Packing school and office lunches on a daily basis can seem like a daunting task. The contents can get repetitive and the process itself can become less than exciting for the person who is actually doing it.
Today’s recipe, Pizza Mini Quiches, can bring a much-needed variety to any lunchbox, as well as new excitement into the kitchen. Who wouldn’t want to help make “pizzas”?
In the last couple of months, I’ve partnered with Wolf to inspire you to reclaim your kitchen and try to make more meals at home. You’ve left me speechless and humbled by sharing hundreds of comments letting me know about your mealtime routines and the things that inspire you to make better meals for your family.
There were also a lot of comments wishing that meal making wasn’t all up to us, the adult in the household. I think I can speak for the majority of us when I say that we wish we could get others more involved in the kitchen when it comes to packing lunches.
I’m often asked about the foods I make for my family and how I find the motivation to pack other things that aren’t sandwiches every day. I’ll tell you that when it comes to adding variety to the lunch routine, we all need a little inspiration –myself included.
My favorite recipes are those that come together quickly, have relatively few ingredients, can be made ahead of time, and are simple enough for young kitchen helpers to assist in the making. Kids can help whisk the eggs, shred cheese, and even fill the mini muffin cups with the mixture.
These mini quiches are super easy to make and just like traditional pizza, can be customized to have everyone’s favorite toppings. Eggs and milk are the base (instead of pizza crust) and the variety of toppings you can add in are unlimited.
Of course, these mini quiches aren’t the only thing that is sent for lunch. They are the protein component of the lunch and the perfect meal builder. I typically add fresh fruit, veggies, an additional source of complex carbohydrates, and a treat on occasion.
Check out how easy it is to make these mini quiches in this quick video.
My favorite way to get others helping in the kitchen is with the prep-work. I nearly always have my kids wash all the produce when we get home from the grocery store. When the food goes in the refrigerator clean, it cuts down on prep-time. Other simple tasks include filling snack containers with pre-cut veggies, helping make dips, prep sandwiches, and even make simple recipes like this one.
We make these quiches nearly every week. And each week one of my kids gets to pick what goes in them. My daughter loves coming up with crazy combinations like broccoli and ham, tomatoes and bacon, and the biggest fail to date: apples and cinnamon (not a good combination with eggs). Some of the better ones were zesty mini quiches, spinach and bacon, and ham and cheese.
If your kids can’t get enough pizza, try our pizza biscuits!
What are some of the ways you get your family involved in making meals? What are some prep-ahead tips you’ve implemented?
Pizza Mini Quiches
Ingredients
- 6 eggs
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1 cup of your choice of pizza toppings, chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 24 count mini muffin pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk eggs and milk.
- Add in chopped pizza toppings and shredded cheese.
- Mix to combine all ingredients.
- Distribute egg mixture evenly into muffin pan cups.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes.
- Allow mini quiches to cool in pan before carefully removing with a small knife or spatula.
Nutrition
Red lunchbox pictured in the post is a Yumbox.
nina
These were great, I made extra to freeze for next week too.
Jean
PIzza for breakfast? my kids iwll be thrilled.
mindy
thse mini quiches are our new goto snack idea
Kim
My kids loved these egg cups with pepperoni
Glenda
high protein and taste amazing. my family loves them.
Daniella
Love this recipe! How long can these mini quiches sit out?
Laura Fuentes
On the counter an hour or so. In a sealed lunchbox packed with an ice pack a few hours (from packing until lunch time).
Kim Woods
How long do these keep in the fridge? Can they be frozen? I want to make them on Sunday for the week. Will they keep?
Laura Fuentes
You can refrigerate this for up to 5 days.
Lacey
One of mine is allergic to eggs. Anyway to substitute the egg in this recipe??? These look like a perfect lunch to pack for my 3, but hate leaving her out and sending her with a boring sandwich everyday
Laura Fuentes
Unfortunately, this recipe is for eggs. Sorry, Lacey.
Dina
My 11 month old loves this recipe! Made it with ham and mushrooms and he devoured it!! Thank you! It gets hard trying to figure out what to make every day and this is so simple! What is the best way to store the leftovers?
Sue F.
Hi Laura,
I’ve followed you for several years now and you have helped me make my daughter’s lunches exciting and un-boring all along. This summer I have a new challenge…she is going to camp and I have to pack her lunch in a paper bag rather than her easy lunchbox and cooler bag that I use during the school year. Today is day four of camp and the fourth sandwich that I’ve packed for her. Any suggestions on what I can send that will transport comfortably in a zip-loc baggie? I am going to try the above recipe for the pizza quiches and see how they do, but I would love any other suggestions that you may have.
Thanks so much!
Sue F.
Laura Fuentes
Hi Sue! Thank you so much for following along! You can pack any of the MOMables meal plan lunch ideas inside zip baggies. Send a fork or spoon to assist. A plastic baggie is just like any other container but the walls are not fixed. When you think about it like that… the possibilities are endless.
Sue F.
Thanks Laura. I guess I was just thinking how the skewers and/or picks wouldn’t really work. I often send her lunch meat rolls (she’s also not a big bread fan anyway), so I was just wondering how I could keep them from unrolling in the baggie. I’ll give it a try and see what will work in my “flexible walled container”, haha. 😉
Thanks!
Sue
Laura Fuentes
for rolled meat use the “snack size” baggies so they don’t unroll. they will be tighter in the bag. enjoy!
Sue F.
You have such great ideas!! Thanks so much! I will give that a try! 🙂
Laura Fuentes
I hope you love these!
Laurie
Laura, I love these! I only had egg whites and I used water instead of milk…worked perfectly! I enjoy your recipes because they are simple, fun, and healthy! Thank you!
Laura Fuentes
Great to know they work with egg whites too! And thank you so much for using my recipes Laurie. I am glad you enjoy them!
Abbey B.
Thanks for this post! I involve my kids by helping them decide what to eat and pack the lunches. I also plan ahead and prepare by keeping a binder in my kitchen with lunch box ideas that I find on Pinterest, etc. and things that I have tried and the kids have really liked. It helps to refer to that when I am shopping or out of ideas.
Denise
Got your amazing lunch box book! You are such an inspiration to those of us trying to do our best to provide our family with real food and encourage clean eating. Our daughter says her lunches are so good, she doesn’t want to trade food with other kids at school! You’ve helped to make me mindful of using our dinners in creative ways for the next day lunches. Thank you!
Laura Fuentes
Wow. thank you so much Denise! I am touched by your kind words. I am so happy that your daughter enjoys her lunches and that you are using leftovers in new ways! Amazing.
Jennifer
I love your ideas and recipes in your book, Laura.
