Looking for easy school holiday meal ideas that will keep hungry kids fed without keeping you in the kitchen all day? When the school holidays roll around, your usual breakfast, lunch and dinner routine can quickly change. With kids at home more often, suddenly you’re making more meals, finding more snacks and answering the inevitable question: “What’s for lunch?”
The good news is that school holiday meals don’t need to be complicated. A few reliable ingredients, some easy family favourites and a little preparation can take the pressure off. These school holiday meal ideas are quick, flexible and easy to adapt depending on what you already have in the kitchen.
1. Make-your-own wraps
Wraps are one of the easiest school holiday lunch ideas because everyone can make their own. Put out shredded chicken, cheese, lettuce, cucumber, tomato, avocado or leftover roast vegetables and let the kids build their own lunch.
You can also switch things up with tuna, scrambled eggs or beans depending on what you have available. It’s a great way to use leftovers too, while giving kids a little independence when it comes to putting their meal together.
2. Keep breakfast simple with overnight oats
When you’re looking for easy school holiday meals, breakfast doesn’t need to become a whole production. Overnight oats can be prepared the night before and changed up with different toppings, making them a handy option for busy mornings.
Try oats with yoghurt and milk, then add banana, berries, peanut butter, cinnamon or a little honey. Make a few portions at once and keep them in the fridge for an easy breakfast that requires very little effort the next morning.
3. Turn leftovers into lunch
One of the best school holiday food ideas is to avoid starting from scratch every day. Leftover chicken can become sandwiches or wraps, roasted vegetables can go into omelettes and yesterday’s mince can become a quick pasta sauce.
Before putting leftovers away, think about what they could become tomorrow. A little forward planning can save you from staring into the fridge at lunchtime wondering what to make for the kids.
4. Try a build-your-own pizza night
Pizza night doesn’t have to mean ordering in. Use wraps, pita breads or English muffins as your base and let the kids choose their own toppings.
Set out tomato sauce, cheese, peppers, mushrooms, leftover chicken, pineapple or whatever else you have available. Pop them in the oven until the cheese is melted and you’ve got a fun school holiday dinner idea that the whole family can get involved in.
5. Make a big batch of pasta
Pasta is a school holiday meal staple for good reason. It’s affordable, quick and easy to adapt depending on what’s in the fridge.
Make a larger batch of tomato, mince or vegetable sauce and use it for more than one meal. You can serve it with pasta one day, spoon it over baked potatoes another day or turn it into a quick pasta bake with some extra cheese.
6. Have a snack plate for lunch
Not every school holiday lunch needs to look like a traditional meal. A snack plate can be a great way to use what you already have while giving kids a few different options.
Add fruit, cheese, crackers, boiled eggs, cucumber, leftover chicken, hummus or whatever else is available. Put everything on a plate or board and let everyone choose what they want. It’s a simple lunch idea for kids that can also help use up smaller portions sitting in the fridge.
7. Get the kids involved
The school holidays are a good opportunity to let kids take on a little more responsibility in the kitchen. Depending on their age, they can wash fruit, assemble sandwiches, measure ingredients, mix a salad or help prepare toppings.
Getting kids involved can also make school holiday meals feel a little more fun. It doesn’t mean giving them complete control of dinner, even helping with one small part of the meal can turn cooking into something you do together rather than another task for you.
8. Keep one-pan meals in your back pocket
When you want quick meals for kids and don’t want a pile of dishes waiting afterwards, one-pan meals are your friend. Roast chicken and vegetables, sausages with potatoes, or a simple tray of roasted vegetables can all go into the oven together.
Choose ingredients that can cook at roughly the same time, season everything on one tray and let the oven do most of the work. Less standing over the stove and fewer dishes afterwards is especially welcome during the school holidays.
9. Stock up on easy breakfast and lunch basics
A little planning before the holidays can make school holiday meal planning much easier. Keep a few reliable basics on hand, such as bread, wraps, eggs, cheese, yoghurt, fruit, pasta and ingredients for quick sandwiches or snacks.
You don’t need to plan every meal for the entire holiday. Just knowing you have enough ingredients for a few easy breakfasts, school holiday lunches and simple dinners means you’re less likely to find yourself making an emergency trip to the shops because everyone is suddenly hungry.
10. Give yourself a break from cooking
Perhaps the most important of these school holiday meal ideas is remembering that you don’t have to cook elaborate meals every day. Some days will be leftovers, sandwiches, eggs on toast or something pulled together from whatever is in the fridge, and that’s perfectly fine.
And if you’re already spending plenty of time thinking about meals, shopping, cooking and cleaning up afterwards, you can take another household task off your list. Sweepsouth’s Indoor Cleaning service can take care of the mess, while Mom’s Helper can assist with supervised childcare, playtime and meals, giving busy parents another way to make the school holidays more manageable.
Keep school holiday meals simple
The best school holiday meal ideas aren’t necessarily the most complicated ones. Keep a few easy meals in rotation, make use of leftovers, get the kids involved and stock up on ingredients that can be used in more than one way.
Most importantly, give yourself some breathing room. The school holidays are about spending time together too, not spending every hour planning, cooking and cleaning up.
ALSO SEE: WORK FROM HOME TIPS FOR SCHOOL HOLIDAYS
