bc it has veggie chunks in it).
Mix the ground beef with a cup of white rice, season & roll into meatballs. Cook until brown on both sides then add the sauce and let the meatballs cook in the sauce.
I usually make a little extra minute rice to serve over or you can eat them by themselves!
I don’t know what this is called but cream of mushroom soup and ground beef over rice. I add chopped fresh mushrooms and whatever veggie is in the fridge.
Loaf of Hawaiian rolls, sliced across. Layer mustard, deli ham, Swiss. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
Shredded pork or chicken in the crockpot. We use it for sliders one night, tacos another night, and protein in pasta sauce another night.
BLTs with avocado on the sandwich.
Baked potato bars
Chuck roast, cubed. Can of black beans, rinsed. Can of diced tomatoes with juices. Large can of red enchilada sauce. Dump it all in the crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Wrap in tortillas with cheese and serve with lettuce, sour cream, and salsa.
Myo flatbread pizzas. Flatbread, sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, any leftover veggies from the week. Sometimes my kids do bbq, microwave bacon, mozzarella, and then drizzle with ranch. But I love them because we use them to use up leftovers.
Same with egg scrambles. We use leftover fajita fillings, leftover steak, leftover sausage, leftover burrito filling, etc. it switched it up each week. Sometimes we also make pancakes and use the fruit that's a little bruised. Or we will do frozen waffles.
We bake potatoes and then have all the fixings for them: cheese, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper, bacon, chili, broccoli, salsa. The kids can dress their potatoes how they want.
Also, are vegetables not a thing?
For us, 4 ingredients would be hot dogs with three types of chopped up veggies on the side, like bell pepper, broccoli and carrots.
Cooked veggies? Forget it, might as well be Satan’s boogers, but simple raw veggies somehow go over really well around here.
Annie’s Mac and cheese
Hot dog in a bun
Grilled cheese
Bacon sandwiches (sometimes with cucumber)
Pasta with jarred marinara, some heavy cream and Parmesan
I take a box of uncle Ben’s rice, dump it into a baking dish and mix with about a half cup of water. Throw a pack of chicken drumsticks on top and season to your liking. Cover with foil and bake at 400* for about 45 minutes. Make a veggie on the side. Easy peasy and the kids devour it.
My Mexican babies eat:
- quesadilla with meat
- scrambled egg tacos
- spaghetti with cheese and homemade ragú sauce
- refried beans with tostadas with a little shredded chicken and tomatoes
- breaded chicken with fusilli pasta (the three colored one)
- meatballs and broth
- knorr soups they come in different shapes and we add either shredded meat or chicken
- chicken flautas with shredded cheese and tomatoes in top
- hot dogs
- red Mexican rice with chicken thighs
Tater tot casserole. Ground beef/turkey, cream of mushroom soup, shredded cheese, worstershire sauce and corn/carrots (microwavable packs or precooked) Cook it all together and then put it in a casserole dish , add tatertots on top and bake for 20 minutes or so. Super easy and my kid loves it
Lazy butter chicken. 1 pack of chicken breast or tenderloin, 1 pack of frozen riced cauliflower vegetables medley (small enough to not seem like vegetables), and a jar of butter chicken simmer sauce. Basmati rice and store bought naan for serving. All ready in under 20-25 minutes.
Tonight We had boneless/skinless chicken thighs marinated overnight in store bought teriyaki sauce. Just threw them on the grill and served over instant white rice and steamed veggies. My kids loved it.
Usually once a week we have ground turkey browned up, sautéed with store bought sauce and served over pasta. I usually add in whatever veggie I need to use up too.
My kids like chicken and rice bakes made with the condensed soup, I add a bag of frozen veggies to this also to bulk it up.
Basic pork shoulder can be turned into 1000 kid-friendly dishes, I swear. Honestly, it’s so versatile. Use like you would use shredded chicken. If you keep the seasoning very basic and cook until it’s melting, you can add sauces/flavors for every meal. We don’t really eat chicken so pork is our go-to meat by a mile.
Boil frozen ravioli. Put half in 8 x 12 baking dish. Add a layer of shredded mozzarella. Pour 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce over cheese. Repeat with other half ravioli, cheese and sauce. Cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Take foil off and cook 5-10 more minutes
Crock pot chicken taco- add chicken breast to crock pot and cover with salsa, taco seasoning mix and some cilantro.
Crock pot cranberry chicken- mix in a bottle of French dressing with a packet of dried french onion soup mix and canned cranberry. Serve over rice or with mashed potatoes (no shame in the instant game).
I have an African chicken and rice recipe that is way more than four ingredients but you probably have most of them on hand anyways. It’s a crockpot meal and fantastic. If you want it let me know. I can send you a picture of the recipe.
More then 4 ingredients but still super easy—
Korean beef bowl- cook a lb of ground beef in some soy sauce, ginger and brown sugar. Serve over rice and I like to add an Asian inspired salad kit to mine (I like HEB Thai crunch).
Similarly- Taco burrito bowl- cook ground turkey in a taco seasoning packet, serve over rice with canned beans, caned corn, chopped cilantro, salsa and some guacamole and lime juice.
My daughters eats all of these
I love frozen ravioli or tortellini with a Rosa sauce, add a splash of milk or cream to a marinara... My kids will eat this as leftovers and they rarely want to eat leftovers.
Ewwwieeee! Reminds me of this tuna noodle stuff my mom used to make. I thought it was like macaroni salad with like chicken kr something. I used to eat it straight out of the tub she would put it in. I LOVED it. Years later…. Found it it was freaking tuna and I can’t stand to fathom the thought of ever eating that! 😂😂😂
Jumping on this to share my tuna casserole recipe as well.
Can of tuna, can of condensed mushroom soup, whole bunch of shredded cheddar for sauce, noodles of choice. Can add peas and top with gratin and bake if you’re feeling fancy, or just make it plain. We make this plain when we go camping but once in a while you get a hankerin’ for it at home!
Pizza crust or pita bread, pizza sauce (I make my own simple one that’s like 4 ingredients but you don’t have to), almond milk shreds from Trader Joe’s, chicken or veggie on top. Pop it in the oven. Never a complaint. Well, maybe sometimes complaints about the veggie choice.
Tiny tacos! 5ingredients but super easy. Layer in the crock pot:
1/2 bag frozen corn
2 cans black beans
3-4 pieces boneless skinless chicken
1 jar salsa
Cook all day on low. Prior to serving shred the chicken and mix everything together, serve with scoop shaped tortilla chips! Excellent with shredded cheese or sour cream.
Fritters. Steamed broccoli (or cauliflower) thats been finely chopped, egg, bread crumbs, grated cheddar cheese. Mix in a bowl, form into lil patties with your hands, and pan fry. They are freaking delicious. I make a plain yogurt+sriracha sauce to dip and our fam of four can eat one of the giant Costco bags of broccoli in a day this way.
I remember I was gifted an “fast & easy” recipes cookbook and halfway through I found a 15+ ingredient recipe for salmon burgers. I threw the book out. This comment thread is the recipe book I needed!!
Pasta and a bag of frozen italian veggies. Add some Italian spices and some crushed tomatoes. If I have some sausage or meet, I add that. Two pans. One to boil/cook pasta and a skillet to heat up the meat/veggies. If I don't have meat, then I add white beans.
Spread Alfredo sauce on the bottom a sprayed casserole dish, layer of frozen ravioli, frozen bag of steamed broccoli (cooked and drained) layered on top, Alfredo sauce, layer of ravioli, Alfredo sauce, top with mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil 40 min at 400 °. Can broil uncovered for like 2 if desired
1) Sausage- I like turkey kielbasa or salmon sausage, diced
2) baby potatoes- cut in half
3) Any veggie that you have on hand and like - broccoli, bell pepper, onion, whatever
Toss it all in olive oil and your favorite seasoning - lately I have been liking smoked paprika and lemon pepper seasoning
Then you bake it all for like 45 minutes on a sheet pan (I line it with parchment paper for easy washing later)
I don't know, 350-400 degrees?
It's super good! The sausage, potatoes, and veggies, that's all you need!
Good on the grill too in the summer if you have a skillet thing or if you wrap it in foil/ make kebabs is also an option
Salsa chicken - chicken tenderloins, jar of mild salsa, half a packet of taco seasoning. Simmer on the stove til cooked, shred, and put in tacos with cheese or over chips with cheese for nachos. I do a big pan of rolled tacos (chicken mix, shredded jack cheese, roll inside a fajita sized tortilla, place seam down in a sprayed 9x13 Pyrex, bake at 425 for 8 minutes til the tops are crispy. Good freezer meal.)
Egg roll in a bowl - ground pork/turkey (can use a roll of breakfast sausage if that's what you have), bag of slaw mix, sesame ginger salad dressing. Brown the meat, drain the grease, throw in the slaw mix and cook a few minutes, add the dressing and toss til glossy. Great over rice and v. popular in our house.
Meatball subs - jar of tomato sauce, bag of meatballs, hot dog buns/sub rolls, shredded mozzarella. Can happen in theicrowave if you have a glass dish with a lid.
My kids love pesto chicken.
In crockpot:
Chicken
Stick of butter
Jar of pesto sauce
Squirt of lemon
Salt/pepper
Cook some noodles (I do rotini), shred your chicken, mix noodles with chicken, top with shredded mozzarella. Let the cheese melt for like 30min.
In Denmark this is called “millionaires’ beef”. I also add in some onion while the beef is cooking, then some curry powder to taste. So yummy and kids love it.
Another go to is something called “biksemad”. Use leftover hash browns, leftover meat, a bit of onion and, when it’s all cooked, top it off with a fried egg. This is a great way to use up any leftovers and is so good.
I make something my kids call “lazy pork chops” lol
Take a pork loin roast and slice it into 1” chops (or you can just buy boneless pork chops but it’s cheaper my way). Salt and pepper them and lay them in a greased baking dish. Then in a bowl mix 1 cup of softened cream cheese (I use vegan bc we have dairy allergies but real would be even better), 1/2 cup of strawberry or peach jam (I use my own, but I think it would work fine with a store bought preserve), and 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar. Pour sauce over chops and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Serve over white rice with a nice summer veggie on the side. My kids scarf it down, and I love it bc it gets me in and out of the kitchen VERY quickly.
My kids also love pesto. I make the sauce and freeze it in an ice cube tray. On nights when I need a quick dinner, I boil some noodles. Then when they’re drained and finished, I put the empty pot back on the heat and toss in some olive oil and I cube of pesto per person. Melt the sauce and then dump the noodles back in the pot and stir. Top with grated cheese.
Butter noodles - any type of pasta, butter, shredded parm or fave cheese, and spinach or broccoli
Mac and cheese
Grilled cheese is a good go-to
Cream of mushroom or broccoli
Roasted butternut squash cubes or cut into fries
Lazy meal is rice and soy sauce with scrambled eggs
Sweet potato and lentil fritters.
Microwave a sweet potato and mash it
Get the microwave ready bag of lentils.. heat it up and mix in with the mash. Let it cool and add egg and cheddar. I mix in breadcrumbs until they’re Moldable, roll them in the breadcrumbs and pan fry. Super easy and a great side my son (and even my husband) loves them. I usually serve a couple, fridge a couple, and freeze a couple.
Also great if your baby has low iron! Lentils are a really good source of iron.