To get my kids involved in the kitchen, we bake. I have two young sons and they love homemade treats such as homemade granola, cookies, crackers, etc. We eat organic and homemade because it’s better for our health and I always point this out to my boys. Of course, I do relax and let them eat potato chips and chocolate once in awhile, too because the more I deny them something the more they will want it and rebel later.
Instead we spend time talking about healthy foods and the importance of making things from scratch. My oldest son, who is 4, tasted a new cereal bought from the store the other day and said, “Mama, this is just sugar.” Obviously he is used to eating homemade foods with little added sugar and wouldn’t eat the cereal I bought from the store. This made me happy and sad because I have been so busy lately that I have not had time to make the normal breakfasts that we have and tried to cheat with store bought cereal.
In regards to this recipe, I am a big quiche maker! We have chickens and always have eggs in the house so I often make quiches for dinner and the leftovers become lunch! It’s healthy and easy on busy weeknights. There are tons of combinations and I use whatever I have in the fridge at the time. In fact tonight we had mushroom, spinach, ham and cheese. My kids love eggs and are adventurous eaters, which makes cooking easier.
I am forever cleaning out lunchboxes at night to pack lunch for the next day and lately my oldest is leaving his lunch supplies at school and that leaves me short-handed on supplies for the next day’s lunch.
Leah
My five-year-old helps out in the kitchen when I’m baking. He helps measure ingredients and mix them together. He also gets to choose a couple of the items that go into his lunchbox (within reason). He’s a pretty good eater, so he normally just asks for specific kinds of fruit. He loves to go to the grocery store with me and pick things out in the produce department. We talk about different fruits and vegetables. If we talk about something often enough, he will eventually ask me to buy it and then he’ll try it. Usually takes months to get him to that point, but it’s a good way to ease him into trying new things and making it feel like it was his idea!
Allison
Love the tips and recipes…
I ask my middle son to read the recipe I’m preparing and pull out the ingredients I need…and of course they help with clean up
grace
I have a boy and he loves to bake (not much in cooking). So I encourage him to help me with baking cookies or simple bread. And let him prepares breakfast in the weekend, he loves making pancakes. And he helps by letting me know ideas to cook or food to bring to school for lunch. 🙂
Karlie
My kids like to help any time I ask. Smoothies are a particular favorite to help with. I work part-time, so I try to make plenty of meals on my days off so I don’t have to cook dinner when I come home from work and so we have ready to go food for lunches.
Andrea
I love your cookbook and my favorite recipe is the kitchen sink muffins (my family likes them with cinnamon and raisins — heavy on both the cinnamon and the raisins) — my boys (3 and 5) have loved “helping” me to bake them. How they help is when I measure out a cup of flour or any of the other ingredients, I let them tip my hand over so they are emptying the cup or spoon into the bowl. Each proudly tips my hand, then proclaims “Your turn!”
to his brother. I can’t believe something so small can be so impactful, but they love it and have such a feeling of ownership. The muffins are so yummy, I have to beg my husband to leave them for the boys so I have them for weekday breakfasts 🙂
Tara Kidd
I find that I hardly have to DO anything to get my 3 year old daughter involved in the kitchen…she usually ASKS what she can do! (I’m sure she’ll get to an age where that will stop though). She seems to feel really accomplished when I give her little tasks she can handle like measuring, stirring, pouring, etc.
Kim Pieplow
I started getting my kids interested in helping in the kitchen by making things they like first. I’ll tell them I’m going to make muffins so then they want to help. Now they love being apart of the cooking and baking. My big rule is to always prepare as much of the lunch the night before. And I also try to make things that can freeze and naturally thaw in the lunch box by the time lunch rolls around. These Yumboxes look great!
Rebecca
My almost three year old loves to help in the kitchen. He cracks eggs, pours from measuring cups, and tastes all the spices.
I try to save time in the kitchen by using as many recipes as I can that will freeze and reheat well. A freezer stocked with ready to go meals makes me very happy!
Wendy
I love this recipe! I have 2 boys that have very different tastes, so we can make these to each their likings. On the weekend we usually pick the fruits and veggies they want in their lunch boxes for the week. I have them help make a healthy snack mix of some kind for the week. Also, some muffins or other baked goodies. They seem to enjoy the food more if they have some input and are able to help prepare!
Casey
I love it! I have a hard time finding things that are tomato free and love this idea.
Sara
Love this for lunch and breakfast some mornings! I get the kids involved with putting dishes away. Then they know where things can be found when we do something fun like cook. It’s important to have them involved in all stages of cooking. Prep, cook and cleanup. They appreciate the end result more!
Nadine
I love this recipe! You have such great ideas. I have made these mini-quiches for breakfast but had not considered them for lunch. Thanks for the idea.
christy
We have one day a week where my daughter makes her own lunch. She can put in anything she wants as long as its in the guidelines (one protein, at least one fruit, vegetable and no more than one sweet.) This makes her be creative, takes away the complaint factor )and also makes her appreciate the process a little more). She has access to my cookie cutters and her own knife, plus I will help her cook something if she asks like mini pizzas or chicken nuggets.
Also my favorite thing still are the Ziploc divided lunch containers, now discontinued. They will not leak, even with applesauce and it challenges me to fill the spots. The best is creating our own versions of “lunchables” using organic or natural items. They were inexpensive enough that I have a stash that lasts all week. And it is quick for her to open and start eating. Definitely invest in some sort of divided lunch container
Jennifer
My kids get involved (3 & 5) by helping measure dry ingredients, mix ingredients together and my 5 year old is now learning to cook her letter soup on the stove (supervised of course). Also, they both actually help clear the table when we are done eating, wash dishes and help put dishes up from the dishwasher.
Nicole
I don’t have to pack any lunches yet (4yr old, 2yr old, newborn) but I do prep alot ahead of time because with little ones and a newborn nursing all the time I need all the help I can get getting any meal of the day on the table. I like to prep veggies/fruits as soon as I get home. My little ones love to help make smoothies in the morning. They take turns measuring things and putting them in the VitaMix! Whenever I make eggs if I put anything except cheese in them both of my older boys pick out everything I put in them. I love this idea, but I think they would end up taking everything out. I guess I’d have to try it with just eggs and cheese.
Heather Sancken
We do an “assembly line” set up when putting lunches together – makes it a bit more fun and gets the job done quicker!
I’m all about prepping food ahead of time. We also make lunches the night before – mornings are too crazy around here!
Laura Fuentes
Love “assembly lines”!!
Melissa
I’m making these tonight! Thinking pancetta might be a good addition. As for having the kids help in the kitchen, our favorite activity is making a “shake n bake” with potato wedges and spices in a ziplock bag. One child measures out spices and the other gets to shake the bag.
My prep ahead trick is to make a large batch of Greek dressing and use it for the month as a chicken marinade, salad dressing, etc. saves time and keeps the store bought dressings / marinades out of the house. Thank you, Laura!
