25+ Kid-Friendly Meal Prep Recipes

kid-friendly meal prep recipes

These Kid-Friendly Meal Prep Recipes are great additions to your weekly meal prep sessions. Having healthy options on hand for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time can help you eat healthy during busy weeks!

These Kid-Friendly Meal Prep Recipes are great additions to your weekly meal prep sessions. Having healthy options on hand for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack time can help you eat healthy during busy weeks!

*Originally published 3/2017. Updated 3/2023*

Hi friends!

When kids are young, meal prep can be both a challenge and a life-saver during the week. Food prep is a weekly habit for me but when they were really little, I made it a goal to do at least a little food prep each week, even when I was tired, or busy, or had fussy kids. I know from experience how helpful it is during the week, especially when it comes to feeding kids. Having healthy meal components cooked and ready to go is crucial for allowing me to throw together healthy meals QUICKLY to avoid a meltdown.

Kid-Friendly Healthy Meals

I’ve rounded up some of my favorite kid-approved recipes from my site. I’ve made every single one of these recipes multiple times during my Sunday Food Prep sessions so I know that they hold up well even when made ahead of time and can be enjoyed daily throughout the week.

Kids Meal Prep

If you’re looking for food prep ideas for your kiddos, these recipes are a great place to start. Like I tell everyone….you don’t have to prep all of your meals and snacks ahead of time, but every little bit does help. Choose the meal or snack time you struggle most with during the week and start there. Prep a couple of breakfast options or healthy snacks and see how much it helps. With practice, it’ll get easier and you can start gradually doing more and more each session.

Meal Prep For Kids

If you’re new to meal prep, here are some resources:

Or take my food prep masterclass!

Learn How To Meal Prep


So here we go with some of my favorite kid-friendly meal prep recipes:

Easy Meal Preps Breakfast

Breakfast can be a tricky time of day. Some kids don’t wake up hungry, others are starving and sometimes you’re too busy running around getting ready for the day to spend forever throwing something together. Meal prep for the win!

sweet potato white bean bars breakfast meal prep

Sweet Potato White Bean Bars

These Sweet Potato White Bean Bars are perfect for breakfast or snack time. They’re kid-friendly, nut-free and full of fiber to keep them full until snack.

easy freezer meal prep oatmeal cups

Easy Freezer Prep Oatmeal Cups

An easy way to prep oatmeal ahead of time. Just pop in the microwave with a little milk and they’re ready to eat!

kid-friendly meal prep banana flax waffles

Banana Flax Waffles

These Banana Flax Waffles are made with just seven ingredients and no added sugar. They freeze well and make a great breakfast or snack! Just pop them in the toaster to reheat.

easy egg wrap meal prep ideas for family

Easy Egg Wraps for Breakfast…Lunch AND Dinner!

These Easy Egg Wraps are perfect for any meal. Make several ahead of time and fill with things like turkey, avocado, cheese, hummus and more. Or serve them plain. They’re great warm or cold.

lentil banana muffins food prep

Lentil Banana Muffins

These Lentil Banana Muffins make a healthy, high-fiber breakfast or snack. They’re kid-friendly and freeze well. And I promise you can’t even taste the lentils! Pair with a glass of milk or some yogurt.

Find all of my breakfast recipes here.

Other ideas:

  • Oatmeal or Overnight Oats.
    • For Squish I often cook 1 cup oats with enough milk to cover them, a chopped apple, some cinnmaon and 2 Tbsp peanut butter in the microwave for about 3 minutes. During the week I portion it out and serve it cold but you could also reheat it if desired.
  • French Toast Waffles
    • Prep french toast like you normally would, but throw each piece in the waffle maker! Fun to eat and you don’t have to worry about flipping it on the griddle.

Kid-Friendly Food – Meal Prep Lunch

Here are some meal prep lunch ideas that your kids will love. Making them ahead of time can make it easier to throw together lunch on a plate during the day or pack lunchboxes after dinner!

frozen english muffin mini pizzas - healthy meals kids love

Frozen English Muffin Mini Pizzas

These Frozen English Muffin Mini Pizzas are perfect for a quick, kid-friendly lunch or snack. Make them ahead of time and pop in the microwave for one minute when you want one!

meal prep peanut butter banana chia pudding

Peanut Butter Banana Chia Pudding

This Peanut Butter Banana Chia Pudding makes an easy, kid-friendly meal or snack. It’s packed with protein and healthy fats and is easy to prep ahead of time.

cheesy bbq meatballs - fun dinner ideas for kids

Cheesy BBQ Meatballs

These are easy to make and taste great warm or cold. Pack them for lunch with extra dipping sauce!

peanut butter oat energy balls

My Go-To Energy Ball Recipe

My Go-To Energy Ball Recipe is full of protein and fiber and makes a great addition to lunch. Pair with a cheese stick or some yogurt and a piece of fruit for a balanced lunch!

homemade whole wheat tortillas for meal prep

Homemade Whole Wheat Tortillas

Make a batch of homemade tortillas and fill them with things like turkey and cheese, peanut butter and banana, taco meat and more for lunchboxes.

banana carrot muffins

Banana Carrot Muffins

Muffins or bars make a great addition to lunch especially if they’ve got some added veggies or extra protein and fiber from things like beans and lentils!