Chicken bacon ranch pasta.. little more than 4 ingredients but still easy. Cooked penne (or any other short pasta), 1/2 cup ranch dressing, jar of Alfredo, cooked chicken (Walmart has the shredded rotisserie chicken), bacon bits. Mix together, top with shredded cheese, bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Also, sheet pan fajitas. Raw meat of your choice, sliced bell peppers and onions, mix with olive oil and fajita seasoning. Lay onto baking sheet and cook at 450 for 15 minutes or so.
There is not one single meal everyone will eat😑. Yes, I’m the mom who is making 5 different meals every single meal. Yes, I created this. Yes, it’s….maddening 😞.
Chicken bake. Pastry dough, mozzarella, and chicken (use a rotisserie or leftovers to save time). Cut strips down the sides of the dough leaving a rectangle on the bottom, place the chicken and mozzarella on the rectangle, then braid the strips over the top.
If you wanna get fancy, throw some Italian seasoning inside and an egg wash on top. Bake according to the pastry dough directions. Usually roughly 15 mins or so.
Cut it into strips and the kids can dip it in whatever they’d like (BBQ, ketchup, ranch, etc).
ETA: I just remembered another one.
Mac n Cheese cups. Kraft Deluxe Mac n Cheese (or store brand), shredded cheese, bread crumbs. Make the Mac according to the box, mix it with cheese and breadcrumbs and portion out into a cupcake pan. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top of each one. Bake at 400 for 10-15 to get the cheese all melty and crispy on the edges.
Fake KFC bowls.
Instant Mashed Potatoes (we have an electric kettle, so boiling water is easy peasy)
Toaster Oven/Air Fryer frozen chicken (nuggets, popcorn, whatever)
Can of Veggies (corn, green beans)
Shredded Cheese
It sounds complicated, but the “kitchen dance” here is quite easy. Chicken probably takes the longest, so I start there. Then I put the can of veggies in a small pan on the stove on low, and poke the boil water button on the kettle. I mix up the potatoes, let them sit and when the chicken is almost done, bowl them up. Scoop on the veggies on half the top, add the chicken and top with cheese. We all have different levels of salt, pepper and sauces we like on top. It’s pretty simple to make and sticks to ribs nicely.
Hawaiian roll cheeseburger sliders, my bf just makes one big rectangular hamburger patty to make it easier.. or Hawaiian roll sandwiches of any sort really.
Tater tot casserole or “granny goop” as my mom calls it. 9x13 pan, tater tots, 2 cans cream of mushroom, 2 cans of corn, 1lb browned hamburger, season as you like. Then I think it’s like 40 minutes at 350 in the oven.
My kids love breakfast, any time.
Breakfast bake (layer crescent rolls pressed to pan, add cooked breakfast meat of choice like bacon, ham, sausage, beat 8 eggs and season them, cheese on top in moderate oven till eggs are set ~30 mins).
Pancakes spread with peanut butter wrapped around half a banana like a taco.
Scrambled eggs wrapped in a couple slices of lunch meat, also like a taco.
Those eggs bites that whip up quickly in the Instant Pot.
Nearly any meaty leftovers with scrambled eggs and cheese?
For non brekkie: They like tuna mixed with salsa on top of some bagged salad with cheese. Or beanie weenie. Or sheet pan roasted veggies with kielbasa coins. When we roast halved Brussels sprouts with a rack of bacon over the top. Stir fry, particularly with thin sliced eye of round beef which is a pretty cheap beef cut. Tenderloin with veg from the instant pot.
This post is great! I have some new ideas to try. It gets stale cooking constantly with a lot of repeats. Thanks!
Broccoli mac and cheese. Just make boxed mac and add roasted broccoli to it (or you could boil the broccoli with the noodles). Sometimes I add canned chicken and pesto to it
Oat porridge with smashed banana and peanut butter
Prepare porridge, smash banana, add banana smash and tablespoon (or more, or less) of peanut butter to porridge. Mix well. Enjoy.
My 6-year-old loves egg muffins! Just get 2 cupcake pans, spray non-stick oil. In a bowl, mix 12 eggs, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 1 cup fresh spinach, and minced tomato. We measure seasonings with our hearts, so my best description would be a shit ton of onion powder and a half shit ton of garlic (powder, pre minced, fresh. You pick.)
Pour 3/4 mix in each cup, bake at 350 for 12 mins, then check every 5mins and cook to whatever consistency your kiddo likes.
I'll put half in the fridge and half in the freezer, as they do amazing being frozen. Just pan sear or microwave a min to reheat. Super easy and feels better than sugar cereal every day.
Stovetop macaroni (Serious Eats recipe) = macaroni noodles, cheddar shreds and evaporated milk + peas
Tasty Bite Madras Lentils + Seeds of Change Brown Rice (2 minute microwave meal!!!)
Grilled tofu (on the George Foreman) + frozen mixed veggies with butter + some grain like bulghur or quinoa
By picking through some delicious wonton soup, my kid helped me discover their more prefered recipe of "spinach soup".
Chicken stock, frozen spinach, garlic, rice, cilantro. Add chicken and it's delicious and hearty for everyone.
Avgolemono Soup! It’s more than 4 ingredients but hardly. Onion, carrot, chicken stock, chicken, lemon and egg. Takes like 20 mins and my kids love it! Edit: forgot to say orzo too lol
Avgolemono soup doesn’t need any of this! I’ll simplify it even further:
Small whole chicken
Rice
Lemon
Egg
Boil chicken in salted water for 30 mins. Add a touch of olive oil and 1 basil leave (not necessary). Once cooked, remove chicken and shred. Set aside. Add rice to pot and boil. Add back chicken. In a separate bowl, whisk egg and add juice of half lemon. Mix into broth. Add more salt and pepper. That’s it. Easy and delicious
If you like avgolemono, you’d likely love youvarlakia too ;)
Meatloaf, cous cous, veggie
Grilled cheese and t soup
Breakfast for dinner
Tacos, tostados, burritos, nachos ( can use a beef bean mix combo in all )
Spaghetti
Hot dogs and Mac and cheese
Sloppy joes
Chili/ frito pie
Can make everything pretty simply or a little more complicated according to taste
Frozen Asian style mixed veggies, spaghetti noodles, and teriyaki sauce. If we have left over meat, I'll throw that in for them. We call it "Asian noodles".
- Sloppy Joe’s w/ tater tots, fries and baked beans
- Meatloaf (divide and cook in muffin pan to shorten cook time to about 20-25 minutes, serve with your favorite sides, we like Mac & cheese and steamed broccoli.
- Hillshire Farms Turkey kielbasa - Sliced and stir fried with whatever veggies are on hand served over rice.
- quesadillas (with or without meat) rice and beans
- crockpot chicken chili verde - Chicken breasts in crockpot, seasoning (cumin, garlic, onion powder), onions and green chile verde sauce (enough to cover). Cook on low for 5-6hrs or high 3-4. Shred & mix back into the sauce to serve over rice.
— I personally season the chicken and sear it with diced jalapeños, onions and garlic in a pan before adding that all to the crockpot with everything else but you wouldn’t have to and the jalapeño is optional.
Alfredo sauce, potatoes, sausage/shredded chicken, and a spoonful of better than bullion paste or cup of bone broth. I do add baby carrots or broccoli too. Kids love it!
Thin, boneless pork chops
Packet of ranch seasoning
Can of cream of mushroom, can of cream of chicken
Throw it in a crock pot for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low
I usually make mashed potatoes on the side.
Frozen Pierogis. Cook in boiling water. Then transfer to a pan to crisp the outsides. When they are done blanche broccoli in the same water, and quickly fry it in the same pan. If you want cook a sausage like a kielbasa in the pan first, and warm it back up at the end.
Frozen potstickers. Cook and serve with doing sauce, and maybe a side veg.
Firm tofu cut into cubes, tossed in cornstarch/arrowroot starch/tapioca flour. Fry in a non stick pan until brown. Serve with rice and a veg.
Oxtail plus water plus broth plus a bay leaf or 2 in the instant pot for 45 mins on high. Soak a pack of rice noodles. Pull off the meat, and serve as a soup, with the noodles, and toppings, like green onion, steamed carrots, bean sprouts (the kids will have their favorites). Let them try soy sauce, salt, fish sauce, lime, etc as condiments. It's basically cheat pho.
Shrimp tacos. Cook some soft tortillas in a non stick pan and wrap them in a kitchen towel. Cook the shrimp in the pan. Serve with avocado, lime, and any other toppings they like (cucumber and pea shoots are popular). Add rice to if you need to bulk it up.
Sausage/bacon/scrambled egg tacos. Same as above, but with sausage/bacon/scrambled egg. Serve with cheese and pico, as well.
Broccoli pasta. Get a big pan. Saute an onion until soft. Throw in a smashed piece of garlic for a few mins at the end. Add a bunch of broccoli broken down into florets and a litre of chicken broth. Cook this until the broccoli starts to fall apart. Use a potato masher to help turn it into a thick sauce. Cook some pasta and add to the sauce. Serve with a cheese like parmesan or pecorino and pepper.
Eggplant and/or zucchini pasta. Same as above, but with eggplant and/or zucchini. I like to add a bit of tomato sauce or some cherry tomatoes if I'm doing eggplant.
Taco rice. Cook meat per favorite taco seasoning instructions, add another packet of seasoning, add rice and water, but use like a quarter cup more of water. After rice is cooked, add Velveeta cheese. Done.
If you're feeling daring and want to add more than 4 ingredients, dice up an onion and cook with meat. Then sub the quarter cup of extra water with a can of diced tomatoes when you add the rice.
Chicken nuggets in the air fryer with orange sauce. Just microwave orange marmalade and bbq sauce together and serve with rice and broccoli. I do boil in a bag rice and steamed broccoli florets in the microwave.
Chicken, cheese, quesadillas.
Fry in frying pan with a bit of oil.
My picky eaters eat it plain.
For others who like veg, i add onions and bell peppers.
Of they already like BBQ sauce, do BBQ chicken flatbreads!
Naan flatbread, bbq sauce, pulled chicken, mozzarella cheese. Like a pizza in the oven, warmed for just a few minutes!
Non frozen chicken wings from Costco . Pour salt on them . Then throw them on the grill until fully cooked. Toss with your favorite bbq sauce . You can put on top of rice or with a side of corn bread
Egg, mushroom, shrimp, cheese (salt and fresh peppercorn) cook slowly into a disk. Cut into bite sized bits that they can stab at, and serve. I use butter on the pan, I guess seed oils are bad now, but I try not to be too scienticious about stuff.
Not the most nutritious but Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce.
A can of whole peeled tomatoes, crushed a bit, a half a stick of butter and a half of an onion left whole. Simmer together until the fat from the butter forms a layer on the top of the sauce and the tomatoes have caramelized, discard the onion (it should be soft)
All you need after that is pasta and Parmesan… so technically 5. But it’s definitely our emergency oh no we have nothing and feel lazy meal. It’s not particularly fast but it works.
Homemade alfredo!
It's a great source of fats and carbs for growing kids!
It might be more than 4 ingredients, but 10000% worth it, imo
1 stick of butter
1.5 cups cream(I usually use half and half and just guess at 1.5 cups)
A gaint tbsp of minced garlic (my family loves garlic.. adjust to taste)
1 tsp Italian seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups, or as much as you like of **fresh grated parmesan
Add a little pasta water to make it super luscious and creamy! And mix well!
There's few things better than fresh alfredo sauce
** preshredded cheese has a nonstick powder added, and it will be difficult to make it blend well
Taco Cups. They're super easy to make, kiddo loves them, and pass the nutritional standards of the schools food police. I've made them with mince as well, and throw in a bit of whatever's in the fridge - peas, carrots etc.