Laura Fuentes
Pancetta will be delish! I suggest you give it a quick browning so it’s throughly cooked. Gosh. Now I want some.
Ambery
My six year old had started cutting fruits and using the microwave in addition to egg cracking, skillet and bowl stirring and the all important step & fetch it.
Always look forward to your recipes. She loves eggs and pizza, but not mixed foods. She thinks we should try a scramble before making a whole quiche recipe.
Sue
My kids love to help when they use their own tools. They’ve got kid sized knives for chopping and small bowls for holding their work. Making and topping their own pizzas is a house favorite!
Holly Kotler
I am desperate to get my kids helping with the cooking. I have them pick one new dish a week that they get to help prepare. They have to go with me to the store to get the ingredients and pick the day they want to cook it. Also they have to choose one day a week to try something new in their lunches. I hope that it will fix the issue with “picky” eaters.
Juliet
With three picky eaters, one who recoils from any type of meat (except pepperoni – which really isn’t a “meat”), I have my kiddos help me in the kitchen with our daily smoothies. Which includes putting in the bananas, coconut milk, ice, and of course the blender buttons! Prep-ahead tips include cutting and freezing overripe bananas – it also add a better texture to the smoothies!
Angela
I involve my kids in the kitchen by letting them choose what snacks to bake during the week like muffins, healthy donuts, and even fruit roll ups. I pre-measure most of the ingredients and let them dump them in the bowl and stir. One of my prep tips is that if you cut fruit that browns easily like apples just wrap them in a paper towel and they should be good for lunch time. My kiddos wont eat apples if there is the slightest color of brown.
A. Shoemaker
My girls (7 & 10) will get in on the act of making dinner some nights by chopping, stirring and setting the table. They have also just recently started taking turns serving the family by plating the meal and pouring everyone a glass of milk. It is like playing restaurant.
I have not tried the pizza quiche above, but maybe tonight…I have some leftover mozzarella and pepperoni from last weeks pizza lunch we could use to make up a batch. Thanks for all your ideas! I mention your site often in conversations with other mom’s who are looking for fresh, fun ideas for kids lunches.
Laura Fuentes
Let me know how much you enjoy the recipe! I love using leftovers from pizza night. enjoy!
A Shoemaker
They were awesome…I don’t know how you are able to stretch the recipes for lunches though. My Husband, 19 year old son and 2 daughters (7 & 10) devoured all but 4, which I squirreled away for breakfast the next day. 🙂 We used some pepperoni, black olives, mozzarella, and fresh tomatoes for our recipe. Can’t wait to try other ingredients.
Laura Fuentes
I either make them for dinner, or lunch. Sometimes I make two batches.
Jacqueline
Love this idea!! Will give it a try as I struggle to get my six year old to try new foods.
Thanks
Patricia McConley
I love this recipe. I have my kids help all the time. I want to know for sure that they can feed themselves when they grow up. My 4 year old helps me wash fruits and veggies. My 8 year old will open up cans and help me peel veggies. My 10 year old helps me on the stove, with close supervision and helps chop up fruit and veggies.
To prep ahead, I wash all fruits and veggies asap, pre portion out all meats.
Cathryn Ronan
I am a homeschooled who uses lunch boxes once a week for our co op and for picnics. I love this recipe because I need to serve my kids a nutri should well balanced meal when when we’re home. I use your blog to help me with much need ideas and recipes. Thank you very much!!!
Cathryn Ronan
Sorry for the autocorrect.
I am a homeschooled who uses lunch boxes once a week for our co op and for picnics. I love this recipe because I need to serve my kids a nutri should well balanced meal when when we’re home. I use your blog to help me with much need ideas and recipes. Thank you very much!!!
TaniaM
I loved how easy and delicious look! I will definately add them to our lunchbox menu!
Lili
I have them help me with grocery shopping and put away dishes. Thanks for all your ideas!
Denise Ross
If I buy in bulk I ,like to separate the item in to serving sizes so its grab and go. If I buy a bag of oranges I’ll have the kids peel and we store them in bags so if the want a snack its easy. My youngest love to cook pancakes and my oldest loves to make eggs. I bought the book and I love it!
Jamie
I love when I can get my kids involved in the kitchen. My oldest daughter (6) helps bring things out to the table and sets the table. When I can, I have all three kids involved (age 6 and twins who will be 4 in 2 weeks). They love helping with adding ingredients, stirring, pouring…whatever they can do.
Ryann
First comment cut me off… I get her involved by finding new recipes that I think she will like every week. If they turn out yummy she gets to take all the credit
Ryann
Love! My daughter (who’s truly the pickiest eater in the universe) loves your pictures
Anna Vetter
I love these mini quiches! My kids love to make them and we have fun picking out new ingredients to try from the farmers market. If they pick it out and talk to the farmers, they are more likely to try it, and like it! Our latest finds? Leeks and kale. Now they kids love them!
Nor
Hi Laura … I get our kids and hub to help in the kitchen each night by getting all of their containters out for filling up including the water bottles and such. They fill the liquids and help cut veggies, and fruit prep for everyone whilst I get the sandwiches/wraps or whatever the main is for that lunch ready.
My tip is to do everything you can on a sunday night and then leave the other foods and such for the night before each day cuz no time in morning and who wants to be stressed by “hurry” when ya just got up! I also have a great tip for apples turning brown. I dip in pineapple juice and sometimes my crazy family likes them dipped in lemon juice for the sour pucker face! It’s not really that pucker-y but they think it is fun! Hehe
I love the lunch box with the dividers because I have kids who don’t want mr. apple to touch mrs sandwich etc etc. Love love your site Laura
Morgan
I have a picky 3 year old and have found she’s more interested in eating her lunch if she’s been a part of packing it. So I prep the night before almost everything and then have her help me with the lats step in the morning (tossing in some sliced apples or a few raisins for example), then we talk about what a yummy lunch she has packed for school that day, and its much more likely to be eaten!
Katie
Great idea! I am putting all of this on my grocery list!
My youngest son loves to help in the kitchen. He is my official “pourer and mixer”. My older son is pretty intimidated by the kitchen, but yesterday, I showed him and had him make his own grilled cheese sandwich. I think after finally doing it, he realized it wasn’t too scary. 🙂
julie
I have never had to ask my kids to help me in the kitchen, they always want to! I started my son when he was high enough to stand on a chair and reach the counter. They love to mix and measure and stir. I rarely ASK them to help, I let them come to me. If I ask them to help they feel obligated and then don’t want to help. It seems like anything Mom does and doesn’t ask them to help with is something they want to help with!
Samantha Stewart
My parents always gave my brother and I wee jobs in the kitchen, and always made it fun. They turned it into a game really. The older we got the more information they included about the food and flavours and what went together and why.
