You know those afternoons where your kids are driving you up a wall and you are mentally exhausted or just feeling real lazy? Yeah, cooking dinner is not gonna happen tonight. It happens to every single one of us and you know what? It is 100% fine because there is ALWAYS something to serve your kids. Or maybe you just have too much going on and your kids have practice or you are working late or whatever the case. The fact of the matter is that it is almost dinner and you need something to serve your hungry kids SOMETHING. That’s where these ideas come in.
No word of a lie, I keep these ideas in a note on my phone so when I am feeling the pressure of “what I can make that is easy????” all I have to do is refer to list and choose. These are not typical dinners and they are not meant to be (we just established that you are not in the right frame of mind to cook dinner, remember?) BUT it is SUSTENANCE and these options are perfectly healthy and acceptable. A dinner like this every so often is not going to undo all the good. So before you go any further, drop that guilt right this second.
Gone? Okay let’s roll. These are the options I most frequently turn to that keeps my kids fed and happy and keeps me from losing my mind. ;)
Cereal and fruit. YUP, you heard right. Cereal, folks. Starting with the EASIEST and LAZIEST here. I do my best to keep healthier choices in the house (LIFE, Cheerios, Chex, Special K Berries, Puffins) so when the time comes for cereal to save the day, I feel okay. Cereal is fortified so yay, vitamins and minerals. Soy or Ripple milk swoop in for all that healthy fat and calcium. I will also serve whatever fruit we have on hand – maybe banana or berries. Whatever we have. And that’s that. And guess what? My kids eat EVERY LAST DROP because hello, kids love cereal. Fed and happy.
Fancy toast. By fancy toast, I mean toast that doesn’t feature just butter. Ha! We keep a nice stash of sprouted bread in our house so I am happy that my kids will be getting in their whole grains and seeds. I will top with either peanut butter, almond butter, avocado, or hummus. Sometimes I will do vegan cream cheese with tomato or cucumber. Sometimes I’ll add sliced banana on the nut butter with a sprinkle of cinnamon. Or you could just serve fruit and canned/frozen veggies on the side. Or canned olives for a quick healthy fat. Whatever. But toast is as easy as it gets.
Classic PB&J. Not much to say here except that PB&J saves lives. Protein. Whole grains. Iron. Serve with a nice big glass of soy milk and you got yourself a dinner that makes everyone happy.
Pancakes. So this one only works if you prep them ahead of time and freeze. I do this every weekend because we have Sunday morning pancakes. Instead of making a small batch, double or triple your recipe and get it all done. It is invaluable having pancakes ready to roll for breakfasts or in this case, easy dinner. Pop them in the microwave for a minute or two and serve with some fruit and a cup of milk. Here are my two favorite recipes: dinosaur pancakes and oat pancakes.
“Cheesy” butter pasta. Do you have the energy to boil some water? Most of us can at least do that. If so, this works! Just cook pasta according to package and once done, I stir in some Earth Balance butter and nutritional yeast. Sometimes if I want to be extra fancy, I also add canned or thawed peas. You can also add jarred tomato sauce if you have it, but my kids really do love the buttery stuff. And yay for b12 in nooch!
Oatmeal. A whole lot of breakfast for dinner on this list but that is because its easy easy. Who says you can’t eat oats in the evening? There are no food rules here. I prepare their oats according to package with soy milk instead of water and pop in the microwave. Once done, I always stir in a tbsp of ground flaxseed, nut butter, and a little cinnamon. Top with whatever fruit you have on hand or some crushed seeds/nuts (if your kids are young).
Hummus platter. If you have hummus on hand, this is an easy one. I will give them a healthy dollop of hummus and surround with things such as olives, crackers, pita bread, avocado, raisins, fruit, or veggies. Whatever you have that you think will work well.
English muffin & vegan cheese sandwich. This is easier than a grilled cheese because there is no stove required. I toast the english, add cheese, and melt in the microwave. Easy and my girls love this. Serve with some fruit or canned/thawed veggies.
So yes, are there better dinners out there? Of course. Healthier? Yup. But these are for those emergency situations that happen to all of us. I hope this has helped give you a few ideas. x