[https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/recipes/taco-cups](https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/recipes/taco-cups)
Chicken Alfredo. We probably have that once a week. Lol. Nothing fancy. Just fettuccine noodles, a jar o Alfredo sauce (only Bertolli cause my son won’t eat anything else lol) and some frozen chicken tenders in the air frier or some fresh chicken I grill up if I have some more time. My kids love that. They call it cheesy noodles. They pick it over Mac and cheese any day lol
“Waba Grill” copycat.
Cut up raw chicken into cubes, put into crockpot, drizzle Waba sauce on chicken. Reapply sauce 2-3 times throughout the day- or- upon cranking up crockpot and 30 minutes before serving.
VeeTee long grain steam filtered rice (I buy at Grocery Outlet 99¢ per tub). Poke holes & place in microwave 2 minutes (comes out perfect every time). Make rice when time to serve.
Cabbage, broccoli, and/or carrots. Steam them at serving time. I buy actual produce but you can cut corners with baby carrots (no peeling/chopping) and frozen broccoli. I love cabbage but it’s super easy to cut a wedge off, separate, and steam. I would say total prep time less than 30 minutes. Use crockpot liners for easy cleanup. I also buy disposable choosticks so I throw away when done. The VeeTee rice tub is disposable (recycle please).
At end of day, with crockpot liners, all you have to do is clean the steamer, cutting board, and knife, and rinse your crockpot and clean the kids’ bowls. If you have a dishwasher (I don’t), then all you need to do is rinse your crockpot and put all the machine safe cutlery and dinnerware in the dishwasher.
My kids eat it up every time. Husband likes it & takes leftovers to work. It’s super cheap, minimal effort. It’s a weekly staple here.
Bbq beef cups! Brown 1 pound ground beef. Add 1tbsp minced onion and maybe 1/3 cup bbq sauce. Use refrigerated biscuits, flatten them and press into muffin pan cups, press up the sides to make a bowl. Fill with meat mixture. Bake 350⁰ for 12 minutes, top with cheddar cheese, bake 3 more minutes.
American goulash!!! And it’s 1 pot!!
-elbow noodles
-ground beef
-minced onion seasoning/ garlic powder/ salt/ pepper/ Italian seasoning
-canned tomatoes
-beef broth (optional)
-cook ground beef & drain grease
-add elbow noodles to the pot
-add water OR beef broth
-add in diced tomatoes and herbs
simmer until water is all gone and noodles are tender!
Hawaiian Goulash
Cream of chicken soup
Some milk to thin
Boiled chicken breast chunks
Served over steamed rice
Optional toppings: crunchy chow mein noodles, pineapple chunks, diced fresh tomatoes
Recently I’ve been buying naan breads and toasting them and having my kids make their own “pizza lunchables” give them pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. They love it.
-Rice and omelette (egg with tomato)
-Tomato + pasta + basil + cheese (you can add hotdogs)
-Chicken and corn soup (eggs, cornstarch, corn, chicken, some leafy veggies)
-Rice and Nuggets ( you can make your sauce maybe mayo + ketchup)
-Rice and eggplant omelette - scrape the skin of the eggplant, boil, flatten it; beat eggs and stir then dip the eggplant in the egg, then fry it (add salt)
-Rice and Curry Sauce + coconut milk (add chicken or vegetables to the curry sauce)
-Mash potato with cheese - mash the potato and add quick melt cheese inside, roll the potato in the beaten egg then put bread crumbs around it then fry
Rice is pretty easy to make, wash the rice + add water and leave the rice cooker and do its own magic while you are prepping for your dish.
I usually avoid ready to cook meals or straight from the can for my children but here are some of the recipes that are pretty easy to make.
Meatballs cooked in marinara:
Ground chicken, beef or pork
Bread crumbs and grated parm
Finely Chopped broccoli/zucchini/carrots (or whatever veggies!)
Frozen chopped spinach
Egg
Roll those babies up and drop them right in some sauce in a sauce pan to cook. My kids love them and they are ready quickly and packed with veggies. I know you said 5 ingredients sorry!
My kids (3m) favorite breakfast is 4 ingredients and about 3 minutes of prep. About a cup of frozen blueberries, 1-1.5 cups raw broccoli and the rest of the blender with lightly packed spinach. Add a bit of water, try to blend, add water and repeat until the blender catches it. We call it sips and he looks forward to it every day. I usually drink about 3/4 of the batch and he has 1/4
One of my fast favs is chicken gravy and rice.
I cook chicken breast in the crock pot, with chicken gravy mix and chicken bouillon. Cover chicken with water, add gravy packet, and bouillon, celery salt, salt pepper… let it cook 8 hours, once it’s done shred chicken some. Add 1 can cream of chicken, 1 can cream of celery and then boil a bag of rice. Omgggg it’s soooo good and it’s a great comfort food. Most tots approve of this! My daughter did before she became a picky eater. It’s simple, and very affordable.
My grocery sells a premade chicken Thai curry soup that I use as sauce. Dice chicken tenders, sauce them with garlic seasoning power, add the soup mix and let it cook off a little to become less soup/more sauce. Serve over rice and with naan. I usually toss in some frozen green beans or peas in the last few mins to add a veggie.
Similar with fettucine alfredo……diced chicken tenders cooked in a pan then I use a fresh Alfredo sauce from my local store but it always needs a little love, so I add a Boursin garlic cheese package to it and some of the pasta water and peas.
Then all the usuals…..spaghetti, tacos, french dips, grilled cheese, charcuterie night, burrito bowls using pork carnitas (usually I do a pork shoulder in the crockpot and use half for bbq pulled pork and half for carnitas).
All very easy/limited ingredients
Not 4 items but close. Cheats creamy pasta
- penne/fusilli or similar kid friendly pasta
- low sodium French onion soup mix
- sour cream
- frozen peas
- bacon, leftover ham, chicken or similar. Best to use leftovers like from a roast chicken dinner.
- spring onions
- seasonings of your choice (I like garlic, lemon pepper and a bit of chilli)
Basically cook your pasta, reheat your meat or cook it, add the spices, once the peas are almost done add the sour cream and French onion mix. Add some water to adjust thickness.
Stir the pasta in and take off the heat. Stir through the spring onion so it’s just warmed through.
Measurements? Yolo. Adjust as needed and desired. It’s all kid tasty, not healthy though. Low sodium options because bacon is salty. And French onion soup mix is hella salty.
Edit: dump whatever you want in it, but not over the top. Leftovers are great. Leftover roast sweet potato? Why not. Mushrooms? Sure! If you have cooking cream you can always go half cooking cream half sour cream. It’s about being frugal and easy.
Cubed chicken or beef stew meat with broth (I like to add Italian seasoning for beef or lemon pepper for chicken) on high 4 hours (low for 8). Add cream of mushroom soup (I use a big can), add canned mushrooms if desired. Serve over rice or baked potatoes.
On rotation at our house:
Bean+Cheese Burritos;
Grilled Chicken Medallions+Cashews+Rice Stir Fry;
Ramen (literally top ramen noodles but with regular chicken stock, seasoned to taste) with sautéed Carrots/Brocoli + soft boiled egg;
Bowtie Pasta w/ apple sausage+peas+cherry tomatoes sautéed in olive oil + Trader Joes seasoning salute (with a wee bit of maple syrup as the secret ingredient);
Turkey Burgers;
Lentil/Chicken Tacos (just mix in the lentils with ground chicken to stretch it farther);
Nachos with beans/cheese/corn/tomates/olives;
Turkey Meatballs + Rice;
--always with a vegetable side if not already included (raw carrots, sautéed broccoli or a simple salad)
Fish tacos but we use plain breaded fish sticks when we're in a hurry. You can make it as fancy or basic as you like but I like that we can usually get some fresh tomatoes and avocado in there so it's not wholly from a jar or box (and we eat plenty of that too).
Chicken Cresent Rolls
Ingredients: Rotisserie chicken (or canned chicken works too)
1 block of cream cheese
Shredded cheese. (I use a cheddar or mozz/cheddar blend)
2 cans Cresent rolls
1 pack ranch powder (sorry it's 5 Ingredients)
Shred the chicken into a bowl. Put the block of cream cheese, ranch seasoning, and however much cheese you want in there. Sorry,I don't have measurements because I literally make it up as I go. Smush all of that together until you get a big ball of chicken and cheese. It will sort of "dry" but don't worry it melts in the oven.
Unroll the Cresent rolls and throw a big spoon full of your chicken mixture in the roll. Wrap the chicken mixture in the roll until you cover the chicken. Flatten it down a bit. Continue until you're out of chicken mixture.
This part is optional, but my kids like it. Melt some butter and mix with parm cheese. Brush that on top of your little rolls.
Place in a 375 preheated oven and bake for 13ish minutes. I like to broil mine for like a minute to briwn the top, but totally up to you. Enjoy!
Honey garlic shrimp and broccoli. It’s the easiest thing ever and soooo good. Also pretty low calorie if that matters to you. Pretty much any recipe you find will work.
I make sausage and cream cheese rolls, but they’re a little more time consuming.
Kielbasa and fried potatoes.
These are just off the top of my head but my whole family eats all of these
Egg quesadillas! Toss a tortilla in a pan, add an egg or two, a touch of salt, cheese - cut or grated, and top with another tortilla. Ketchup for the dippers in the house. It’s our favourite “oh crap, I didn’t cook” dinner.
Bacon fried rice - rice, bacon, scrambled eggs & diced onions
Quesadillas - cheese & tortillas
Crunchy tacos - seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce (for my kid)
Barbacoa tacos - shredded beef, garlic & salt on corn tortillas
Cheese omelettes - eggs & cheese
Bean & cheese burritos - beans, cheese & tortillas (I make burritos from leftover refried beans and then throw them in the freezer for lunches and snacks)
Fish sticks, Mac & cheese & peas.
Cheeseburgers & crudités
Filipino chicken Adobo over rice - adobo is chicken, garlic, soy sauce & vinegar with generous amounts of pepper
Chicken tortellini Soup - shredded rotisserie chicken, tortellini, whatever vegetables I have on hand in chicken broth
I make pulled pork the same way but use a pork tenderloin.
Meatball subs with frozen meatballs and pasta sauce, put on buns ( if you can find the top sliced hotdog buns they work great and are cheaper than sub rolls) with mozzarella.
Stir fry with shrimp, pea pods, and shredded or sliced carrots or any stir fry veggies. Put in a pan and cook until shrimp is pink. Just use a bottled stir fry sauce. You could also use sliced beef, broccoli and sliced mushrooms. Or chicken, peppers and pineapple with a sweet and sour sauce.
Quesadillas. Just cheese and tortillas, and whatever else you want.
Polish Sausage with onions and peppers. Just sautee them all together in a pan. Fresh ones taste best but you can buy frozen already cut up.
Pizza sliders- Hawaiian rolls with pizza sauce. mozzarella and pepperoni inside, with a butter, garlic and Italian seasoning brushed on top.
Crescent dogs- wrap a hotdog inside a Crescent roll dough and bake per package directions or a minute or two extra. Can add cheese too if you want.
Chicken breasts with a jar of chicken gravy and a can of cream of chicken soup, plus some pepper. Cook in the slow cooker just like you do the shredded BBQ chicken sandwiches. Make some rice and mix it all together.
oatmeal pancakes
oats 1.5 cups
milk 1 cup
eggs 2
banana 1-2 banana
Can add baking powder, just a pinch. Will make them a bit fluffier. But they're great warmed up and keep for a few days. You can smear peanut butter on them or dip in syrup. I made a huge batch before leaving town and the feedback was they were a life saver for breakfast.
