I think the recipes are good, for low energy users, or non-athletes, but if you have daughters or sons heavy into sports this is too veg heavy of a menu.
I know there are even vegan athletes, but most kids competing in sports need regular sources of protein that contain meat.
And most are not going to take the time to build protein from tofu and beans.
And even then the boys may be adding extra protein shakes.
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There are a lot of great ideas here, which I plan to try for myself. ;-) Overall, it seems a bit low in protein, possibly -- it might be worth tracking that for a while.
Of course, the kids might also be drinking milk, and there might be higher protein family dinners that are not mentioned here.
I so wish my picky teen would eat things together. (No sauces or no flavor other than salt.) I keep hoping hunger and boredom will make him try new things.
He won't even do smoothies.
None of these suggestions work for our household.
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Why a "Buddha" bowl? Is there a Jesus bowl? A Mohammed bowl? Would practitioners of these religions tolerate that?
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@A - well, the name actually has an origin - a Buddha bowl is what many Asian or Asian-fusion restaurants call a bowl with rice, vegetables and protein with some kind of delicious sauce.
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The author didn’t create this name. I don’t have the expert answer on this but it’s one of those food trends that you see everywhere on food blogs and in restaurants- a bowl of rice with a variety of healthy toppings.
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Hahaha my kids would never touch any of that.
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I pounced on this article as soon as i saw the headline! My kids like a little variety in the mix of meals, so these are great suggestions that we will roll out and test. Any of these can be a great base and modified to fit your family's needs! Want more protein? - add white beans/tuna/mozzarella balls to the tomatoes in the bruscheta recipe. Thank you for the recipes.
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How about fussy a Pomeranian we dog sit for a "back to us" meal?
Most of these are way too sweet. And why is there so little meat in these recipes ? a BLT wrap is the only one that has meat as a main ingredient. I guess a turkey and swiss sandwich would not be as trendy as a "Buddah Bowl".
Here are a few easy recipes.
Breakfast: smoked salmon, cheese and bread call it the NY special.
Lunch: turkey and swiss sandwich, add avocado for that fancy NYT touch and call it the green giant.
Snack: carrot and celery sticks with ranch or blue cheese dipping sauce.
Dinner: Carbonara pasta so that you have at least one meal with bacon in it.
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Are these supposed to be for kids? no kid is going to eat this stuff.
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Was surprised by the low amount of protein in these meals. My son would crash and burn after eating a meal of brushetta.
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Mac and cheese and not a vegetable in sight! It is so easy to throw in a little shredded spinach, broccoli florets or cut up zucchini. If the kids pick it out, so be it. But, they may actually learn to like vegetables. They add flavor but won't overwhelm the sharp cheese.
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Thank you for the ideas. One of the additional challenges, which we are lucky to have, is figuring out how to alternate recipes so that there isn't too much repetition between today's school lunch, the dinner recipe at home, and tomorrow's school lunch.
Again, we are lucky to have a hot lunch program at school.
1
I sneak in mashed butternut squash in Mac and cheese to up nutritional value for my grands. Also, a couple of oz. Velveeta cheese (along with classic cheddar) also makes it creamier and Velveeta is lower in fat than cream cheese.
Lots of tomato recipes, which I love, but I have yet to meet a young child who will eat tomatoes.
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@Stefanie
My 7 year old eats them like they’re candy. She turns her nose up in disgust at almost every dinner, but the magic of picking that first tomato off the vine as soon as she learned how to walk to it instilled a life-long joy that we share - and it was the same for me. I was her age when I thought I didn’t like them (and I didn't - because I’d only eaten flavorless supermarket mush) until someone’s mom handed me one from the vine that she’d sliced and salted. Mon Dieu! Garden with your kids if you can. It’s miraculous.
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We have a tomato garden which the 2 and 4 year old helped Papa plant, but they won’t eat them! I have been a camp counselor, a teacher and a mom, and a child myself once—none liked tomatoes when little. I don’t think I liked them til I was well into my teens, and my mom was an excellent cook. So consider yourself lucky!
@Stefanie: some kids will eat those tiny grape tomatoes, because you can pop them in your mouth whole.
Generally kids don't like "squishy" things and tomatoes are squishy and have seeds.
I myself ADORE home grown or farm tomatoes, and will eat the grape and cherry tomatoes all year…..but I'm am adult. And an omnivore, like most humans.
1
Our teen athlete is trying to cut down on simple carbs like white pasta, rice, and bread in favor of lean protein, mostly fish and chicken (unless we're doing a vegetarian night). These seem very carb heavy, but I'll give the superhero muffins a try (yay for almond flour). I've found that a basic cheese sauce over roasted cauliflower makes a great stand in for the mac & cheese.
