What do you stock for breakfast/lunches for teens in the summer?

[Anonymous]

My teens can fend for themselves, but I don't want them to live off of Mac and cheese and ramen all summer.

What kinds of foods do you stock? Love healthy options if possible!

[Anonymous]

- frozen waffles/pancakes- I make big batches and freeze them. You can add vanilla protein powder if your kids have big appetites or are super active.
- eggs
- frozen sausage patties
- yogurt
- cereal
- oatmeal packets, or teach them how to make overnight oats
- English muffins
- frozen breakfast sandwiches or breakfast burritos - again if I’m feeling ambitious I make my own and freeze. And teens can absolutely get involved in making these themselves!

[Anonymous]

They pretty much eat the same breakfast and lunches in the summer as during the school year. (omelets, breakfast sandwiches, salad with chicken, cold cut sandwiches, Pb&J). The only two real changes we make is that I keep a veggie tray in the fridge, so anyone in the family can grab a piece of cut up veggie whenever they want. And I often make a fruit salad of watermelon, grapes and strawberries and keep that in the fridge for snacks and sides.

[Anonymous]

I just did this exercise in my head and went to Trader Joes today to stock up. Agree that in the summer I keep a ton more fruit. I bought some dips, hummus and red peppers (and pita chips), some frozen things they can make for lunch like potstickers, turkey burgers, fried rice, etc. It's such a challenge to keep hungry teen boys fed!

[Anonymous]

I buy all of the frozen foods, plus oatmeal, cereal, tortillas, raman, shredded cheese, peanut butter, bread.

My boys are 17, 19 & 21. I don't monitor their diets at this point. Plus they love home cooked food. Leftovers are usually fought over. After that they hit the shelves and freezer. The best is just letting them shop for what they want/need. I just give them a small list of what I need them to get as well.

[Anonymous]

I precook rice and portion it to keep in the fridge. I also precook pasta and keep it in the fridge.
The kids then make whatever sauce they want. The use the rice to make kimchi fried rice or eat it with egg.

[Anonymous]

String and baby bel cheese
Roasted seaweed of varying flavors
Ravioli/tortellini
Salad stuff (romaine, mushrooms, tomatoes, whatever else they like)
In season fruits
Edemame
Almonds and cashews
yogurt
crackers and hummus and guacamole
avocados

[Anonymous]

Breakfast is cereal and milk for everyone in our house. Occasionally I’ll buy muffins or similar that are eaten in addition to the cereal.

I do have to stock up on more lunch foods over the summer. I’ll get lots of cold cuts, cheeses and sub rolls; cook a couple of pounds of ground meat with taco seasoning for use in quesadillas, tacos and nachos, and have the accompanying tortillas, cheese, black beans, salsa, guac; TJs frozen mac & cheeses.

Fruit and veggies are always available - I don’t have a house of fruit eater but veggies will often get consumed with lunch or snacks. Also always have hummus, guacamole, cheeses, chips and crackers.

Thanks for the reminder to load up so I don’t get a bunch of texts while at work that there is nothing to eat 😊.

[Anonymous]

breakfast is usually some combo of eggs, hash browns, bacon if we have it and want to make it, croissants (TJs frozen), toast, cereal, or bagels with butter

lots of fruit all day and usually with meals: watermelon, grapes, berries

fresh veggies: cucumbers, peppers, lettuce tomato, corn, cilantro, green onions (my son likes to make a salsa with these things but also eats them plain, yes, even the cilantro)

hummus and pita

deli chicken and club rolls

black garlic ramen, Amy's lentil soup

popcorn, chips, candy

I bake cookies/cakes/bars and we always have ice cream

frozen: gyoza, butter chicken and tikka masala

Drinks are water, seltzer, coffee, tea, gatorade, occasional soda, Snapple peach tea or lemonade if we have it

[Anonymous]

My kids sleep through breakfast time or are nit hungry when they first wake up so it's mainly lunch ch items and snack food - tortillas to make quesadillas, Skinny Pop, fruit and veggies prepped for easy grab n go or salads, dinner leftovers, deli items for sandwiches, bagel bites, etc.
And whatever is on sale at Costco.

[Anonymous]

Breakfast is usually cereal, toast, frozen waffles, cinnamon rolls or some other pastry I picked up as a treat, instant oatmeal, or yogurt. Eggs would be great, but one won't eat them, and the other isn't motivated enough to pull out a skillet. I leave lots of fruit out, sometimes they eat it.

Lunch is sandwiches, leftovers reheated in the microwave, Mac n cheese, grilled cheese, chicken wrap with precooked chicken (I grill extra on the weekend), or they just snack on various deli meat, string cheese, fruit, rolls, granola bars, and whatever else they can find. Or they hang out at the neighborhood pool all day and order pizza.