Other ideas:

  • Make some macaroni and cheese but stir in some greek yogurt for extra protein or add some chicken sausage or taco meat. Or try adding a veggie like pumpkin or pureed squash that will mix right in with the cheese!
  • Cook a batch of hard-boiled eggs
  • Pre-cut or slice veggies to easily add to lunch plates.
  • Make more than enough for dinners so you can serve the leftovers for lunch!

If you need more lunch ideas, I have a whole resource with tons of photo examples, many of which can be prepped ahead of time:

Easy Lunch Box Ideas for Kids


Easy Dinner Meal Prep – Fun Dinner Ideas For Kids

Dinner is tough on busy evenings when the kids have a million activities. Prepping meals or meal components ahead of time can make it easier to eat healthy meals during the week.

Fun Meal Prep Dinner Ideas for Kids

tater tot waffles

Tater Tot Waffles

These Tater Tot Waffles are kid-friendly and perfect any time of day! Make them ahead of time and reheat in the microwave for a quick dinner.

air fryer steak bites

Air Fryer Steak Bites

If you’re intimidated by the grill, these air fryer steak bites are the way to go. So easy and they come out perfect every time and reheat really well!

This Instant Pot Pasta with Meat Sauce is a simple, healthy dinner recipe the whole family will love!

Instant Pot Pasta with Meat Sauce

This Instant Pot Pasta with Meat Sauce is a simple, healthy dinner recipe the whole family will love. It tastes even better the second day!

Freezer Chicken Tenders with steamed peas and mac and cheese for dinner

Freezer Chicken Tenders

These Freezer Chicken Tenders are perfect for meal prep. Make several batches ahead of time and stick them in the freezer. On a busy night, just pull them out, bake from frozen and have dinner on the table in 30 minutes!

Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Tortellini 1 copy

Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Tortellini

This Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Tortellini is so easy to throw together for an easy dinner that practically cooks itself! Serve it with a side of veggies for a kid-friendly meal the whole family will love.

This recipe for Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs is an easy, kid-friendly weeknight dinner. Let the crockpot do all the work and serve with rice and steamed veggies for a balanced meal.

Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs

This recipe for Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken Thighs is an easy, kid-friendly weeknight dinner. Let the crockpot do all the work and serve with rice and steamed veggies for a balanced meal.


Meal Prep For Kids – Snacks

Don’t forget about snack time. Kids wake up cranky from naps and want to eat ASAP so it can be super helpful to have some healthy snacks prepped and ready to go!

nut-free toddler trail mix - easy meal prep for family

Nut-Free Toddler Trail Mix

This nut-free Toddler-Friendly Trail Mix is the perfect make-ahead snack. Make a batch during your food prep session and portion into bags for kids to eat throughout the week.

meal prep snack - gluten-free pumpkin yogurt bars

Gluten-Free Pumpkin Yogurt Bars

This recipe for Gluten-Free Pumpkin Yogurt Bars makes a quick snack. They’re kid-friendly and easy to customize.

healthy family meal prep ideas - chocolate avocado pudding

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Nutrient-rich and super simple, this 4 ingredient chocolate pudding makes a great snack or dessert.

sweet potato banana muffins

Sweet Potato Banana Muffins

These gluten-free Sweet Potato Banana Bites have just four main ingredients and make a great snack for both kids and adults! 

healthy sweet potato cookies

Healthy Sweet Potato Cookies

These Healthy Sweet Potato Cookies are gluten-free, made with real food ingredients and packed with protein and fiber. Enjoy them for an afternoon snack!

lemon energy balls food prep

Lemon Energy Balls

Bursting with citrus flavor, these Lemon Energy balls make the perfect snack. Made with just 5 ingredients, they’re gluten-free, paleo-friendly and perfect for stashing in the fridge or freezer!


I hope this gives you some inspiration! If you don’t currently food prep, I challenge you to pick one recipe to try this week!

meal prep recipes for kids to make your life easier!

Enjoy!
–Lindsay–


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