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I have a list of things to pack for my son's lunch written out. When I hit an imagination wall, I just refer to it. Saves me all the time. For all meals, I am big fan of the freezer. In there right now I have 3 kinds of muffins, pancakes, nut bars (like homemade Kind bars), chocolate chip cookie dough bars(made with almond butter and chickpeas), frozen banana and mango chunks for smoothies, actual smoothies (take out the night before to partially defrost in the fridge, quesadillas, bagels, home-cooked beans (way more flavorful), shredded chicken, shredded pork shoulder, lamb shanks. "Sneaks" author calls (we just do snacks) are usually dried fruit and nuts.
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Love this article. Most of the vegetarian meals, however, are just too low on protein for my family (especially since we're very active and dairy-free). Folks cannot subsist on carbs alone...
5
Practically everyone of these recipes has one or two protein sources that in combination throughout the day most certainly are complete proteins. Confused as to why beans, peas, tofu, complex grains, squash and corn don’t count as “enough protein” in your mind??
4
It would be great to see weekday, kid-friendly meal prep solutions for the evenings divided into prep times: make-ahead, 1 hr, 30 min prep, 10 min prep, etc. Most often we need things prepped in advance, and/or ready in either 10-30 minutes. There is only one night during week when I have the luxury of being in the kitchen for an hour, given how much we run around to activities and sports.
2
Just as this reader was debating whether to have another ginger-snap for breakfast, this splendid and healthy display of meals 'without pressure' caught my attention.
Honesty is not always the best policy, and perhaps because earlier I was raking leaves for a neighbor who needs these for his compost, but at first sight, the weeknight macaroni and cheese photo brought to mind, a crater of grubs. A light sprinkle of parsley might enhance this perennial favorite.
If children or adolescents were on board at the table here, it would be toast, butter, jam or honey, with tea or instant coffee with real milk and a pitcher of orange juice. Bacon and eggs for the carnivores on Sunday, and pancakes or waffles on the side.
For some reason, watercress is hard to find in the rural region of New York. Delicious and with lots of iron, I may need to find a fresh river. Hark, an Elder has just arrived, and he is a wonder of nature! Perhaps he has the answer.
With appreciation for these receipts and here's to 'Melting Moments', a la Keane from her book of Nursery Cooking and Childhood Reflections.
1
The mac & cheese looks good. Can't see the recipe, though, without paying for your premium cooking section.
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Might you consider a column to help me feed teenage boys who don’t care for hot gruel in the morning (can’t blame them)? There’s only so much I can do with eggs and pork, but cereals, fruits and breads don’t do much for active young men...
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Do you have dinner leftovers that your boys can eat? My teen girls eat that for breakfast - stuffed green peppers, corn pudding, macaroni goulash, etc. They don't like eggs, and will choose cereal only if we don't have anything else.
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@Liz and @Lil - I second the dinner for breakfast idea. Also breakfast sandwiches and wraps are the best - if they like hummus half your work is done. Get them making their breakfasts in the morning and you'll start them on a habit that will serve them for life.
3
@Lil I get the Kodiak pancake mix (@ Costco but also available at regular grocery) and make the muffins. Sometimes I do the banana version on the box, sometimes I replace that with chunky unsweetened applesauce or pumpkin purée. I’ll also add some combination of chopped nuts, mini chocolate chips or pepitas. 2 muffins should have at least 15 grams of protein. They also freeze beautifully.
2
Oh my goodness, people are so critical! Or maybe just the people who comment.
I love Jenny’s blog and many of her recipes. Some just are not my family’s taste and that’s okay. I don’t make those. I will say that her tomato sandwich “recipe” is SO good. My husband and I look forward to the time when it’s local tomato season and we can enjoy these and he was a doubter the first time I made them. I just use a little kosher salt.
I love some of these suggestions here and will try them. I would love an article on eating more vegetables and vegetarian and still getting enough protein. Sadly in this case, we don’t eat tofu so that’s not a solution.
18
Kudos to this creative and energetic cook and writer - from a couple in their 60s with no kids but who cook at home and appreciate the healthy approach to quick weeknight meals that sound very appealing. I’m in awe of any mom or dad that has to feed hungry kids three - or four! - meals every day and needs to do it on a budget while keeping it healthy. Such dedication, one can hope the whole family appreciates you!
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Some pretty starchy recipes here - pasta with corn?? i get that kids don't need to watch carbs, but there could be a bit more balance.
And I'm sorry, but am I automatically supposed to know what "Malden" is? (tomato sandwich recipe). I think I'm pretty up on food trends, but this one's new.
