Today, I am sharing the best food for kids that I try to always have on hand for my six HUNGRY kids.
What is it with kids? They are ALWAYS hungry! They eat and eat and eat and never seem to get full unless its a dinner you have just slaved over the stove for hours because they don’t like it. Amiright!?
I want to say I’m being dramatic, but with having kids ranging in age from almost 2 year old twins up to 10 years old, this is no exaggeration. So, I thought today I would share with you a list of food that I always have on hand and what our grocery list mainly consists of weekly.
Please remember, this is just a list of what I keep on hand pretty much at all times for the kids. I make plenty of meals with the foods listed below.
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The Best Foods To Always Have On Hand For Kids
As a mom of six, I always have to be prepared when it comes to food. Honestly, always having snacks in the house doesn’t have to be difficult or time consuming.
I get on kicks and make homemade snacks for the kids from time to time, mostly snacks like rice krispie treats because there is just so much added junk in the premade kinds.
Rice krispie treats, no bakes, oatmeal bars are a few kinds of easy on hand snacks that I like to make from time to time that are all relatively easy to make and doesn’t have as much junk in them as prepackaged sweets.
Lets get into it! I’ll start with what I keep stock of in the fridge and then move to the pantry.
In The Fridge
Fruits:
- Strawberries
- Blueberries
- Raspberries
- Blackberries
- Apples
- Grapes
Veggies:
- Cucumbers
- Carrots
- Celery
- Salad Mix
- Sweet Peppers
Dairy:
- Cheese Sticks
- Cheese Cubes
- Yogurt
- Almond Milk – for smoothies/shakes
- Sour Cream
- Ranch Dressing
- Sliced Cheese – sandwiches
Meat:
- Rotisserie Chicken
- Lunch Meat – salami, turkey
Drinks:
- Juice Boxes
- Protein Shakes
- Water
- Almond Milk – chocolate
In The Freezer
Veggies:
- Broccoli
- Green Beans
- Peas
- Corn
- Brussel Sprouts
Breakfast:
- Waffles
- Breakfast Sausage
- Bacon
- Sausage/Pancake Combos
Quick Dinner/Snack:
- Bagel Bites
- Pizza Rolls
- Corn Dogs
- Hot Dogs
- Premade Meatballs
- Premade Turkey Burgers
Meat:
- Chicken – Thighs, Breast, Tenders, Ground
- Ground Turkey
- Chicken Sausage / Italian Pork Sausage
- Ground Beef
- Pork Chops
- Shrimp – seafood
In The Pantry
Breakfast:
- Cereal – Lots of cereal
- Oatmeal
Snacks:
- Cheese Its
- Vanilla Wafers
- Tortilla Chips
- Chocolate Chips
- Nutella – Single Serve
- Pudding Cups
- Granola Bars
- Applesauce
Fruit:
- Peaches – canned
- Pears – canned
- Bananas
- Pineapple
Veggies:
- Green Beans – canned
- Potatoes – white potatoes, sweet potatoes, little potatoes
- Avocado
- Spaghetti Squash
- Butternut Squash
- Red Onions
Condiments:
- Peanut Butter
- Nutella
- Jelly
- Ranch
- Ketchup
- Mustard
Miscellaneous:
- Bread
- Tortilla Wraps
- Mac N Cheese
- Tomato Soup
- Marshmallows
- Oatmeal
- Chicken Broth
- Noodles – All kinds
- Spaghetti Sauce
With all that said…
It’s inevitable, I know I missed something on this list. But this is pretty much everything I know I keep on hand pretty much at all times.
The fresh fruits and vegetables I have on my grocery list every single week and they are gone within 4 to 5 days. So once the fresh foods are gone, we hit up the frozen veggies. Also, the frozen veggies you can just throw in the microwave are SUPER helpful for the twins. I usually give them whatever meat we are having and a side of fresh fruit and the steamed veggies.
The canned fruits and veggies are really for quick fixes and last resource. Of course, I do make some really good garlic green beans with the canned beans.
My main source of snacks for the kids are always fruits and veggies, first. It is important to me that my kids get as much fresh, unprocessed foods as possible as their first option. Obviously, I have plenty of canned and boxed items on the list above because I am just not a mom that can make everything homemade all the time. Plus, it keeps me sane knowing they have quick snacks to grab.
Quick Meals
Lately, I keep 2 rotisserie chickens on hand at all times. Rotisserie chicken is so versatile and with the kids and hubs busy schedule it helps me out tremendously.
- Chicken salad sandwiches
- Add to salads
- Quesadillas
- Chicken and rice
- Chicken Alfredo
- Lettuce wrap
- Chicken bowls
Literally an endless list of options when it comes to rotisserie chickens. If you want to make it healthier, and how I used to, throw a whole chicken in the crock pot and use the meat throughout the week. Same options and you know mostly what is all in and on the chicken.
Meatballs
Meatballs are also a really easy and quick option for families.
I don’t always have the premade kind on hand, but if I know I have a specific meal planned for the week and not a ton of time, I do go with the premade. Otherwise, homemade meatballs are SUPER easy to make.
Homemade Meatballs
- Ground Beef
- Almond Flour
- Egg
- Italian Seasoning
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
Just mix everything in a bowl with your hands and roll into balls. Line a cookie sheet with foil and bake at 375 for about 30 minutes or until done.
You can keep these homemade meatballs in the freezer too to pull out for later. These are great for meatball subs, too!
Alright, well I hope I gave you some ideas for what kind of foods to have on hand when you have kids. Remember, this is just a list of foods that I keep for the kids and there are so many yummy recipes you can make out of many of the foods I have listed.
A quick search on Pinterest will always help with quick meal ideas for kids!
Let me know if you want a list of the foods I keep for hubs and I and I’ll be glad to share! 🙂
Until next time,