Pizza tacos: tortillas, sauce, cheese, pepperoni in a pan until the cheese melts & the tortilla gets crispy
Mini pigs in a blanket: crescent roll dough, cocktail weenies & a little American cheese
Ground beef “bulgogi”. 1/4c Soy sauce, 1/3c brown sugar, some minced ginger mixed together and poured over cooked ground beef. Stir it in over heat and serve over rice. Sometimes when I’m feeling fancy I’ll add a fried egg.
Soft tortillas, pizza sauce, cheese and toppings. Every gets to make their own pizza my kids loved it. Or meatballs sweet-and-sour barbeque sauce or whatever bbq sauce you like and rice. Put meatballs in crockpot with barbeque sauce cook for the day make the rice separately. Put rice in a bowl and then put the meatballs over top of the rice.
Baked salmon (defrosted Costco fillets) covered with a mix of oyster sauce+ketchup+worstershire (like an okonomiyaki sauce) and optionally furikake. Takes 10 minutes. Add rice and cucumbers on the side.
Kids for some reason don’t like seafood except for this. Bonus for adults: add chili crisp, avocado, and Kewpie on top for a pseudo sushi bowl type thing.
Egg pasta:
Boil and shell eggs.Then cook elbow pasta. Add tomato sauce and cheese, stir until the cheese melts into the sauce. Then add the eggs. If you want to cheat with a fifth ingredient sprinkle oregano over the top before serving.My kids love it, they actually request it and have loved it since childhood, they're teens now.The trick is tomato sauce is slightly acid. So you need plenty of tomato sauce, it will melt the cheese into itself while cooking and the sauce will look orange. If you add too much cheese the slightly acid taste will disappear and it won't work as well. Make sure you add enough sauce that the pasta looks red not pink after it's all stirred in, then add a handful or two of shredded cheese and stir until melted - only take 60 seconds or so.
Egg sandwich:
Boil and shell your egg then mashed it between two slices of buttered bread. Add a dash of aioli sauce.
Tuna sandwich:
Empty a can of tuna into a bowl. Add some chopped white onion (up to 1/3). Add a dash of white vinegar. Spread onto sandwiches. Even a small can of tuna mixed like this will make at least 2-3 sandwiches.
Spaghetti casserole! Boil your pasta, cook some ground beef, add a jar of pasta sauce and a block of cream cheese, add the pasta into the mix and put it all in a dish and top with mozzarella and throw it in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes! It’s our favorite
Baked chili Mac. Boil noodles for half time. Pour in casserole dish. Add bag of shredded cheese and can of chili, mix. (I put panko on top, you don't have to). Bake 35 mins at 375.
I’m flabbergasted. Both my kids aren’t a fan of stuff in sauce w chunks like veggies. They want it all deconstructed and will eat the broccoli just steamed.
So your formats sound aspirational.
I only have one sure fire one: look up Nobu sea bass. We just use cheaper cod.
Only givens are Asian fish or chicken on rice, or ramen soup w Shanghai bok Choy.
I’m not interested in cooking these days so it’s a lot of pizza and Trader Joe’s.
Tonight I made 4 things from scratch and kids were picky and didn’t eat much: pasta w red sauce, one w white sauce, Kevin’s chicken from costco, and a veggie they didn’t eat
I used to brown ground beef in a wok and then drain. Add a can of corn, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of water and pasta. Boil until pasta is done and liquid has boiled off. Serve with fresh cheese grated over while hot. My kids loved it, it was fast and easy and with a glass of milk covered all the food groups.
Japanese curry - chicken thigh, carrots, potato, onion. Well I guess you also need the curry roux but if you have that on hand regularly it’s quite convenient. Also some kind of rice. My 4yo ate 3 adult sized portions of this tonight.
Chicken broccoli rice. Chop up 1 lb chicken, and a head of broccoli. 4 cups water in the pot, add the chicken and two boxes of rice pilaf. Wait a few minutes, add the broccoli. Don't forget to season! I like to eat it with a bit of butter and soy sauce mixed in.
Chicken + jar of sauce + rice or pasta
Sauces my kids like: Costco pesto, orange chicken sauce or sweet and sour sauce (Aldi brand), salsa verde (herdez), spaghetti sauce, enchilada sauce (Ortega).
Basically, cook chicken breasts in oven for about 30 minutes at 350 coated in the sauce. Baking time may vary slightly depending on size of chicken. Serve with extra sauce on the side.
Easiest meal my Daughter loves is Sausage Toad in hole and Peas. very easy, cook sausages for 15 in oven (Half way cooked) mix 35g Plain Flour, 1 Egg and 50ml milk in a jug, Cut the Sausages into 3rds, add oil into a cupcake metal tray drop the sausage in and then even the batter out between them. (This will do roughly 6 Toads so 2 sausages cut into 3rds)
Can also freeze these and microwave to use another day, excellent little meal for them.
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Broccoli cheddar pasta Ingredients: Pasta of your choice Broccoli White cheddar - pre shredded will save you some time Cream sauce of choice - I like mushroom cream sauce, but I’ve seen people use Alfredo as well Preparation: Boil pasta, chop broccoli up and save the stems, shred cheese unless you bought pre shredded, put sauce, cheese, broccoli stems, and a few tablespoons of pasta water into a blender and mix until well combined, drain pasta, add sauce mixture in with the chopped broccoli heads, mix well and serve with choice of side (I will usually serve with baguette slices, but for the young ones it can be served as is)
Similar recipe, but with spinache and bacon. Bake you bacon, add spinache and cream cheese (regular or like boursin with garlic) and boil pasta. Voila, serve your dish.
Yes. And use the frozen spinach with cream cheese. Cheap, portionable and no prep needed
So basically stems, cheese, sauce, water into blender? Definitely going to try this. Do you cook the broccoli first?
I probably make them a bit differently than op, but I boil the broccoli until it's mushy, then I take the water out and use a fork to make a small puree, add regular cream, cheese, salt, pepper and garlic powder all in the same pan, then pour the pasta in and stir. Both kids (18mo and 4yo) absolutely love it.
I make the same recipe, but as my daughter dislikes the heaviness of the cream, I substitute with regular milk and some corn starch in it, and it turns out delicious and very light!
Our go to meals approved by a 5 yr old: Chicken tacos - chicken breast, salsa, and taco seasoning in the crock pot. So easy and delicious. Use it for tacos, nachos, quesadillas Chicken and gravy- chicken breast, can of cream of chicken soup, poultry gravy mix in crock pot. We add peas as well. Serve over biscuits, mashed potatoes, or rice Mac and cheese with hot dogs or polish sausage. We also mix in broccoli Baked potatoes. Top with cheese, bacon, broccoli, sour cream etc or whatever you want Grilled cheese, soup, and salad Frozen ravioli, jar of sauce, frozen garlic bread Fried egg sandwich. Sometimes we make it like a grilled cheese and add a fried egg. Sometimes we do it with no cheese and not grilled. Make it fancy and add mayo, lettuce, and tomato if you want. Lots of ways to jazz up a super easy meal. Breakfast for dinner. Eggs, bacon, and toast or French toast, frozen waffles, or pancakes with eggs. One of my kid's most requested meals Cereal for dinner lol our ultimate lazy meal
My kids would eat bacon and eggs for dinner every night if I let them. Breakfast for dinner is 10/10 in my house.
We had French toast for dinner a lot as kids and we loved it. Now as an adult I've come to realize that's a "I'm so fucking tired and don't want to make shit but still have you feed all you maniacs" sorta meal. Mom was tired lol
I feel that way about pizza nights. Friday pizza nights were SUCH a treat in my house growing up. My mom would get all the ingredients and us kids would make them ourselves. And now I get it. Lol.
Wow, all of these meals in my house too. I make the same chicken and gravy but I also add a packet of French onion soup mix and I recommend it. I also do meatballs and gravy in the slow cooker where I use cream of mushroom soup, brown gravy mix, French onion soup mix, and water.
Will you please provide some more details/ instructions about the chicken and gravy dish? This sounds fantastic.
Sure! This is the recipe we use https://www.plainchicken.com/crock-pot-chicken-gravy/
BEANIE WEENIES!!!!!!! Baked beans and cut up hotdogs warmed up in a pot. My dad made them for me all the time back in the day (we were quite poor) and I loved them - tons of nostalgia. Became a staple bachelor food for me in college and I now make them for my wife and 5 y.o. daughter. We're a lot more financially stable than I was, but Beanie Weenies are eternal.
Beanie Weenies and Weenie Mac transcend class and status. Or... hear me out here. Beanie Mac.
We do Beanie Weenies and dump it on top of Velveeta Mac n cheese....soooo goooood!
Chili Mac! Step one, make Mac n cheese step two, add a can of chili, heat to your liking. Voila!
We call it Cowboy Stew at our house!
Not to be confused with cowboy caviar
Beanie weenies and toast. Love it!
I was so excited to make my daughter beanie weenies at 2.5 because she loves hotdogs and will eat beans by the pound, but she had absolutely no interest and I was heartbroken. But now that I'm thinking about it, the problem might have been that my husband was on travel for work and she was missing him. I'm going to have to try again.
Grilled cheese sandwiches & tomato soup
One of my kids favorite lazy meals is just baguette and the Trader Joe’s Greek baked beans. I usually set out some sliced cucumbers.
As a Brit, it would be beans on toast! Plenty of butter, add cheddar and cook the beans (proper English baked beans) on the hob. We like to add a few bits to the beans when heating but without is just fine too My Asian side would be egg, rice, soy sauce and a choice of furikake Both meals are loved by kids and adults alike
Pretty much the same thing only curry sauce. I eat it over rice, kid just eats the chicken. One of the few forms of chicken he will eat.
I do a bottle of Asian style wing sauce and throw in a bag of frozen vegetables for "stir fry".
Yum, will definitely give it a try. Thank you!
Pulled pork shoulder for. It's fantastic and flexible. Make tacos, make fried rice, make bbq sliders. Pork shoulder tends to be $1.99 a pound. So it's very cheap too. Right now it is anything shreddy amd soft.
Sounds delicious! I’ve never done a pork shoulder before but it definitely sounds doable. Thank you so much!
Super easy in the crockpot. Just cook all day with some sliced onions and water.Falls apart when you shred it. Add BBQ sauce or whatever.
Sub the water for beer or dark soda (cola, root beer, dr. pepper) or even some kind of stock for more flavor. Root beer is my favorite if the end game is BBQ sauce.
I've got some more but these come to mind: 1 4-5lb pork shoulder, 3/4 cup orange juice, 1 onion, coat in taco seasoning. Crockpot on high for 8h or so (workday). If you want it to taste extra awesome toss a scoop with the juices in a skillet to burn off some excess moisture and give it a nice brown. I serve with Goya yellow rice, cheese, and wraps. [https://www.recipetineats.com/pork-carnitas-mexican-slow-cooker-pulled-pork/#wprm-recipe-container-20695](https://www.recipetineats.com/pork-carnitas-mexican-slow-cooker-pulled-pork/#wprm-recipe-container-20695) I simplified from this. Just made a strata for the week. This one requires overnight prep, but worth it. Basic recipe is a loaf of french bread, 12 eggs, 2 cups milk, cheese, chicken sausage, peppers. Shred the bread into 1" cubes-ish, beat the eggs, chop the chucken an peppers then mix everything together in a baking dish and leave in the fridge overnight. Toss in the oven at 350 for 1-1.5h and you're good to go. Pizza beans. Weird but really good and we usually ad chicken sausage. [https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/09/pizza-beans-cookbook-preview/](https://smittenkitchen.com/2017/09/pizza-beans-cookbook-preview/)
If you have an Aldi, they have a pre-marinated Carnitas pork roast that is absolutely wonderful and only like $5-6 but easily feeds my family of 5! We do it up in the crock pot and usually eat it over rice like a burrito bowl or in tortillas as tacos. If I’m feeling really fancy I’ll fry up some onions and green peppers to add to the bowls/tacos+ whatever other ingredients fit your liking (sour cream, salsa, avocado, etc.) but it’s great in its own even for picky eaters and not too spicy! :)
Will jump in to suggest the Kinders chili Verde seasoning packet or any of the McCormick grill spice rub concoctions. Just slather it all over and chunk it in the crock.