As a result, my brother and I became big foodies or food-lovers, and when the time comes for us to have a brood of our own, I know for a fact we will follow in our parent’s footsteps!
Laura Fuentes
this is super encouraging Samantha! Thank you for sharing
Amy
I’ve been fortunate insofar as my kids are generally pretty decent eaters, and the food making process is often intriguing to them. That being said, I still make an extra effort to have colorful and child sized utensils/tools that are both functional and available for them. We like to turn some fun music on and bop around the kitchen together. They get to have some input often, and they see the effort that goes into their food.
Laura Fuentes
I love that you have music in the kitchen Amy!
Natalie
I love that your picture features blue eggs! We heart our blue egg layers and ‘home -grown’ eggs are just the best!!! 🙂
I need to make some quiche this week! Great reminder!
Tami
These mini quiches are great! We have your book “The best homemade kids lunches on the planet” and I just love it! I love going through your book each week and picking out the recipes/lunchbox ideas for each week. I have two kids- my daughter is 16 and my son is 4, so we have a big age variation and my son is a very picky eater!
One way we prepare for the week is to have lots of our fave fruits and veggies washed and cut up and in small containers in the fridge to quickly pack in our lunches. Also, having a few hard boiled eggs on hand each Sunday for the week is our go to for protein, either chopped in a salad, or quick egg salad or just to eat on it’s own! My daughter helps with the washing and cutting of the veggies and my son helps peel the eggs.
I love your blog, Laura, and I enjoy receiving the weekly e-mails! Keep them coming, you are a lifesaver!
Laura Fuentes
thank you so much for your support Tami! I am so glad my ideas are helpful!
Dona Perkins
My daughter LOVES to help pre-pack her lunches for the week on Sunday evening. We bag up chips, pretzels, cookies, etc. so that all I have to do the night before or the morning of is grab the bags and add a water bottle to their lunch bags. I am SOOOOO glad my kids are old enough to really help me out now! 🙂
Amanda P
These look delish! My kid is involved in cooking pretty much from start to finish. Be it, grocery shopping, cleaning and putting away the food, helping with meal prep, cleaning up after and loading the dishwasher (and anything in between that I missed). Fun bonding and learning time together! Would love to win a Yumbox. Thanks for the chance 🙂
Ashley H.
I love this idea! It is definitely going to be prepped this weekend! I usually meal prep my own lunches; how wonderful it will be to meal prep my four year old daughters! She usually helps by using a measuring cup and pouring the cooked food into the containers. My best tips to prep-ahead meals would be 1, plan out the grocery list for the week for each meal for everyone, and 2, go grocery shopping a day or two before you plan to prep. Grocery shopping is exhausting– who wants to cook afterwords!?
.
kathy
My little one loves to peel boiled eggs, its destructive – therefore fun!
Erika L
My 3 kids are still young and my oldest is just learning to use a knife to help me cut fruit. My middle will help me put food on plates and throw fruits in smoothies and veggies in the juicer and my youngest is great at eating any food that she can sneak off the cutting board. 🙂
Debbie J.
I love the mini quiche idea. I think the kids might actually eat that! 🙂
Jennifer Dixon
These look like a great idea. I think I will definitely try them but a question, do you serve them cold? Not sure how my kids will react to cold eggs.
Tina Boothe
I am determined to get more lunch ideas so I am gonna try this this week! Thanks for the idea now just to see will they like them warm in thermos or room temp??? Hummm stay tuned 🙂
Laura Fuentes
In the video you’ll see that they are sent at room temperature or hot in a thermos. you’ve got options!
Melanie
Love your new blog that I recently found! Thank you.
We have a kids cook book that someone gave us and my sons love going through there and picking recipes based on what we have at home.
Beth
This looks great! My 5yo loves to crack the eggs and then stir it all up, so we’ll be making this one soon!
Michael L
We used our yumbox this morning for turkey/cheese sushi rollups, blueberries/yogurt and hummus and carrots.
Great tool for portions.
Maria
I try to give my daughter a choice of 2-3 lunches. Then the night before, she picks one and we pack it together.
Frankie Bailey
First of all, I LOVE this blog! What a great way for moms to connect and learn from each other.
For me, the best time way to get my 7yr old daughter involved in the kitchen is when I’m baking. Since she loves sweets, she really enjoys any opportunity to taste the food during prepping. So I let her use the electric mixer (then she gets to lick the bowl afterwards). How do I keep it healthy? I sneak in the healthy ingredients when she’s not looking, like zucchini in a mixed berry muffin. She loves fresh berries, so she’s more than happy to eat the muffins without question!
Laura Fuentes
Thanks Franke! Welcome. Baking is a great time to grab our kids’ interest in the kitchen. Awesome!
Randi
I love this idea – pizza and tons of protein, what’s not to love?! My 6 year old is getting involved with chopping up some softer fruits, like strawberries and bananas. My 4 year old loves to do mixing and adding any spices needed. Thanks for the awesome grain-free ideas Laura!
Kim Ingersoll
I would love to try this lunchbox for my daughter. She does not like it when her food touches. We make a big pot of quinoa very Sunday. She loves to add it to yogurt, salad, soups and wraps. The kid’s in Kindergarten think we eat weird.
Laura Fuentes
Kim, people think we eat weird too. Oh well! They are missing out on delicious food! 🙂
Charlene Downey
Excellent idea…especially to get eggs into my picky little one, unfortunately, I cannot send them as a lunch item at school due to allergy restrictions…but what a great option for a weekday breakfast…and it can be portable too!!! 🙂
Kathy C
I don’t have any kids at home, but still feel challenged packing my own breakfast and lunch each day, and I try to have things my husband can easily put in his lunch. We have chickens and therefore a lot of eggs. I make sure I boil a dozen eggs each weekend and peel them. Then I can easily put an egg in my lunch, or quickly make egg salad.
I also can chicken, pork and turkey and that makes it nice to grab a jar of meat for chicken salad, tortilla wraps or chicken salad.
I really need to work on making something like these little quiches or mini muffins to freeze so they are easy to pack in a lunch.
One thing I try to do each weekend is make something in the crockpot and something in the bread machine. For example, this past Saturday I cooked BBQ pork in the crockpot which I will then freeze part of for later. I will use that in supper sandwiches and tacos this week. I like to make dough in the bread machine for freezer dinner and sweet rolls. I also make pizza dough in the bread machine and freeze for later.
Laura Fuentes
Great job on cooking ahead Kathy! Even if you don’t have kids… we adults have to eat too. 🙂
Tracy
I have 3 kids who love to help in the kitchen. They enjoy pouring the ingredients in & mixing. It does take longer & is a bit messier when they help, but they are learning about healthy eating.
My favorite make ahead prep tip is make big batches of soup, fill small mason jars with individual servings (leaving some room at the top), & stick in the freezer. The night before I pull out a jar stick it in the fridge to thaw. Then I microwave it in the morning & stick it in the kids thermos for a healthy, warm lunch at school.