5
@eml16 Maldon is coarse English sea salt that sells for about $7 for a 8.5 oz box in my local grocery. Lovely stuff for those not feeding kids (or adults) on a budget. Coarse Kosher salt is a decent substitute.
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@eml16 If you put a carb with a carb, it's still one serving of a carb. My kids LOVED this dish. If I served it, I made sure they ate lots of grape tomatoes on the side and got protein elsewhere in the day.
7
Love these ideas! Especially the breakfasts, which is my family’s most stressful part of the day.
Food for foodies. This is why the NYT cooking site is often too trendy to be useful for ordinary families.
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@Madeline Conant Oh pls - BLTs, mac and cheese, muffins and Caesar dressing could not be more mainstream. Everyone eats this way - not foodies.
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@Madeline Conant It's a cooking site for people who actually cook, using ingredients, rather than prepared shortcuts. Honestly, a reader can find just about anything at any level of foodiness or simplicity. I know I do!
Hey, some of these recipes describe smashing something onto a piece of decent bread.
Is cooking from scratch becoming a lost art, and those who do it risk being disparaged for snobbiness?
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@Madeline Conant
Ordinary person checking in here - I use the NY Times recipes frequently and they've never failed me.
Ordinarily yours,
ArgentBelle
6
Do husbands ever help or cook (other than grill)? These stories are always one sided.
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@Stephen Alicandro
If you do a simple Google search, you will find Jenny's site: Dinner A Love Story. On this site her husband is a big part of the family meal planning and cooks and writes.
5
@Stephen Alicandro
A great point. I was also wondering about the kids! Who are all these teenagers who can't make their own breakfast or pack their own lunch or cook a meal for the family?
11
First, where does it say that only the mother is making this stuff? Even teens who make their own lunches need parental help with planning and shopping.
One of my teenagers has aspergers and needs extra help in the mornings. The other struggled with an eating disorder and needed all the support she could get just to eat. I suppose you’ll blame us for their special needs too?
8
Double or triple if you have sons. So true, so true. Fantastic and helpful ideas!
8
This instruction for muesli doesn't make sense. How much milk is used? Add the muesli to what?
"At night, add about a half-cup of muesli with milk (enough to cover but not submerge), then stir in a tablespoon of Greek yogurt and a squeeze of honey."
2
@Lauren Rothman
I agree it isn't well written (perhaps the word "with" should have been "to"), but I understand it as the following "recipe":
1/2 cup muesli
milk in an amount to cover the muesli but not completely submerge it
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
1 squeeze of honey (about a teaspoon?)
Stir together the muesli and milk, then add the yogurt and honey and stir again.
Does that make sense?
4
@Lauren Rothman
This is really just a variation on "overnight oats" and is super easy with either plain (dry, uncooked) oatmeal, or any kind of dry muesli. Prep is 2 minutes or less. Here's how I do it:
- Pour a portion (half-cup or a bit less or more, depending on your appetite) of dry oats or muesli into a flat-bottomed plastic container that has a lid. (I use a rectangular container, about 5"x3", but any single-portion size container would work.)
- Pour in enough milk to soak the oats/muesli and perhaps leave a very shallow (less than a quarter inch) layer of milk on top. Any milk is fine - cow's milk, skim, 2%, whole, almond, whatever you like.
- (You don't need the yogurt or honey unless you particularly like them.)
- Put on the lid, and stick it in the fridge overnight.
- In the morning, grab and go.
Variations:
- Add any fresh, frozen, or dried fruit (shredded apple, frozen berries, bits of fresh mango, coconut, raisins, etc) either at the same time you prepare it in the evening, or in the morning when you take it out of the fridge.
- Sprinkle nuts/seeds on top - pine nuts, almonds, flax seed, whatever you like. If you add them the night before, they'll get a bit soft; if you add them in the morning, they'll be crunchier.
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@Ann Yes. Thank You.
Thank you for your variety of quick and uncomplicated suggestions. It is always good to hear what works for other people. I look forward to trying a number of these combinations. I wish you continued success in your endeavors.
14
Is it necessary to comment three times on being vegetarian — once in a recipe that includes bacon? I would much prefer to share recipes than have this dietary commentary.
13
I don't know many children who would eat most of the recipes listed. Quite a disappointing article.
43
I grew up eating smoothies, muffins, nachos, pasta, tostadas, sweet potatoes, and mac and cheese - in the 80s/90s. My nieces and nephews eat these foods today. Are these things really that unusual?
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@Laura West,
my daughter would eat all of them, I could take her to a sushi bar when she was 8. my challenge was always trying to come up with a more interesting and flavorful meal each new day.
17
@JA great for her! However, I did not say no kids would eat those things--nothing is 100%. In life there are exceptions to everything.
3