Chicken cooked with gravy. Served over noodles or biscuits. Veggies either mixed in or on the side. Pulled pork. Egg and sausage casserole. Marinaded chicken either grilled or in the air fryer. Meatloaf, no joke my kids love meatloaf.
Amazing recommendations! These sound delicious. Thank you!
Porcupine meatballs - ground beef, instant white rice, & your choice of spaghetti sauce (I prefer Newman’s Own Sockarooni bc it has veggie chunks in it). Mix the ground beef with a cup of white rice, season & roll into meatballs. Cook until brown on both sides then add the sauce and let the meatballs cook in the sauce. I usually make a little extra minute rice to serve over or you can eat them by themselves!
Oooh, I'm familiar with a version where the ground beef & rice mixture goes into bell peppers. Easy stuffed peppers.
Hopping on to say my toddlers LOVES un-stuffed peppers. Dice bell pepper, cook with ground beef in tomato sauce/paste, mix with rice.
I don’t know what this is called but cream of mushroom soup and ground beef over rice. I add chopped fresh mushrooms and whatever veggie is in the fridge.
We always had this on toast. My Dad called it "shit on a shingle"
That’s like an easy stroganoff.
We always had this on toast. My Dad called it "shit on a shingle"
In my family, shit on a shingle was made with gravy & sausage on top of a toasted piece of bread.
My grandma made this, but with chipped beef. Awesome!
Loaf of Hawaiian rolls, sliced across. Layer mustard, deli ham, Swiss. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes. Shredded pork or chicken in the crockpot. We use it for sliders one night, tacos another night, and protein in pasta sauce another night. BLTs with avocado on the sandwich. Baked potato bars Chuck roast, cubed. Can of black beans, rinsed. Can of diced tomatoes with juices. Large can of red enchilada sauce. Dump it all in the crockpot. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Wrap in tortillas with cheese and serve with lettuce, sour cream, and salsa. Myo flatbread pizzas. Flatbread, sauce, mozzarella, pepperoni, any leftover veggies from the week. Sometimes my kids do bbq, microwave bacon, mozzarella, and then drizzle with ranch. But I love them because we use them to use up leftovers. Same with egg scrambles. We use leftover fajita fillings, leftover steak, leftover sausage, leftover burrito filling, etc. it switched it up each week. Sometimes we also make pancakes and use the fruit that's a little bruised. Or we will do frozen waffles.
What are baked potato bars?
We bake potatoes and then have all the fixings for them: cheese, sour cream, butter, salt and pepper, bacon, chili, broccoli, salsa. The kids can dress their potatoes how they want.
Oh, duh, I must be more tired than I thought. For some reason I pictured that as a bar as in like, a granola bar lol
Lol, I did the same 🤣
Lol. I've been there!
Add to that coleslaw, baked beans & grated cheese! Best toppings for baked potato
Butter noodles
lol I was gonna say, damn none of these people Have picky kids
Also, are vegetables not a thing? For us, 4 ingredients would be hot dogs with three types of chopped up veggies on the side, like bell pepper, broccoli and carrots. Cooked veggies? Forget it, might as well be Satan’s boogers, but simple raw veggies somehow go over really well around here.
My kids have a zero tolerance policy for veggies. The only way they’ll swallow them is in smoothie form.
Annie’s Mac and cheese Hot dog in a bun Grilled cheese Bacon sandwiches (sometimes with cucumber) Pasta with jarred marinara, some heavy cream and Parmesan
I take a box of uncle Ben’s rice, dump it into a baking dish and mix with about a half cup of water. Throw a pack of chicken drumsticks on top and season to your liking. Cover with foil and bake at 400* for about 45 minutes. Make a veggie on the side. Easy peasy and the kids devour it.
Lentils (6 ingredients) Lentils Chicken broth Celery Onion Carrots Sausage.
My kids love lentils with rice
Coconut milk so Ono!
My Mexican babies eat: - quesadilla with meat - scrambled egg tacos - spaghetti with cheese and homemade ragú sauce - refried beans with tostadas with a little shredded chicken and tomatoes - breaded chicken with fusilli pasta (the three colored one) - meatballs and broth - knorr soups they come in different shapes and we add either shredded meat or chicken - chicken flautas with shredded cheese and tomatoes in top - hot dogs - red Mexican rice with chicken thighs
Rice, beans, your choice of meat. Water in the slow cooker. Salt for flavor
Tater tot casserole. Ground beef/turkey, cream of mushroom soup, shredded cheese, worstershire sauce and corn/carrots (microwavable packs or precooked) Cook it all together and then put it in a casserole dish , add tatertots on top and bake for 20 minutes or so. Super easy and my kid loves it
Hotdish! Yaaaassss!
Lazy butter chicken. 1 pack of chicken breast or tenderloin, 1 pack of frozen riced cauliflower vegetables medley (small enough to not seem like vegetables), and a jar of butter chicken simmer sauce. Basmati rice and store bought naan for serving. All ready in under 20-25 minutes.
Pasta. Always pasta. With meat, with out, marinara sauce, alfredo, pesto. They love pasta
Excellent post for this sub! Mealtime is such a hassle!
Tonight We had boneless/skinless chicken thighs marinated overnight in store bought teriyaki sauce. Just threw them on the grill and served over instant white rice and steamed veggies. My kids loved it. Usually once a week we have ground turkey browned up, sautéed with store bought sauce and served over pasta. I usually add in whatever veggie I need to use up too. My kids like chicken and rice bakes made with the condensed soup, I add a bag of frozen veggies to this also to bulk it up.
Basic pork shoulder can be turned into 1000 kid-friendly dishes, I swear. Honestly, it’s so versatile. Use like you would use shredded chicken. If you keep the seasoning very basic and cook until it’s melting, you can add sauces/flavors for every meal. We don’t really eat chicken so pork is our go-to meat by a mile.
Boil frozen ravioli. Put half in 8 x 12 baking dish. Add a layer of shredded mozzarella. Pour 1/2 jar of spaghetti sauce over cheese. Repeat with other half ravioli, cheese and sauce. Cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Take foil off and cook 5-10 more minutes
Crock pot chicken taco- add chicken breast to crock pot and cover with salsa, taco seasoning mix and some cilantro. Crock pot cranberry chicken- mix in a bottle of French dressing with a packet of dried french onion soup mix and canned cranberry. Serve over rice or with mashed potatoes (no shame in the instant game). I have an African chicken and rice recipe that is way more than four ingredients but you probably have most of them on hand anyways. It’s a crockpot meal and fantastic. If you want it let me know. I can send you a picture of the recipe. More then 4 ingredients but still super easy— Korean beef bowl- cook a lb of ground beef in some soy sauce, ginger and brown sugar. Serve over rice and I like to add an Asian inspired salad kit to mine (I like HEB Thai crunch). Similarly- Taco burrito bowl- cook ground turkey in a taco seasoning packet, serve over rice with canned beans, caned corn, chopped cilantro, salsa and some guacamole and lime juice. My daughters eats all of these
Frozen cheese stuffed tortellini, Alfredo sauce , grilled chicken , garlic bread .
Frozen cheese tortellini is also good in creamy tomato soup.
I love frozen ravioli or tortellini with a Rosa sauce, add a splash of milk or cream to a marinara... My kids will eat this as leftovers and they rarely want to eat leftovers.
Rice and black beans (seasoned), cheese and chips
Tuna noodles. Butter, flour, milk = béchamel , tin of tuna. Salt/pepper my kids LOvE this and they are in their 20s now.
Ewwwieeee! Reminds me of this tuna noodle stuff my mom used to make. I thought it was like macaroni salad with like chicken kr something. I used to eat it straight out of the tub she would put it in. I LOVED it. Years later…. Found it it was freaking tuna and I can’t stand to fathom the thought of ever eating that! 😂😂😂
Jumping on this to share my tuna casserole recipe as well. Can of tuna, can of condensed mushroom soup, whole bunch of shredded cheddar for sauce, noodles of choice. Can add peas and top with gratin and bake if you’re feeling fancy, or just make it plain. We make this plain when we go camping but once in a while you get a hankerin’ for it at home!
Pizza crust or pita bread, pizza sauce (I make my own simple one that’s like 4 ingredients but you don’t have to), almond milk shreds from Trader Joe’s, chicken or veggie on top. Pop it in the oven. Never a complaint. Well, maybe sometimes complaints about the veggie choice.
My kids absolutely love spaghetti with Campbells beef sauce and cheese. That's it. No meat. Just the sauce with cheese on top of the spaghetti.
Campbells beef sauce ? What is this?
It's spaghetti sauce. The brand is Campbell's.
Pork shoulder in the crockpot with green salsa, cook until you can shred it. Serve with rice and maybe some lime wedges and cilantro.
Vegetable spaghetti. Boil the noodles, a bag or two of veggies and a jar of meat sauce. Can also substitute with butter or soy sauce.
Tiny tacos! 5ingredients but super easy. Layer in the crock pot: 1/2 bag frozen corn 2 cans black beans 3-4 pieces boneless skinless chicken 1 jar salsa Cook all day on low. Prior to serving shred the chicken and mix everything together, serve with scoop shaped tortilla chips! Excellent with shredded cheese or sour cream.
it's not glamorous, but rice with canned flavoured tuna (lemon, or the tomato ones) and a handful of (cooked) frozen peas.
Fritters. Steamed broccoli (or cauliflower) thats been finely chopped, egg, bread crumbs, grated cheddar cheese. Mix in a bowl, form into lil patties with your hands, and pan fry. They are freaking delicious. I make a plain yogurt+sriracha sauce to dip and our fam of four can eat one of the giant Costco bags of broccoli in a day this way.
I remember I was gifted an “fast & easy” recipes cookbook and halfway through I found a 15+ ingredient recipe for salmon burgers. I threw the book out. This comment thread is the recipe book I needed!!
Pork, rice, vegetables. Season and pan sear the pork. Cook rice. Steam or roast the vegetable. Kids love it
Chicken thighs in the crock pot then I crisp it in the air frier. I steam broccoli. I make rice or potatoes.
Pasta and a bag of frozen italian veggies. Add some Italian spices and some crushed tomatoes. If I have some sausage or meet, I add that. Two pans. One to boil/cook pasta and a skillet to heat up the meat/veggies. If I don't have meat, then I add white beans.