Rachel
Reading about all that these wonderful parents let their child help with encourages me to allow my six year old son do way more! He will chop vegetables and measure ingredients and stir something as needed, but mostly I have him cleaning the table and setting it for the meal. I need to include him more in the meal preparation itself. I have never made the mini quiches but I have made the large muffin ones with quinoa and dipped them in pizza sauce, so I think my little one would appreciate these more. I always have to to have eggs, a cooked meat and a cooked grain in my fridge to make mealtime so much quicker. I also like to have English cucumbers as dippers in just about anything. Frozen Salmon portions are easy and heat straight from the freezer over one of those grains or onto a salad.
Laura Fuentes
I’m so glad this inspired you to think about getting your child get more involved in the kitchen! There is not right or wrong way or too much or too little kitchen help. You must do what works for your lifestyle. I love the ones with quinoa! and great tips on always having cooked meat and eggs in the fridge -a staple at my house as well.
Patricia Shepard
My little one is 3, so helping in the kitchen usually adds to the work. Still, I have him help me do things like crack eggs, stand at the stove in his learning tower and add ingredients, and taste things. It’s fun!
As for prep ahead, when I make raw veggies for the week (carrots, celery) I usually set aside a few to dice and keep in containers for mirepoix. And when I dice onions, I freeze a bunch flat to store in Ziplocs, they’re great to add to hot cooked recipes like pasta sauce, stew, etc. last minute!
Stephanie
My biggest worry is that my picky eater will skip lunch since I’m not there to prod him, so I often send one if the 3 kid-approved meals that I know he’ll eat. I figure we’ll tackle the hard stuff at home. Among the meals he ‘ll eat (thankfully) is lentils with quinoa or rice. I like to make batches of grains on the weekend (quinoa, rice and pasta) to be incorporated into lunches and dinners for the week. Saves time during the week and makes a good building block for meals.
Laura Fuentes
Lentils with quinoa… yum!
Rebecca
We have chickens, so getting my kids involved when we use eggs is very easy: cracking them when I bake, peeling them when they are hard boiled, they love it. Both boys have always loved baking: measuring and dumping. And they both love using the scoop when we do muffins and cookies. I’m bad about prepping ahead. It seems the only thing I do-and this not often-is make the quadruple batch of waffles and freeze all the extras. I am so inconsistent. I did well for a long time and have just been too overwhelmed lately. My son begs me to make his lunch everyday, which is a good thing, but….
Jamie
I am having such a hard time with lunches, usually at this point in the year I kind of give up. My daughter is very very very picky – out of the lunch shown in today’s post she would eat nothing. She doesn’t like dressings, no foods that should be hot and are cold (quiche) and her school has outlawed any type of nuts (since there is such a misconception about peanuts vs. tree nuts). I do prep lot’s of fresh fruit for her (she will eat strawberries, grapes and green apple slices that have not yet browned) did I mention she is 9 and takes after her daddy?
Laura Fuentes
I know it can be tough to keep the momentum when we have been packing lunches for months. Keep going! 🙂
Kim
We make mini quiches too! My boys favorite part is cracking the eggs. They also help washing fruits and veggies. I prep ahead dinners on the weekend and lunches the night before – I’m at work by 6 am so it must be done.
One of my favorite prep ahead tips is for making smoothies – I freeze vanilla yogurt in ice cube trays and use this along with my frozen fruit, greens, and whatever else in my smoothies. I also make the smoothies ahead of time and freeze them in Ball plastic freezer jars (great suggestion from Momables!). I grab one when I leave for work and it’s ready to slurp a little later at work. Could also pack them in the boys lunches….
Amy Lefevre
This is a great idea! I’m always looking for new ideas and quiches are something most of the family would like. I have to pack lunches the evening before. I let my oldest help pack food – he is more interested in trying new foods and when he is involved in the packing!
Jen
Do your kids eat these cold/room temp in their lunches? Thanks.
Lori Kenney
I need to get my kids more involved I in the kitchen! My daughter likes to crack and whisk eggs, wash and peel veggies, and once she washed all the dishes, but only that one time, lol.
My son will crack one egg or do one step, and then he wants to be done. He’s my picky eater, but decided he likes eggs a few months ago after years of not wanting to eat them…I will definitely be trying out your quiche recipe.
Thank you for your emails, videos, instagrams, books, etc! I can’t wait until your new book is available!
Elizabeth
My 7 yo daughter and I make mini omelettes, breakfast burritos, and/or overnight oatmeal in a jar. My son helps with measuring and cleaning vegetables for me to cut. Having cheddar cheese, carrots, celery and peppers pre cut is a great convenience for us.
Your mini quiches are like our mini omelettes so will be fun to add this to our variety. Thanks.
kim
I plan my week of breakfast and dinners over the weekend and try to do as much prep on Sunday. I freeze a lot of meals or just ingredients that i’ll need later in the week to cut down on prep time.
kim
My daughter is young so she is in a very helpful stage. She loves getting out her plastic knife and helps me chop up whatever she can!
Tanya W
My children all love baking so I often ask for their help in the kitchen to make breakfast cookies and other treats for the week. My daughter (6) loves to cut up veggies (mostly cukes, broccoli and cauliflower right now) and arrange them on a platter.
These pizza mini quiches look super yummy! My oldest would love them 🙂
Kimberly
I make these weekly too. Sometimes they are for lunch and sometimes they are for a quick breakfast on the go! I have to be at work by 7:30 so lunches definitely get made the night before 😉
Laura Luque
Looking forward to creating some of these for my daughter’s lunches when she starts school in the fall. I’ve done mini quiche before so I think she may like it.
Bella
I enjoy reading your blogs. They’re well written and a pleasure to read. I make these with goat cheese a very steamed bits of cauliflower (taste like potatoes). I puta bit of cauliflower and host cheese in each tin then fill w egg mixture.
I get my daughter in the kitchen using kitchen tools, melon baller, peeler, grater, whisk, knife — uesterday she slides pears for dessert and put cantelope balls in her lunch.
Laura Fuentes
Thank you so much Bella!
Sonia Sosa
I have 2 boys ages 7 and 4 so its hard for me to let them get involved in the kitchen bcuz they usually dont focuse enough to help me but I love it when we go grocery shopping together as a family and talk about what foods are good for our bodies and things they would like as snacks! they like picking out fruits for snacks. My favorite prep ahead tip is actually having a plan! If I have a plan and have things written down I will for sure be out the door in time and my boy that goes to school will have a healthy lunch to eat!
catherine
Hey I love your lunch ideas and family recipes. I have 2 picky boys so I can use all the help I can get so thank you. I have my boys help me in the kitchen by doing small things like making toast, stirring a pot or cracking eggs in a pan. When I get fresh veggies and fruit I wash them in a special wash then chop and/or peel them first then separate them into baggies for a week. It makes it so much easier for them to eat after school as snacks and a guarantee that it will be a healthy one.
