EASY breakfast, lunch, snack

[happydance]

I dont want to cook these meals everyday. I want to alternate the same foods over and over - basically serving the same 2-3 meals everyday for my kids. (They do better with routine)

I am sick of being a restaurant that makes everyone something different!

How have you streamlined your daytime meals?

What are your favorite quick/no cook/ make ahead meals for daytime?

[Alyantavid]

What do they like?

You can make lots of things in advance and then just reheat. I do that with pancakes and waffles all the time.

Lunches my kids like:
quesadillas
pizza
breadsticks and sauce
sandwiches
pizza pockets

Breakfasts are always:
waffles
pancakes
french toast
oatmeal
bagels
eggs
egg sandwiches

[TwinMom]

I have a sort-of-routine for daytime foods for my little ones; the teenagers mostly cook for themselves, so I can't speak for them. BTW, everything is vegetarian & gluten-free.

Breakfast:

Most days dh or one of my teenagers makes breakfast for my boys, so it helps to have everything be easy-to-make. I'm willing to trade what I would *ideally* have them eat on those days for the convenience of sleeping a little longer. Drink choices are soymilk, water, or hot tea.

Cereal w/ soymilk
Waffles spread w/ p.b. or jelly & Earth Balance
Cinnamon toast
Banana spread w/ p.b. & drizzled w/ honey
Homemade muffins
Boiled eggs
Cheese sticks
Fruit
Smoothie (made w/ only soymilk + frozen fruit)
Yogurt w/ fruit or honey
Miso soup
Baked sweet potato


Lunch:

Pasta w/ Earth Balance & parm or spaghetti sauce & kalamata olives
Bean quesadillas
Pizza quesadillas
Egg salad, scooped up with crackers or eaten w/ a fork
Hummus & crackers
Veggie burger sandwiches
Leftovers

There is always a fruit or veg w/ lunch. Drinks are water or soymilk.

Snacks:

Usually I feed them a fairly large snack in the late afternoon, to fuel them up for tae kwon do or after swimming. They may have three or four of these foods, depending on hunger.

Fruit, fresh or dried
Popcorn
Crackers w/ cheese or peanut butter
Homemade muffins
Nachos (tortilla chips sprinkled w/ cheese & broiled for a few minutes)
Chips & guacamole
Hummus & crackers
Sliced cheese
Boiled eggs
Homemade popsicles (made w/ leftover smoothie or pure juice)

Water only for snack time. Actually, they usually only drink water all day long, but one kid likes juice so I occasionally buy it for him to drink at breakfast.

Obviously we sometimes have other things, but those are my go-to foods during the day. Hope you get some ideas from it!

[happydance]

Awesome!!! Thanks!

[SpuglyRoo]

This is our weekly breakfast, snack, lunch, snack menu. I try to make sure I have some protein in several times a day because I am pregnant and otherwise my 2 yo tends to crash. We usually have dinner leftovers for lunch, but I have a backup planned for each day in case there isn't, most of the lunch options are stuff that keeps in the freezer/cabinet without having to worry about it.

Monday
Breakfast: Fruit Smoothie (Juice, frozen banana, almond butter, whatever other fruit is available), PB Toast
AM Snack: chips & bean salsa
Lunch (if no leftovers): Chicken Nuggets, veggies, fries
PM Snack: Fruit & Chocolate Chickpea Dip (honey, cocoa powder, chickpeas, vanilla and maybe water if it is a bit dry, food processed to taste)

Tuesday
Breakfast: Protein Smoothie (milk, whey protein, frozen banana, & Cocoa powder), Muffin (I make up several dozen at a time when I make a new flavor and then stick them in a freezer bag to defrost as needed. This way we have a variety of available healthy choices. Oatmeal, Banana Walnut, Blueberry, etc.)
AM Snack: cheese & crackers
Lunch (if no leftovers): Salmon Salad Sandwich
PM Snack: Chocolate Chip Cookies w/Chickpeas, Fruit

Wednesday
Breakfast: Green Smoothie (Juice, Pineapple, Spinach, Kale, Almond Butter), PB on Toast
AM Snack: veggies & hummus
Lunch (if no leftovers): Frozen Homemade Pizza w/Veggies
PM Snack: Cottage Cheese & Fruit

Thursday
Breakfast: Fruit Smoothie, PB Toast
AM Snack: yogurt & granola
Lunch (if no leftovers): Eggs, Toast & Bacon/Sausage
PM Snack: Fruit & Chocolate Chickpea Dip

Friday
Breakfast: Protein Smoothie, Muffin
AM Snack: cheese & crackers
Lunch (if no leftovers): PBJ Sandwich
PM Snack: Chocolate Chip Cookies w/Chickpeas, Fruit

Saturday
Breakfast: Green Smoothie, PB on Toast
AM Snack: veggies & hummus
Lunch (if no leftovers): Grilled Cheese w/Tomatoes, Onions, & Spinach
PM Snack: Cottage Cheese & Fruit

Sunday
Breakfast: Eggs, Toast, OJ
AM Snack: muffin
Lunch (if no leftovers): Bagel w/Cream Cheese
PM Snack: Random. If we are home whatever is most appealing or needs to be used up but we are usually out Sunday afternoons at one of the grandparents so we eat something there.

In cooler weather we tend to have a lot of oatmeal, homemade granola and milk/yogurt, or cream of wheat for breakfasts, or if I have time (like weekends) I'll make pancakes/french toast for breakfast. Smoothies are so refreshing in the summer heat but not necessarily what I want on a chilly morning.

[becoming]

Here are our choices. I choose it, make it, & put it in front of them. I used to do the "choose your own" thing for breakfast & lunch, but it works much better for everyone if I just decide.

Breakfast:
scrambled, fried, or hardboiled egg
French toast
pancake or waffle (I keep batter made in the fridge)
oatmeal
cereal
Nutri-Grain bar

Lunch:
leftovers
cheese quesadillas
sandwiches (deli lunchmeat/cheese, PB&J, or egg)
snack lunch - crackers, cheese, fruit, raw veggies
pasta & Parmesan/butter sauce

Snacks are fresh fruit, dried fruit, raw veggies, crackers, pretzels.