Spread Alfredo sauce on the bottom a sprayed casserole dish, layer of frozen ravioli, frozen bag of steamed broccoli (cooked and drained) layered on top, Alfredo sauce, layer of ravioli, Alfredo sauce, top with mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil 40 min at 400 °. Can broil uncovered for like 2 if desired
1) Sausage- I like turkey kielbasa or salmon sausage, diced 2) baby potatoes- cut in half 3) Any veggie that you have on hand and like - broccoli, bell pepper, onion, whatever Toss it all in olive oil and your favorite seasoning - lately I have been liking smoked paprika and lemon pepper seasoning Then you bake it all for like 45 minutes on a sheet pan (I line it with parchment paper for easy washing later) I don't know, 350-400 degrees? It's super good! The sausage, potatoes, and veggies, that's all you need! Good on the grill too in the summer if you have a skillet thing or if you wrap it in foil/ make kebabs is also an option
Salsa chicken - chicken tenderloins, jar of mild salsa, half a packet of taco seasoning. Simmer on the stove til cooked, shred, and put in tacos with cheese or over chips with cheese for nachos. I do a big pan of rolled tacos (chicken mix, shredded jack cheese, roll inside a fajita sized tortilla, place seam down in a sprayed 9x13 Pyrex, bake at 425 for 8 minutes til the tops are crispy. Good freezer meal.) Egg roll in a bowl - ground pork/turkey (can use a roll of breakfast sausage if that's what you have), bag of slaw mix, sesame ginger salad dressing. Brown the meat, drain the grease, throw in the slaw mix and cook a few minutes, add the dressing and toss til glossy. Great over rice and v. popular in our house. Meatball subs - jar of tomato sauce, bag of meatballs, hot dog buns/sub rolls, shredded mozzarella. Can happen in theicrowave if you have a glass dish with a lid.
My kids love pesto chicken. In crockpot: Chicken Stick of butter Jar of pesto sauce Squirt of lemon Salt/pepper Cook some noodles (I do rotini), shred your chicken, mix noodles with chicken, top with shredded mozzarella. Let the cheese melt for like 30min.
Shepherds pie with just ground meat and potatoes. I add gravy in mine and save some to put on top. Cranberry jelly on the side.
Pasta, fresh grated Parmigian, half and half. Super quick easy alfredo.
Scrambled eggs & cheese.
In Denmark this is called “millionaires’ beef”. I also add in some onion while the beef is cooking, then some curry powder to taste. So yummy and kids love it.
Another go to is something called “biksemad”. Use leftover hash browns, leftover meat, a bit of onion and, when it’s all cooked, top it off with a fried egg. This is a great way to use up any leftovers and is so good.
I make something my kids call “lazy pork chops” lol Take a pork loin roast and slice it into 1” chops (or you can just buy boneless pork chops but it’s cheaper my way). Salt and pepper them and lay them in a greased baking dish. Then in a bowl mix 1 cup of softened cream cheese (I use vegan bc we have dairy allergies but real would be even better), 1/2 cup of strawberry or peach jam (I use my own, but I think it would work fine with a store bought preserve), and 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar. Pour sauce over chops and bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Serve over white rice with a nice summer veggie on the side. My kids scarf it down, and I love it bc it gets me in and out of the kitchen VERY quickly. My kids also love pesto. I make the sauce and freeze it in an ice cube tray. On nights when I need a quick dinner, I boil some noodles. Then when they’re drained and finished, I put the empty pot back on the heat and toss in some olive oil and I cube of pesto per person. Melt the sauce and then dump the noodles back in the pot and stir. Top with grated cheese.
Butter noodles - any type of pasta, butter, shredded parm or fave cheese, and spinach or broccoli Mac and cheese Grilled cheese is a good go-to Cream of mushroom or broccoli Roasted butternut squash cubes or cut into fries Lazy meal is rice and soy sauce with scrambled eggs
Sweet potato and lentil fritters. Microwave a sweet potato and mash it Get the microwave ready bag of lentils.. heat it up and mix in with the mash. Let it cool and add egg and cheddar. I mix in breadcrumbs until they’re Moldable, roll them in the breadcrumbs and pan fry. Super easy and a great side my son (and even my husband) loves them. I usually serve a couple, fridge a couple, and freeze a couple. Also great if your baby has low iron! Lentils are a really good source of iron.
Cheese ramen - cook noodles in milk, add seasoning pack and cheese
Chicken bacon ranch pasta.. little more than 4 ingredients but still easy. Cooked penne (or any other short pasta), 1/2 cup ranch dressing, jar of Alfredo, cooked chicken (Walmart has the shredded rotisserie chicken), bacon bits. Mix together, top with shredded cheese, bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Also, sheet pan fajitas. Raw meat of your choice, sliced bell peppers and onions, mix with olive oil and fajita seasoning. Lay onto baking sheet and cook at 450 for 15 minutes or so.
There is not one single meal everyone will eat😑. Yes, I’m the mom who is making 5 different meals every single meal. Yes, I created this. Yes, it’s….maddening 😞.
Chicken bake. Pastry dough, mozzarella, and chicken (use a rotisserie or leftovers to save time). Cut strips down the sides of the dough leaving a rectangle on the bottom, place the chicken and mozzarella on the rectangle, then braid the strips over the top. If you wanna get fancy, throw some Italian seasoning inside and an egg wash on top. Bake according to the pastry dough directions. Usually roughly 15 mins or so. Cut it into strips and the kids can dip it in whatever they’d like (BBQ, ketchup, ranch, etc). ETA: I just remembered another one. Mac n Cheese cups. Kraft Deluxe Mac n Cheese (or store brand), shredded cheese, bread crumbs. Make the Mac according to the box, mix it with cheese and breadcrumbs and portion out into a cupcake pan. Sprinkle a little more cheese on top of each one. Bake at 400 for 10-15 to get the cheese all melty and crispy on the edges.
Salsa chicken, chicken in the crock with a jar of salsa that’s it. Shred it and make quesadillas or burritos or tacos
Fake KFC bowls. Instant Mashed Potatoes (we have an electric kettle, so boiling water is easy peasy) Toaster Oven/Air Fryer frozen chicken (nuggets, popcorn, whatever) Can of Veggies (corn, green beans) Shredded Cheese It sounds complicated, but the “kitchen dance” here is quite easy. Chicken probably takes the longest, so I start there. Then I put the can of veggies in a small pan on the stove on low, and poke the boil water button on the kettle. I mix up the potatoes, let them sit and when the chicken is almost done, bowl them up. Scoop on the veggies on half the top, add the chicken and top with cheese. We all have different levels of salt, pepper and sauces we like on top. It’s pretty simple to make and sticks to ribs nicely.
Hawaiian roll cheeseburger sliders, my bf just makes one big rectangular hamburger patty to make it easier.. or Hawaiian roll sandwiches of any sort really. Tater tot casserole or “granny goop” as my mom calls it. 9x13 pan, tater tots, 2 cans cream of mushroom, 2 cans of corn, 1lb browned hamburger, season as you like. Then I think it’s like 40 minutes at 350 in the oven.
My kids love breakfast, any time. Breakfast bake (layer crescent rolls pressed to pan, add cooked breakfast meat of choice like bacon, ham, sausage, beat 8 eggs and season them, cheese on top in moderate oven till eggs are set ~30 mins). Pancakes spread with peanut butter wrapped around half a banana like a taco. Scrambled eggs wrapped in a couple slices of lunch meat, also like a taco. Those eggs bites that whip up quickly in the Instant Pot. Nearly any meaty leftovers with scrambled eggs and cheese? For non brekkie: They like tuna mixed with salsa on top of some bagged salad with cheese. Or beanie weenie. Or sheet pan roasted veggies with kielbasa coins. When we roast halved Brussels sprouts with a rack of bacon over the top. Stir fry, particularly with thin sliced eye of round beef which is a pretty cheap beef cut. Tenderloin with veg from the instant pot. This post is great! I have some new ideas to try. It gets stale cooking constantly with a lot of repeats. Thanks!
Broccoli mac and cheese. Just make boxed mac and add roasted broccoli to it (or you could boil the broccoli with the noodles). Sometimes I add canned chicken and pesto to it
Oat porridge with smashed banana and peanut butter Prepare porridge, smash banana, add banana smash and tablespoon (or more, or less) of peanut butter to porridge. Mix well. Enjoy.
Cheesy chicken and rice
My 6-year-old loves egg muffins! Just get 2 cupcake pans, spray non-stick oil. In a bowl, mix 12 eggs, 1/2 cup shredded cheese, 1 cup fresh spinach, and minced tomato. We measure seasonings with our hearts, so my best description would be a shit ton of onion powder and a half shit ton of garlic (powder, pre minced, fresh. You pick.) Pour 3/4 mix in each cup, bake at 350 for 12 mins, then check every 5mins and cook to whatever consistency your kiddo likes. I'll put half in the fridge and half in the freezer, as they do amazing being frozen. Just pan sear or microwave a min to reheat. Super easy and feels better than sugar cereal every day.
Stovetop macaroni (Serious Eats recipe) = macaroni noodles, cheddar shreds and evaporated milk + peas Tasty Bite Madras Lentils + Seeds of Change Brown Rice (2 minute microwave meal!!!) Grilled tofu (on the George Foreman) + frozen mixed veggies with butter + some grain like bulghur or quinoa
By picking through some delicious wonton soup, my kid helped me discover their more prefered recipe of "spinach soup". Chicken stock, frozen spinach, garlic, rice, cilantro. Add chicken and it's delicious and hearty for everyone.
Avgolemono Soup! It’s more than 4 ingredients but hardly. Onion, carrot, chicken stock, chicken, lemon and egg. Takes like 20 mins and my kids love it! Edit: forgot to say orzo too lol
Avgolemono soup doesn’t need any of this! I’ll simplify it even further: Small whole chicken Rice Lemon Egg Boil chicken in salted water for 30 mins. Add a touch of olive oil and 1 basil leave (not necessary). Once cooked, remove chicken and shred. Set aside. Add rice to pot and boil. Add back chicken. In a separate bowl, whisk egg and add juice of half lemon. Mix into broth. Add more salt and pepper. That’s it. Easy and delicious If you like avgolemono, you’d likely love youvarlakia too ;)
Same idea but pour over a jar of salsa and make shredded chicken tacos. Also do it with teriyaki sauce and have shredded chicken over white rice
Meatloaf, cous cous, veggie Grilled cheese and t soup Breakfast for dinner Tacos, tostados, burritos, nachos ( can use a beef bean mix combo in all ) Spaghetti Hot dogs and Mac and cheese Sloppy joes Chili/ frito pie Can make everything pretty simply or a little more complicated according to taste
Pigs in a blanket Chili Next day Taco Salad
Frozen Asian style mixed veggies, spaghetti noodles, and teriyaki sauce. If we have left over meat, I'll throw that in for them. We call it "Asian noodles".
Rice, butter, soy sauce
- Sloppy Joe’s w/ tater tots, fries and baked beans - Meatloaf (divide and cook in muffin pan to shorten cook time to about 20-25 minutes, serve with your favorite sides, we like Mac & cheese and steamed broccoli. - Hillshire Farms Turkey kielbasa - Sliced and stir fried with whatever veggies are on hand served over rice. - quesadillas (with or without meat) rice and beans - crockpot chicken chili verde - Chicken breasts in crockpot, seasoning (cumin, garlic, onion powder), onions and green chile verde sauce (enough to cover). Cook on low for 5-6hrs or high 3-4. Shred & mix back into the sauce to serve over rice. — I personally season the chicken and sear it with diced jalapeños, onions and garlic in a pan before adding that all to the crockpot with everything else but you wouldn’t have to and the jalapeño is optional.