Brooke
Hi Laura, your recipes, videos, emails and ideas are always a delight and very helpful. I am not good about preparing lunches or snacks in advance. This is something I am going to try to work on this summer. I think if I can start including him in the preparation and making a few of the decisions in what and how we pack, then maybe he be more likely to eat it. Right now, one of our biggest challenges is that my 5 year old son who is in Kindergarten wants to buy his lunch at school. Because the school has a prepaid system which we loaded money too from the beginning of the year as a fall back for days when we don’t have time to pack lunch, he now will sometimes buy his lunch even if we’ve sent him with a wonderful homemade lunch, saying that he forgot his lunch box in his classroom. Obviously, we could stop loading money to the system but I worry that he will forget his lunchbox and then not be able to buy either. I guess that would teach him not to forget his lunch box but I haven’t wanted to be that cruel (even though sometimes I think he is doing it on purpose or even worse, taking it with him but still purchasing too).
I know that there are some days when he is more hungry than others and also sometimes I think he laughs with his friends more than eats. He also has lunch at 10:30 am so he may not be that hungry yet.
Do your older kids ever want to buy lunch at school? Do you have any suggestions on how to convince a stubborn 5 year boy (who eats EVERYTHING when he is with us and has a very sophisticated palette but also loves all the things kids love) to eat his lunch rather than be so tempted to eat what the cafeteria is serving?
thanks!
Laura Fuentes
My daughter also loves to buy lunch on Fridays (pizza day). However, at their school, lunch orders must be put in a month in advance. You might not want to hear this… but I just set my foot down and said “no”. I will not spend my money on junk food when she can bring her own pizza from home. If she wants, she can choose to spend her own money (from birthdays, savings, chores etc) on pizza day. Some months, she buys herself a Friday or two. It’s her money. That night, while we all have fun doing pizza night at home, she gets broccoli and steamed chicken (or something plain and boring) since she already had pizza that day. Those are my rules. She isn’t deprived of fun foods but I won’t support the habit. She’s learned that spending her money leaves her out of fun spending money on cute polish or whatever during the year when it’s not her birthday (she is 8). There is no “convincing” needed, it’s about explaining the responsibilities. you can do it!
Julia
Love the mini quiches! My son, who is rather particular 🙂 likes them with spinach and cheese, and just egg and cheese. He’s also not excited about the hands-on aspects of helping in the kitchen, but getting him involved in the planning side has helped both of us come up with more things that he likes or is at least willing to try. My daughter loves to help with mixing, measuring and cleaning up as well as the planning of meals. They remind me every day of how much fun it is that we’re all so different 🙂
Mary Parra
I have four kids — two have food allergies. They are also the picky ones, which makes any meal or snack difficult! I have lived by your recipes and tips from the Momables website and your cookbook (and I pre-ordered your new cookbook) for more than a year. Because of you, making lunches has become so much easier for me. You gave me the life-saving idea to pack their lunches the night before. In fact tonight I even packed through Wednesday, which made me think of you. Since you were on my mind, I remembered to have the kids put smoothie creations in baggies to be frozen so they can pull them out when they get home from school and make smoothies. I also just made 2 dozen “egg muffins” for my husband — he is not a breakfast eater and would not eat if I didn’t make these every Sunday. Thanks for all you do!!!
Laura Fuentes
Thank you so much Mary! You are an inspiration and doing an amazing job! Kudos to you for following through with the “ideas” and actually making them a reality.
Andrea
We have a garden. So, we try to involve our two girls by growing things they like ( carrots, strawberries, corn) but also things things they said they didn’t like (lettuces, Swiss chard, eggplant) . And then, we pick and cook together! They ‘re pretty good eaters now!
Jodie
… The trouble of posting from your phone, sometime there is a glitch and it posts before you are done. We live no Seattle and we are riding th ferry home. Anyways my earlier post is a thank you for being there for all us parents that are strugglng or busy! My 4 year old loves to help in the kitchen and will continue to help grocery shop and make lunches! Her favorite is helping with smoothies!
Laura Fuentes
Thank you Jodie for being a part of my community!
Jodie
Love these mini quiches!
I’m a working mom of a 4 year old that has a wheat allergy and will be attending a nut free daycare full time come summer. I have to admit I’m getting nervous about packing her lunch every day. She’s a good eater but like lots of kids desnt always like the same things from week to week, so I struggle with stocking the fridge. But your emails and posts have hel
Lisa
Fab idea! My son is 3 and loves to help me wash dishes….in other words, play with the suds lol. But he loves helping me put the toppings on pizza and putting our veggies in the salad. It gets him interested and he even eats better. I am learning to prep ahead for meals. I recently had a baby so I’m making all his food from scratch using the vitamix (LOVE) and learning to prep our meals at the same time. So I usually buy my groceries on Mondays and set up shop while my son sleeps and the oldest is in school. Gives me time to prep and appreciate our meals. I would love to win the yumbox for my son bc he starts school full time in the fall. I’ve been looking for a spill proof box.
Laura
My 4 year old helps by pouring things for me. She also loves fetching and putting things back. She helps pack lunches by counting and placing the finger foods.
Angel
I’m loving your site! I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter so I try to let her be very involved when I’m in the kitchen. She loves to use cutters to cut sandwiches, fruits and veggies into cute shapes. She helps measure and mix ingredients. Her favorite activity is rolling out dough. I love to include her in the shopping for the food as well by letting her find certain foods by name or color. Every kitchen task is a opportunity to learn something so we have a lot of fun together. I would have to say that the prep-ahead tip I use the most is to make extra of whatever I’m making and package the extra in individual portions to use for lunches.
Teresa
Love the quiche idea looks delicious and fabulous.
Chelsea
I think these are great! I think my toddler would really enjoy helping putting toppings in each of the little containers. I get my little guy involved in any cooking I can. If there’s nothing he can do to help, I give him a bowl of water and a spoon. He stirs it and tastes his “soup”. If I’m working with herbs/spices, I give him a shake of whatever I’m using so he can flavor his “soup”. My best prep ahead tip is to cut enough for more than one meal when chopping things that take extra time.
Marla
I involve my son in meal planning….he gets to choose which of the recipes from your cookbook that he wants to have, then we shop for the ingredients and do the pre-prep together 🙂
Sara
I have to admit that I prefer to be in the kitchen alone, so I have to plan ahead and make myself invite the kids in to help! Once I do, we have a blast, but I have to let go of my desire to micro manage! Mostly they love helping with things like pancakes and pizzas, but I’m inspired to branch out.
Thank you!
