As regulars of this blog know, we have a popular feature called Best Meals of the Week where readers and team members share our culinary creations. In honor of the kids in our families heading back to school - now or soon, depending on your state! - we thought it'd be fun and helpful to share our Kids' Best Meals. We've included a few from team members below, and we would really love to hear what your kids eat for breakfast, pack in their lunchbox or gobble down for dinner after a long day of learning! Since I work with the team that creates recipes for our website, we test a lot of our website recipes at my house. My 6th grade daughter's current faves are Stove-Top Macaroni and Cheese opens in a new tab and Carnitas (Pork) Tacos opens in a new tab. She's been requesting the carnitas tacos and I'll probably make it for the first week of school. The pork is simple and you can pick up prepared pico de gallo and tortillas to save time on this recipe. Lots of leftovers that heat up simply on busy school nights!
Breakfast idea from Dee Dee:
My son is starting 8th grade and is very active with hockey and baseball. Here's his favorite breakfast smoothie:
1 cup 365 organic orange juice
365 organic frozen strawberries (small handful)
1 organic banana
Scoop of Vega berry protein (or any other protein powder you like)
Put in the blender for a great morning smoothie! I also have "Perfect Food Bars" available for him to snack on.
Lunch from Ieva:
My 3rd grader, Linnea, likes throwing pots on the wheel and thinking up new robots. Her favorite lunch is: Stonyfield Farm Organic Raspberry yoghurt, a poppyseed bagel toasted and cut into wedges and one or more of the following fruits: mangos, strawberries, raspberries, and/or watermelon. My 6th grader, Kendra, likes writing and exploring the natural world. Her lunch consists of Rudi's Organic Multi-Grain Oat bread, sliced provolone cheese and one or more of the following fruits: strawberries, apricots, plums. Fruit choices, of course, change with what is in season.
Dinner from Ari, 6th grade daughter of Bill:
My family loves Spicy Tempeh Nori Rolls. This simple, delicious meal is very easy to make. It includes fresh vegetables and a mix of tempeh, vegan mayonnaise and chili pepper oil. Each roll is quickly made to each person's preferences, and it is gluten-free, casein-free and vegan. We like to make a lot of rolls and serve with sesame noodles.
Dinner or Lunch from Jeremiah:
My 3 1/2 year old has entered the picky "I don't want anything but carbs and cheese" phase. This after the first 3 years of her life were spent devouring large plates of vegetables, tofu and brown rice. So here is my quick alternative to meet her "needs" (read preference) and still get her full of nutrition.
"Cheese" Quesadilla 2 365™ Whole Wheat tortillas 3 rice cheese slices (American Flavor) light coating of Organic Earth Balance spread Spread each tortilla with Earth Balance then put the Rice slices inside and gently pan fry on medium heat until both sides are lightly browned. It is a nice alternative to the dairy version and sometimes we sneak in some help with seeds for extra nutrition. The Quesadilla is accompanied by the: Mega-Chocolate Smoothie Milk Shake (The super secret parent tip is that this is CHOCK full of veggies, but don't tell the 3 year old!) 5-6 pieces of organic frozen broccoli 1 cup organic spinach 1 cup 365™ frozen berries 1 cup rice milk 1/2 dropper liquid Stevia (to sweeten) 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Rice Protein (or Hemp or Soy, anything for a little added protein) 1 Tablespoon organic unsweetened cocoa (for chocolatey flavor) Honestly, each time this shake is a little different except for the veggies... Again, whatever it takes to get them in her and she LOVES this special smoothie! Okay, now it's your turn. What are your kids' best meals?