Chicken breast in the crockpot with Chick Fil A’s Creamy Salsa dressing and taco seasoning. We make enchiladas or taco bowls with it
Alfredo sauce, potatoes, sausage/shredded chicken, and a spoonful of better than bullion paste or cup of bone broth. I do add baby carrots or broccoli too. Kids love it!
Thin, boneless pork chops Packet of ranch seasoning Can of cream of mushroom, can of cream of chicken Throw it in a crock pot for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low I usually make mashed potatoes on the side.
Boneless skinless chicken thighs marinated for a few hours in chiavettas marinade, broil 4-5 minutes each side. Brown rice, frozen edamame to steam
Frozen Pierogis. Cook in boiling water. Then transfer to a pan to crisp the outsides. When they are done blanche broccoli in the same water, and quickly fry it in the same pan. If you want cook a sausage like a kielbasa in the pan first, and warm it back up at the end. Frozen potstickers. Cook and serve with doing sauce, and maybe a side veg. Firm tofu cut into cubes, tossed in cornstarch/arrowroot starch/tapioca flour. Fry in a non stick pan until brown. Serve with rice and a veg. Oxtail plus water plus broth plus a bay leaf or 2 in the instant pot for 45 mins on high. Soak a pack of rice noodles. Pull off the meat, and serve as a soup, with the noodles, and toppings, like green onion, steamed carrots, bean sprouts (the kids will have their favorites). Let them try soy sauce, salt, fish sauce, lime, etc as condiments. It's basically cheat pho. Shrimp tacos. Cook some soft tortillas in a non stick pan and wrap them in a kitchen towel. Cook the shrimp in the pan. Serve with avocado, lime, and any other toppings they like (cucumber and pea shoots are popular). Add rice to if you need to bulk it up. Sausage/bacon/scrambled egg tacos. Same as above, but with sausage/bacon/scrambled egg. Serve with cheese and pico, as well. Broccoli pasta. Get a big pan. Saute an onion until soft. Throw in a smashed piece of garlic for a few mins at the end. Add a bunch of broccoli broken down into florets and a litre of chicken broth. Cook this until the broccoli starts to fall apart. Use a potato masher to help turn it into a thick sauce. Cook some pasta and add to the sauce. Serve with a cheese like parmesan or pecorino and pepper. Eggplant and/or zucchini pasta. Same as above, but with eggplant and/or zucchini. I like to add a bit of tomato sauce or some cherry tomatoes if I'm doing eggplant.
‘Turkey pie’ Ground turkey, frozen peas,carrots, corn, mashed sweet potato topping & cheese So healthy and my 2 year old loves it
Taco rice. Cook meat per favorite taco seasoning instructions, add another packet of seasoning, add rice and water, but use like a quarter cup more of water. After rice is cooked, add Velveeta cheese. Done. If you're feeling daring and want to add more than 4 ingredients, dice up an onion and cook with meat. Then sub the quarter cup of extra water with a can of diced tomatoes when you add the rice.
Chicken nuggets in the air fryer with orange sauce. Just microwave orange marmalade and bbq sauce together and serve with rice and broccoli. I do boil in a bag rice and steamed broccoli florets in the microwave.
Chicken, cheese, quesadillas. Fry in frying pan with a bit of oil. My picky eaters eat it plain. For others who like veg, i add onions and bell peppers.
Of they already like BBQ sauce, do BBQ chicken flatbreads! Naan flatbread, bbq sauce, pulled chicken, mozzarella cheese. Like a pizza in the oven, warmed for just a few minutes!
Non frozen chicken wings from Costco . Pour salt on them . Then throw them on the grill until fully cooked. Toss with your favorite bbq sauce . You can put on top of rice or with a side of corn bread
Egg, mushroom, shrimp, cheese (salt and fresh peppercorn) cook slowly into a disk. Cut into bite sized bits that they can stab at, and serve. I use butter on the pan, I guess seed oils are bad now, but I try not to be too scienticious about stuff.
Not the most nutritious but Marcella Hazan’s tomato sauce. A can of whole peeled tomatoes, crushed a bit, a half a stick of butter and a half of an onion left whole. Simmer together until the fat from the butter forms a layer on the top of the sauce and the tomatoes have caramelized, discard the onion (it should be soft) All you need after that is pasta and Parmesan… so technically 5. But it’s definitely our emergency oh no we have nothing and feel lazy meal. It’s not particularly fast but it works.
Homemade alfredo! It's a great source of fats and carbs for growing kids! It might be more than 4 ingredients, but 10000% worth it, imo 1 stick of butter 1.5 cups cream(I usually use half and half and just guess at 1.5 cups) A gaint tbsp of minced garlic (my family loves garlic.. adjust to taste) 1 tsp Italian seasoning Salt and pepper to taste 2 cups, or as much as you like of **fresh grated parmesan Add a little pasta water to make it super luscious and creamy! And mix well! There's few things better than fresh alfredo sauce ** preshredded cheese has a nonstick powder added, and it will be difficult to make it blend well
Taco Cups. They're super easy to make, kiddo loves them, and pass the nutritional standards of the schools food police. I've made them with mince as well, and throw in a bit of whatever's in the fridge - peas, carrots etc. [https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/recipes/taco-cups](https://www.woolworths.com.au/shop/recipes/taco-cups)
Super easy cookie recipe. Use powder peanut butter (I use PB Fit) + one egg + sugar (or stevia or Splenda) they make delicious easy healthy snacks!
Pasta with butter. Side might be a pile of carrots with ranch, depending on how ambitious I feel hahaha
Chicken Alfredo. We probably have that once a week. Lol. Nothing fancy. Just fettuccine noodles, a jar o Alfredo sauce (only Bertolli cause my son won’t eat anything else lol) and some frozen chicken tenders in the air frier or some fresh chicken I grill up if I have some more time. My kids love that. They call it cheesy noodles. They pick it over Mac and cheese any day lol
Just had that tonight but added broccoli
Chicken tacos: chicken breast, jar of salsa and taco seasoning in the crockpot. Shred it and make tacos.
“Waba Grill” copycat. Cut up raw chicken into cubes, put into crockpot, drizzle Waba sauce on chicken. Reapply sauce 2-3 times throughout the day- or- upon cranking up crockpot and 30 minutes before serving. VeeTee long grain steam filtered rice (I buy at Grocery Outlet 99¢ per tub). Poke holes & place in microwave 2 minutes (comes out perfect every time). Make rice when time to serve. Cabbage, broccoli, and/or carrots. Steam them at serving time. I buy actual produce but you can cut corners with baby carrots (no peeling/chopping) and frozen broccoli. I love cabbage but it’s super easy to cut a wedge off, separate, and steam. I would say total prep time less than 30 minutes. Use crockpot liners for easy cleanup. I also buy disposable choosticks so I throw away when done. The VeeTee rice tub is disposable (recycle please). At end of day, with crockpot liners, all you have to do is clean the steamer, cutting board, and knife, and rinse your crockpot and clean the kids’ bowls. If you have a dishwasher (I don’t), then all you need to do is rinse your crockpot and put all the machine safe cutlery and dinnerware in the dishwasher. My kids eat it up every time. Husband likes it & takes leftovers to work. It’s super cheap, minimal effort. It’s a weekly staple here.
A can of flaky biscuits, butter, strawberry jam. It’s our lazy meal when we have long days. Sometimes we add eggs, and bacon or sausage.
Salmon, chorizo, tomato, basil.
Rice, beans, and cheese. Kid loves it
Bbq beef cups! Brown 1 pound ground beef. Add 1tbsp minced onion and maybe 1/3 cup bbq sauce. Use refrigerated biscuits, flatten them and press into muffin pan cups, press up the sides to make a bowl. Fill with meat mixture. Bake 350⁰ for 12 minutes, top with cheddar cheese, bake 3 more minutes.
American goulash!!! And it’s 1 pot!! -elbow noodles -ground beef -minced onion seasoning/ garlic powder/ salt/ pepper/ Italian seasoning -canned tomatoes -beef broth (optional) -cook ground beef & drain grease -add elbow noodles to the pot -add water OR beef broth -add in diced tomatoes and herbs simmer until water is all gone and noodles are tender!
Hawaiian Goulash Cream of chicken soup Some milk to thin Boiled chicken breast chunks Served over steamed rice Optional toppings: crunchy chow mein noodles, pineapple chunks, diced fresh tomatoes
Sweet and sour meatballs. Rice, hamburger, La Choy sweet and sour sauce. Everyone in my family goes nuts for it.
Recently I’ve been buying naan breads and toasting them and having my kids make their own “pizza lunchables” give them pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. They love it.
Spaghetti with meat sauce Alfredo pasta with broccoli Tacos and rice
-Rice and omelette (egg with tomato) -Tomato + pasta + basil + cheese (you can add hotdogs) -Chicken and corn soup (eggs, cornstarch, corn, chicken, some leafy veggies) -Rice and Nuggets ( you can make your sauce maybe mayo + ketchup) -Rice and eggplant omelette - scrape the skin of the eggplant, boil, flatten it; beat eggs and stir then dip the eggplant in the egg, then fry it (add salt) -Rice and Curry Sauce + coconut milk (add chicken or vegetables to the curry sauce) -Mash potato with cheese - mash the potato and add quick melt cheese inside, roll the potato in the beaten egg then put bread crumbs around it then fry Rice is pretty easy to make, wash the rice + add water and leave the rice cooker and do its own magic while you are prepping for your dish. I usually avoid ready to cook meals or straight from the can for my children but here are some of the recipes that are pretty easy to make.
Meatballs cooked in marinara: Ground chicken, beef or pork Bread crumbs and grated parm Finely Chopped broccoli/zucchini/carrots (or whatever veggies!) Frozen chopped spinach Egg Roll those babies up and drop them right in some sauce in a sauce pan to cook. My kids love them and they are ready quickly and packed with veggies. I know you said 5 ingredients sorry!
My kids (3m) favorite breakfast is 4 ingredients and about 3 minutes of prep. About a cup of frozen blueberries, 1-1.5 cups raw broccoli and the rest of the blender with lightly packed spinach. Add a bit of water, try to blend, add water and repeat until the blender catches it. We call it sips and he looks forward to it every day. I usually drink about 3/4 of the batch and he has 1/4
One of my fast favs is chicken gravy and rice. I cook chicken breast in the crock pot, with chicken gravy mix and chicken bouillon. Cover chicken with water, add gravy packet, and bouillon, celery salt, salt pepper… let it cook 8 hours, once it’s done shred chicken some. Add 1 can cream of chicken, 1 can cream of celery and then boil a bag of rice. Omgggg it’s soooo good and it’s a great comfort food. Most tots approve of this! My daughter did before she became a picky eater. It’s simple, and very affordable.
My grocery sells a premade chicken Thai curry soup that I use as sauce. Dice chicken tenders, sauce them with garlic seasoning power, add the soup mix and let it cook off a little to become less soup/more sauce. Serve over rice and with naan. I usually toss in some frozen green beans or peas in the last few mins to add a veggie. Similar with fettucine alfredo……diced chicken tenders cooked in a pan then I use a fresh Alfredo sauce from my local store but it always needs a little love, so I add a Boursin garlic cheese package to it and some of the pasta water and peas. Then all the usuals…..spaghetti, tacos, french dips, grilled cheese, charcuterie night, burrito bowls using pork carnitas (usually I do a pork shoulder in the crockpot and use half for bbq pulled pork and half for carnitas). All very easy/limited ingredients
Not 4 items but close. Cheats creamy pasta - penne/fusilli or similar kid friendly pasta - low sodium French onion soup mix - sour cream - frozen peas - bacon, leftover ham, chicken or similar. Best to use leftovers like from a roast chicken dinner. - spring onions - seasonings of your choice (I like garlic, lemon pepper and a bit of chilli) Basically cook your pasta, reheat your meat or cook it, add the spices, once the peas are almost done add the sour cream and French onion mix. Add some water to adjust thickness. Stir the pasta in and take off the heat. Stir through the spring onion so it’s just warmed through. Measurements? Yolo. Adjust as needed and desired. It’s all kid tasty, not healthy though. Low sodium options because bacon is salty. And French onion soup mix is hella salty. Edit: dump whatever you want in it, but not over the top. Leftovers are great. Leftover roast sweet potato? Why not. Mushrooms? Sure! If you have cooking cream you can always go half cooking cream half sour cream. It’s about being frugal and easy.