Laura Fuentes
I totally understand the solo-cook approach Sara. Just so you know, my kids don’t typically help in the middle of the six o’clock rush. 🙂
LadyLepl
Helping in the kitchen! I wish, well, I’m working on it. But my 4 boys from 4 to almost 14 would much rather play or fight! We make our own pizza every Friday night and they like to help with the toppings, right now they in a pepperoni mode. 🙂 Lunches are more difficult. As a homeschooling family, we only pack our lunches 1-3 times a week, this week is 3 and I’m trying some of your recipes! If I ask them to make their own, it is typically a sandwich and if I’m out of my Applegate Farms, they don’t know what to do! Creativity is so hard! Those boxes look great! But I can’t really prep more than one days worth of lunches in boxes due to space…and I have 2 fridges!
Samantha
Great idea for a recipe. I will be making this for my family. I let my little ones wash the fruits and vegs we are making for dinner that night and also let them pick out what they would like to have for lunch for school some days.
Kari
I get my kids involved in the kitchen by letting them choose a meal each week…and then they help me prepare that particular meal. They feel so proud to tell everybody else that they helped cook what we’re eating that meal!
Rozie
what an awesome idea!!
Heather
I get my children involved in making the meals in different ways. My five year old likes to help me directly, or hands-on, so I have her add ingredients, or measure an ingredient when making a meal. My three year old son helps when I shop and likes to pick out the fruits or veggies we’ll eat. He also likes to sample the ingredients when I cook.
One way I like to save prep time in the kitchen is to cook up a large batch of chicken breasts in my crock pot. I shred some, dice some and cut some into strips. I then put the chicken into baggies and store in three freezer until I need it. I like that my chicken is already cooked and cut for many different uses.
Amanda
My kids love the “egg cups ” as they call them. Usually with leftover veggies and some lunch meat that doesn’t make it into a sandwich. Falling into the end of school year slump and need to recommit to finish strong!:)
Rachael S
I prep once or twice a week and always have my daughter helping with everything. She is definitely more likely to try things when she helps make them.
Bonnie N
My kids love to take turns peeling veggies.
When I’m making dinner and they ask what we’re having, I’ve learned a trick. If I just tell them a few is the ingredients that I know they like instead of the name of the recipe, when we sit down to eat I combat the complaints with reminding them they like everything in it. Works most nights!
Julia
I typically prep ahead by making a double batch of muffins or scones and freezing them before cooking. That way I can pull out what I need in the morning and cook them while I’m gettin ready. I need to involve my boys more but with homework and baseball it’s all they can do to get that done.
DeeDee
Laura
I love your ideas. My kids love to eat lunchables. We have given them up and are challenging ourselves to make our own lunchables. The kids are enjoying making healthier versions. Thanks for all you do.
Tina
LOVE this idea. My guys (3) and gal are huge egg lovers and of course pizza lover lol. They love getting in to help cut anything and everything. This leaves me more time to concentrate on the main course(meat/potaoto) itself and saves time. My lil gal would love this yum box. EasyLunch boxes are awesome but we are down 2
Debbie
I get kids involved in packing lunches night before and cut up and prepare as much as possible. Our prep ahead tip is to have everything lined up on counter the night before ready to put all the cold items in at last minute.
Debbie
I love these, and have made them before. One questions—my kids like to eat them hot, but not crazy about room temp. in lunchbox…any suggestions? Thanks!
Laura Fuentes
Debbie, if you watch the video, you’ll see that I send them in a thermos. Enjoy!
Lucy A
Looks delish. I let my kids help out in the kitchen by doing age-appropriate tasks. Mixing all this recipe’s ingredients together would be a good job for the younger one.
Rebecca H
I don’t have a family yet, just me and the hubby! But we usually work together in the kitchen on Sunday nights. I’d like to do this more often, but with his work schedule I don’t press, I let him come to me =) and I think that’s a good way to get anyone involved in the kitchen. “Dangle the carrot and let them come on their own” that way it’s their own intentions and they won’t feel forced to do something!
For meal prep, I usually think about meals on Fridays so I’m ready for my trip to town Saturday morning. Then on Sunday, I get my meals for the week!
Thanks for all the recipes you share! They have made my lunches more fun and tasty!
Laura Fuentes
working with your hubby together is a great way to build a habit!! So awesome to hear that you guys prep for the week together!
JN
Sounds yummy!
Christina
I enjoy the mini-quiches (or egg muffins as I usually call them) and rarely make them. My eldest, 3 years old, is allergic to eggs and my youngest (almost 2 years old) has a love-hate relationship with them. My husband enjoys eggs fried on toast and that is the only way he eats them. Still, they’re great to make in big batches and freeze, then pop in the oven or let defrost until lunchtime, keeping everything else cool. Like stir-frys, they are a great way to use up the chopped ahead of time veggies in the fridge.
My kids like to help with anything I let them. Stirring, spreading, adding ingredients to the bowl and pouring for the 3 year old are all things I let them help with. It takes longer when they help now but when they’re older it will be much less work for me if they are confident in the kitchen.
Claire
They love to put things on picks or skewers!
Heather
These look fun and easy to prep ahead of time. The way I get my kids involved is giving them “official” titles in the kitchen and then teaching them how to be chefs. My 6 six year old is our swing cook. He helps me measure and pour and I teach him how to make easy recipes on his own. He actually loves helping in the kitchen. My 9 year old is the line cook. He likes the “big kid” jobs where he can be really proud of his accomplishments. Most recently I taught him how to dice and chop using a chef knife. Now he always asks if there is any prep work he can do. He feels proud to show me that he can safely handle a knife so he is eager to do these jobs that his “little” brother can’t do yet. And he is looking forward to moving up to be my sous chef.
Sarah
I love kids helping in the kitchen!
My daughter and I mix up a couple batches of cookies each month to send to her grandpa and great-grandpa. She selects a recipe (actually by picture — she’s a pre-reader), helps measure and mix, and makes artwork to include in our cookie care packages. It’s time I look forward to spending with her each month and connects her to family who don’t live close!
Erin
Those pizza quiches look very delicious!
We, too, pack lunches the day before and have them ready to go. Such a time saver and stress reliever during the busy mornings!
I have a toddler that is VERY interested in helping in the kitchen so we pull up a chair and he stands on it and helps in any way he can – and boy does he have a sense of pride when he knows he helped with something!
Kat Nichter
I love this idea! My kids are soooo picky. The only way I can get them to eat things is if they help me make them. These are great recipes for little helpers.
Shana Horner
What a great idea!! I especially love that they’re tiny, finger foods. My kids, from 6 to 15, love finger foods. I also like the idea of changing them up, replacing meats, etc.
Mindy
My kids naturally want to help in the kitchen. Letting them use a dull knife to cut soft things or help prep dinner items like salad or something non-heat related helps them want to eat it when done.
