Food Ideas for older kids

I need 3pm meal ideas for my 2 middle schoolers who are home alone for an hour and half after school. Older DD does not eat lunch at school and Is very cranky and hungry when she gets home (teenage girl mood)

I try to encourage them to eat leftovers and sometimes older DD makes a salad for herself but i need more ideas. I already use leftovers for my lunch and one dinner is leftovers as well. Not crazy about cold cuts being a regular thing and prefer things i can make ahead to warm up or they can assemble

I do let them use the microwave

The convenience food i do buy is mac and cheese, frozen pizza, bagels and cream cheese and canned soup but prefer fresh/balanced

Re: Food Ideas for older kids

veggies and hummus
pita chips and hummus
bagel bites
I heard Trader Joes has a lot of healthy meals you can just warm up.
cereal and bananas or strawberries
grapes
apples and peanut butter
make a healthy chili and put in separate containers for a lunch
Greek yogurt and fruit or oats, nuts, etc
My kids love the veggies pot stickers from Costco. Just boil them for a few minutes and throw some soy sauce on top. THey have organic

Re: Food Ideas for older kids

How bout having fruit and cheese cut up in fridge? Crackers? Hard boiled eggs? Yogurt

Food Ideas for older kids

A lot of days for lunch I just do a big plate of veggies and dip, a few slices of cheese, nuts, fresh or dried fruit, and some nuts. It's easy to put together and they can each include what they like. For dip they can do alas dressing, hummus, tzaziki.

What about a cold quinoa salad? I like adding feta, cucumbers, tomato, and a homemade vinaigrette or lemon juice.

My girls love dipping apples and nut thin crackers in peanut butter.

Re: Food Ideas for older kids

Usually fruit, yogurt, cheese, cold cut turkey, hummus or guac with pita chips or pretzel flats.

For something more substantial, I make a huge batch of pancakes made from banana, eggs and almond butter on sundays and they snack on those after school.

Re: Food Ideas for older kids

I keep hard boiled eggs (I peel them ahead), hummus, cut up veggies, cut up cheese, dried fruit, nuts, and naan bread on hand for after-school snacks. My dd eats lunch at 10:50am, so she is starving by the time she gets home. I've tried to get her to eat plain yogurt or cottage cheese, but she won't go for either of them. Sometimes she will make a smoothie with plain yogurt (I make my own in my instant pot), protein powder, green superfood powder, fruit, and flax seed oil. I make bone broth with all of my leftover bones, so I usually use that to make a pot of soup each week that I portion into individual servings. I keep some rice or barley in a separate container and add it as needed.

Food Ideas for older kids

Cold Pasta salad is easy and yummy, you can add in chicken, veggies, cubed cheese ect... afterschool my girls usually snack on cheese and crackers, carrots cucumbers and ranch dressing, fruit, leftovers, homemade banana muffins, or they can make grilled cheese sandwiches.

Re: Food Ideas for older kids

Thanks everyone great ideas!

So do you leave a list of whats there every day so they know what to look for? How do you deal with the kid who calls or texts you at work to ask what there is to eat or opens the fridge and says "there's nothing to eat"!?

Re: Food Ideas for older kids

Can you take them to the store and let them pick it out?

Re: Food Ideas for older kids