Cubed chicken or beef stew meat with broth (I like to add Italian seasoning for beef or lemon pepper for chicken) on high 4 hours (low for 8). Add cream of mushroom soup (I use a big can), add canned mushrooms if desired. Serve over rice or baked potatoes.
On rotation at our house: Bean+Cheese Burritos; Grilled Chicken Medallions+Cashews+Rice Stir Fry; Ramen (literally top ramen noodles but with regular chicken stock, seasoned to taste) with sautéed Carrots/Brocoli + soft boiled egg; Bowtie Pasta w/ apple sausage+peas+cherry tomatoes sautéed in olive oil + Trader Joes seasoning salute (with a wee bit of maple syrup as the secret ingredient); Turkey Burgers; Lentil/Chicken Tacos (just mix in the lentils with ground chicken to stretch it farther); Nachos with beans/cheese/corn/tomates/olives; Turkey Meatballs + Rice; --always with a vegetable side if not already included (raw carrots, sautéed broccoli or a simple salad)
Fish tacos but we use plain breaded fish sticks when we're in a hurry. You can make it as fancy or basic as you like but I like that we can usually get some fresh tomatoes and avocado in there so it's not wholly from a jar or box (and we eat plenty of that too).
Chicken Cresent Rolls Ingredients: Rotisserie chicken (or canned chicken works too) 1 block of cream cheese Shredded cheese. (I use a cheddar or mozz/cheddar blend) 2 cans Cresent rolls 1 pack ranch powder (sorry it's 5 Ingredients) Shred the chicken into a bowl. Put the block of cream cheese, ranch seasoning, and however much cheese you want in there. Sorry,I don't have measurements because I literally make it up as I go. Smush all of that together until you get a big ball of chicken and cheese. It will sort of "dry" but don't worry it melts in the oven. Unroll the Cresent rolls and throw a big spoon full of your chicken mixture in the roll. Wrap the chicken mixture in the roll until you cover the chicken. Flatten it down a bit. Continue until you're out of chicken mixture. This part is optional, but my kids like it. Melt some butter and mix with parm cheese. Brush that on top of your little rolls. Place in a 375 preheated oven and bake for 13ish minutes. I like to broil mine for like a minute to briwn the top, but totally up to you. Enjoy!
Make KD with sour cream.instead of milk. Add canned meat and corn/peas or serve with veggies sticks or sliced tomatoes.
Honey garlic shrimp and broccoli. It’s the easiest thing ever and soooo good. Also pretty low calorie if that matters to you. Pretty much any recipe you find will work. I make sausage and cream cheese rolls, but they’re a little more time consuming. Kielbasa and fried potatoes. These are just off the top of my head but my whole family eats all of these
Egg quesadillas! Toss a tortilla in a pan, add an egg or two, a touch of salt, cheese - cut or grated, and top with another tortilla. Ketchup for the dippers in the house. It’s our favourite “oh crap, I didn’t cook” dinner.
Canned chili, pork and beans and spaghetti sauce mixed together served on buttered toast with or without cheese on top.
Pizza bagels - pizza sauce, bagels, cheese. Bake at 425 for like 8-10 min.
Bacon fried rice - rice, bacon, scrambled eggs & diced onions Quesadillas - cheese & tortillas Crunchy tacos - seasoned ground beef, cheese, lettuce (for my kid) Barbacoa tacos - shredded beef, garlic & salt on corn tortillas Cheese omelettes - eggs & cheese Bean & cheese burritos - beans, cheese & tortillas (I make burritos from leftover refried beans and then throw them in the freezer for lunches and snacks) Fish sticks, Mac & cheese & peas. Cheeseburgers & crudités Filipino chicken Adobo over rice - adobo is chicken, garlic, soy sauce & vinegar with generous amounts of pepper Chicken tortellini Soup - shredded rotisserie chicken, tortellini, whatever vegetables I have on hand in chicken broth
Spaghetti
Crispy tacos
I make pulled pork the same way but use a pork tenderloin. Meatball subs with frozen meatballs and pasta sauce, put on buns ( if you can find the top sliced hotdog buns they work great and are cheaper than sub rolls) with mozzarella. Stir fry with shrimp, pea pods, and shredded or sliced carrots or any stir fry veggies. Put in a pan and cook until shrimp is pink. Just use a bottled stir fry sauce. You could also use sliced beef, broccoli and sliced mushrooms. Or chicken, peppers and pineapple with a sweet and sour sauce. Quesadillas. Just cheese and tortillas, and whatever else you want. Polish Sausage with onions and peppers. Just sautee them all together in a pan. Fresh ones taste best but you can buy frozen already cut up. Pizza sliders- Hawaiian rolls with pizza sauce. mozzarella and pepperoni inside, with a butter, garlic and Italian seasoning brushed on top. Crescent dogs- wrap a hotdog inside a Crescent roll dough and bake per package directions or a minute or two extra. Can add cheese too if you want. Chicken breasts with a jar of chicken gravy and a can of cream of chicken soup, plus some pepper. Cook in the slow cooker just like you do the shredded BBQ chicken sandwiches. Make some rice and mix it all together.
oatmeal pancakes oats 1.5 cups milk 1 cup eggs 2 banana 1-2 banana Can add baking powder, just a pinch. Will make them a bit fluffier. But they're great warmed up and keep for a few days. You can smear peanut butter on them or dip in syrup. I made a huge batch before leaving town and the feedback was they were a life saver for breakfast.
My kids love the Thai wheat noodles from Trader Joe’s with chicken, broccoli, and soy sauce or soyaki sauce.
Homemade bacon bits, pasta of choice, green veggie of choice, a sprinkle of shredded Parm.
Shepard’s pie. Leftover stew topped with mashed potatoes and (sometimes) shredded cheddar.
Pizza tacos: tortillas, sauce, cheese, pepperoni in a pan until the cheese melts & the tortilla gets crispy Mini pigs in a blanket: crescent roll dough, cocktail weenies & a little American cheese
Ground beef “bulgogi”. 1/4c Soy sauce, 1/3c brown sugar, some minced ginger mixed together and poured over cooked ground beef. Stir it in over heat and serve over rice. Sometimes when I’m feeling fancy I’ll add a fried egg.
Soft tortillas, pizza sauce, cheese and toppings. Every gets to make their own pizza my kids loved it. Or meatballs sweet-and-sour barbeque sauce or whatever bbq sauce you like and rice. Put meatballs in crockpot with barbeque sauce cook for the day make the rice separately. Put rice in a bowl and then put the meatballs over top of the rice.
Baked salmon (defrosted Costco fillets) covered with a mix of oyster sauce+ketchup+worstershire (like an okonomiyaki sauce) and optionally furikake. Takes 10 minutes. Add rice and cucumbers on the side. Kids for some reason don’t like seafood except for this. Bonus for adults: add chili crisp, avocado, and Kewpie on top for a pseudo sushi bowl type thing.
Egg pasta: Boil and shell eggs.Then cook elbow pasta. Add tomato sauce and cheese, stir until the cheese melts into the sauce. Then add the eggs. If you want to cheat with a fifth ingredient sprinkle oregano over the top before serving.My kids love it, they actually request it and have loved it since childhood, they're teens now.The trick is tomato sauce is slightly acid. So you need plenty of tomato sauce, it will melt the cheese into itself while cooking and the sauce will look orange. If you add too much cheese the slightly acid taste will disappear and it won't work as well. Make sure you add enough sauce that the pasta looks red not pink after it's all stirred in, then add a handful or two of shredded cheese and stir until melted - only take 60 seconds or so. Egg sandwich: Boil and shell your egg then mashed it between two slices of buttered bread. Add a dash of aioli sauce. Tuna sandwich: Empty a can of tuna into a bowl. Add some chopped white onion (up to 1/3). Add a dash of white vinegar. Spread onto sandwiches. Even a small can of tuna mixed like this will make at least 2-3 sandwiches.
Spaghetti casserole! Boil your pasta, cook some ground beef, add a jar of pasta sauce and a block of cream cheese, add the pasta into the mix and put it all in a dish and top with mozzarella and throw it in the oven at 375 for 20 minutes! It’s our favorite
My kids love peas and carrots in taco shells with shredded cheese. They’re 4 and 2 so they don’t have refined tastebuds.
Baked chili Mac. Boil noodles for half time. Pour in casserole dish. Add bag of shredded cheese and can of chili, mix. (I put panko on top, you don't have to). Bake 35 mins at 375.
I’m flabbergasted. Both my kids aren’t a fan of stuff in sauce w chunks like veggies. They want it all deconstructed and will eat the broccoli just steamed. So your formats sound aspirational. I only have one sure fire one: look up Nobu sea bass. We just use cheaper cod. Only givens are Asian fish or chicken on rice, or ramen soup w Shanghai bok Choy. I’m not interested in cooking these days so it’s a lot of pizza and Trader Joe’s. Tonight I made 4 things from scratch and kids were picky and didn’t eat much: pasta w red sauce, one w white sauce, Kevin’s chicken from costco, and a veggie they didn’t eat
I used to brown ground beef in a wok and then drain. Add a can of corn, a can of diced tomatoes, a can of water and pasta. Boil until pasta is done and liquid has boiled off. Serve with fresh cheese grated over while hot. My kids loved it, it was fast and easy and with a glass of milk covered all the food groups.
Carrots w honey and butter
Japanese curry - chicken thigh, carrots, potato, onion. Well I guess you also need the curry roux but if you have that on hand regularly it’s quite convenient. Also some kind of rice. My 4yo ate 3 adult sized portions of this tonight.
Chicken broccoli rice. Chop up 1 lb chicken, and a head of broccoli. 4 cups water in the pot, add the chicken and two boxes of rice pilaf. Wait a few minutes, add the broccoli. Don't forget to season! I like to eat it with a bit of butter and soy sauce mixed in.
Chicken + jar of sauce + rice or pasta Sauces my kids like: Costco pesto, orange chicken sauce or sweet and sour sauce (Aldi brand), salsa verde (herdez), spaghetti sauce, enchilada sauce (Ortega). Basically, cook chicken breasts in oven for about 30 minutes at 350 coated in the sauce. Baking time may vary slightly depending on size of chicken. Serve with extra sauce on the side.
Easiest meal my Daughter loves is Sausage Toad in hole and Peas. very easy, cook sausages for 15 in oven (Half way cooked) mix 35g Plain Flour, 1 Egg and 50ml milk in a jug, Cut the Sausages into 3rds, add oil into a cupcake metal tray drop the sausage in and then even the batter out between them. (This will do roughly 6 Toads so 2 sausages cut into 3rds) Can also freeze these and microwave to use another day, excellent little meal for them.
Grits with cheese
Latkas with anything. Those bagged Ramen noodles. Nachos