For lunches, I prep what I can the day before, but for me, just writing down what I am going to send in the lunch is half the battle. In the morning, I already know what to make and put in the lunch. I do this while the kids eat their breakfast.
Tasha
My daughter is 2 and she helps in the kitchen by adding ingredients to the mixing bowl when making most recipes. She likes watching your YouTube videos then asks to go make the recipes. The simplest tasks in the kitchen I let her help with, like unloading her dishes or setting the table with her dishes. She enjoys helping in the kitchen and makes it more interesting to try new foods when she helps make the meals.
For meal prep, I use a lot of your freezer tips from your website and cookbook! Prep ahead, freeze and bake when ready to eat.
Thanks for your creative recipes and tips!
Carrie
I LOVE these little quiches, but only two of my five children can/will eat eggs. I think I’ll add these to the lunch list, though, and pop in a few mini muffins packed full of grains and goodness for the little ones who can’t “do” eggs.
In the kitchen, my littles have a few routine jobs like emptying the dishwasher, cleaning out condiment jars and recyclables, washing fruits and veggies, and carrying the compost out, but they definitely prefer to help with the baking! They each take turns measuring, pouring, and mixing ingredients, and get a kick out of anything that involves sticking their hands in something gooey! 🙂
Thanks for the unending kitchen inspiration, Laura! (Can’t wait for book #2! Already preordered!)
Robyn
We may try the quiches. I love to get my prep son on Sundays! I make salad in mason jars, cut fruit, prep smoothies, roast veggies and cook meat.
Alisa
I laughed because I jus finished making mini quiches for my 2 year old’s lunches this week! I made 1) cheddar & turkey and 2) pepper jack, turkey & green onions. I also put a little crust in the bottom using my pampered chef dough shaper and pilsbury ready made crust.
Also, I make all our lunches on Sundays. It’s just quicker. AND I’m more creative if I have 5 boxes in front of me.
Laura Fuentes
great minds think alike Alisa! 🙂
Sixtine et Victoire
Hi Laura,
My daughters (now 2 and 3) are little chefs. I can’t cook anything without a little helper which I find fantastic. They are Montessori children so naturally, practical life activities such as stirring, cutting, mixing, snack prep, spreading are very important skills to learn in our house. Sixtine, our oldest, loves making snacks for her sister.
As for meal-prep in advance, I have to confess that I am not the best at it, although I have recently starting making crock pot meals (spaghetti sauce, beef and broccoli etc) and freeze them in muffin tins. Then all there is left to do is to defrost, a tin at a time. My daughter’s school has a microwave (thank God!).
Thank you for the inspiration!
Jaclyn
Like you said, all the younger ones love to wash the fruits and veggies. They’re not quite talk enough to reach the sink so they sit on the counter usually. I also let them make their own fruit kebabs after I break off the pointy tip of course. They love the colorful patterns and it’s super healthy!
Melissa
I love this idea, but I have one son that won’t touch an egg. My other son is willing to try almost anything, but he can be brutally honest in his critques. Since receiving your emails, my picky eater is actually eating the majority of his lunch. We spent all of Kindergarten and most of 1st grade not eating any lunch. Thanks to the 5-portion Yumbox, he will actually empty 3-4 compartments now (he’s in 2nd grade). I have a white board inside the cupboard that I update every week after shopping. I list fruits, veggies, protein, grain and other. Each kid picks an item from each list, and that makes my mornings more smooth, and less frustration in the pm, since the rule is if they pick it, they have to eat it.
Laura Fuentes
Melissa, I am so happy that some of my tips have helped you! You know what? I have one kid who won’t touch eggs either. It’s a texture thing…and it’s ok. Great job on continuing to serve good options for your family in spite of the critiques. pat yourself on the back. now. 🙂
Lyndsey
Can they be made in advance and frozen at all?? Thanks x
Laura Fuentes
absolutely. allow them to cool, freeze, and heat to serve.
Jennifer F
I love this recipe! I usually make lunches on Sunday night for the week. One of my kids wants to eat the same thing every day and the other wants to mix it up mid week. I like to allow the kids to pick one thing in their lunch for the day and I pick the rest. Then we see which item comes home and why. That helps me figure out other ways to get them to try the foods I want them to try. Ironically my son will typically bring home the item he picked and say he doesn’t like it anymore.
sharon
I absolutely love this idea! Just found out my youngest has a gluten intolerance and both of my kis are very picky eaters. So we are trying to incorporate a whole new way of eating and introducing my kids to lots of different foods. I’m definitely going to make these 🙂 I love the lunchbox; can you tell me what brand it is? Thanx!
Sharon
Laura Fuentes
I am so glad you can use this idea Sharon! The red lunchbox pictured is a Yumbox.
Devon
How about the silver one that isn’t plastic in the main picture?
Laura Fuentes
If you want non-plastic containers, check these out: http://bit.ly/ShopLunchbots
Meggan | Culinary Hill
What a great recipe idea! My husband, the pickiest eater I know, thought these sounded great. He might consider dipping them in pizza sauce to bring everything full circle. Might be a hard sell on my toddler at first, but an article I read recently suggested that I have to get my toddler to taste something 14 times before I give up on it. So he’s bound to come around. He used to be such a great eater and has gotten pickier as he approaches Age 3, but I’m confident it won’t last! He definitely loves poking around in the kitchen and even he can wash vegetables in the sink. Thanks for another great lunch idea!
Laura Fuentes
Meggan, you definitely have the right attitude. We must continue to introduce foods, repeatedly, to our kids. That’s the only way to get them to learn to taste more foods. Glad you could use another idea!
Ciao Florentina
What a cute idea! love it!
Chris Hibbert
Awesome idea Laura. Low carb for those who want/need such a thing. Thanks for your good posts.
Laura Fuentes
Thank you Chris!
Lori
I get the kids involved by giving everyone a job to do in the kitchen. Whether it’s helping chop veggies (I have boy/girl 13 year old twins), unload or load the dishwasher, set the table, cook, or whatever everyone has a part. They also love helping to make homemade pizza with the toppings of their choice.
My prep ahead tip is that I like to prepare as much ahead a time as I can with their school lunches & mine too since I am a teacher. When I buy grapes for example I go ahead and put them into containers or snack size ziploc bags so the kids & I can grab and go in the mornings to add to our lunches. I do the same with veggies like carrots, cucumbers, celery, cherry tomatoes, and broccoli. My kids also love boiled eggs in their lunchboxes so I will boil those on the weekend & put in the fridge then we have boiled eggs all week whether it goes in their lunch or for a snack. 🙂 I have two containers in my fridge that is designated for lunch items only. This helps the kids when they are grabbing items to go in their lunchboxes in the am so there is no confusion since I leave the house before my kids.