https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 04 May 2026 13:22:06 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/easy-meals-i-can-cookprep-ahead-and-reheat#post-2928359 Thu, 31 Aug 2023 14:07:56 +0000 poppygirl15 2928359@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes to charcuterie for dinner! I get a baguette and put it out with meats, cheeses &amp; fruit. It’s my son’s fave. Then, in the morning, my kids get “French breakfast,” which is the left over baguette and hot chocolate served in a latte bowl. A fun &amp; special treat. </p> <p>To mix up eggs, we like to serve breakfast sandwiches for dinner sometimes - we serve them on English muffins with cheddar cheese &amp; microwave bacon. </p> <p>Paninis are a way to make sandwiches feel fancier. You can toast them up together on a sheet pan in the oven. </p> <p>Pasta with pesto (make pesto in advance - it freezes great, FWIW) us a huge hit. You can even cook broccoli in with the pasta and you’ve got yourself a one dish meal. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/easy-meals-i-can-cookprep-ahead-and-reheat#post-2928358 Thu, 31 Aug 2023 04:05:07 +0000 Mariesays 2928358@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bees_knees: I totally get your busy schedule! With soccer practices filling up your evenings, planning quick and delicious dinners is a must. Your ideas so far are fantastic – crockpot meals, tacos, and soups are definitely convenient. Don't worry, there's plenty more in the playbook! Try prepping stir-fry kits with frozen veggies, they cook up fast. Also, consider making large batches of pasta sauces and freezing them in portions for easy reheating. And don't forget about freezer-friendly casseroles that you can just pop in the oven. Just remember, using a good quality freezer is crucial for proper food safety. With these strategies, you'll be the MVP of weeknight dinners in no time! 🌟⚽ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/easy-meals-i-can-cookprep-ahead-and-reheat#post-2928190 Fri, 21 Apr 2023 14:45:42 +0000 bees_knees 2928190@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Eek this is all so good!</p> <p>@smuckers: Love me a good Costco frozen lasagna! But I don't want to leave my oven running while we're gone (that's a bad idea, right? :silly: ) Maybe I could cook ahead of time and warm it up in the microwave!</p> <p>@catgirl: This was super helpful, thank you!! Love the idea of using the same ingredients but in different combinations so it feels "fresh". </p> <p>@erinbaderin: Was the Lazy Genius suggestion in the kids chores thread? That was me! (haha) and I TOTALLY forgot about her episode about this! Thank you for the reminder!! Eggs are sooo fast, and my kids love them and we have chickens, so not sure why I didn't think of that before!</p> <p>@PinkElephant: Your idea of packing meal-ish stuff is great. Snacks, but not crap. Genius. </p> <p>@Chuckles: This is so smart! Like a kid charcuterie on the go! </p> <p>@cake2017: Brinner is brilliant! I usually do pancakes or something, but even those are super easy to make before hand and reheat!</p> <p>@Lahela017: So smart. My toxic trait is that I hate leftovers but I think I'm just going to have to get over it. :silly: Because they are so easy!</p> <p>Thank you all for the suggestions! This season is craaaazy!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/easy-meals-i-can-cookprep-ahead-and-reheat#post-2928184 Wed, 19 Apr 2023 09:24:36 +0000 Lahela017 2928184@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>All great ideas! Just adding that I try to plan meals that have a lot of leftovers, so I cook on less busy days and then have left overs on busy ones.</p> <p>I fun summer crock pot recipe we love is for pulled BBQ chicken that you eat on a bun. A batch is easily two dinners for us and I just serve it with a salad, fresh veggies, and chips. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/easy-meals-i-can-cookprep-ahead-and-reheat#post-2928176 Tue, 18 Apr 2023 18:07:00 +0000 cake2017 2928176@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@bees_knees: Great ideas! We have swim during the week and my go to is breakfast! I scramble some eggs, pan cakes and fresh fruit, milk/water. I will sometimes give a breakfast bar too. They love it!</p> <p>Spaghetti/broccoli and garlic bread<br /> Rosterrie chicken<br /> Pasta<br /> grilled cheese and soup </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/easy-meals-i-can-cookprep-ahead-and-reheat#post-2928175 Tue, 18 Apr 2023 09:10:42 +0000 Chuckles 2928175@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>These are all great ideas! We do something similar to @PinkElephant: on the nights my kids have swimming lessons. They need to eat starting at 5 and we don't get home until about 7:45. So I give them something like chicken nuggets, quesadillas, etc. before swimming and then they have a big healthy snack when we get home so that they aren't hungry at bedtime. They like string cheese, nuts, fruit, crackers, and olives. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/easy-meals-i-can-cookprep-ahead-and-reheat#post-2928174 Mon, 17 Apr 2023 20:25:09 +0000 PinkElephant 2928174@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Solidarity. I've got three kids two playing travel lacrosse (different teams), two playing travel soccer (different teams), and one playing local tball. Our evenings are a disaster this spring.</p> <p>I do a lot of what you've mentioned; quesadillas are easy to have sitting on a griddle ready to heat when you get home (they also wrap up well in foil). If we have microwavable leftovers, I'll make plates and cover them with a towel/saran wrap, then zap them for 30 seconds each when we get home.</p> <p>One strategy that is working for me is to feed the kids who are available a light dinner on the early end, and give them something like a peanut butter sandwich in the car on the way home from late practices....I take a variety of fruit, sandwiches, or packable dinners (like the aforementioned quesadillas) for kids to eat when they are not the ones playing. It's not ideal, but it helps a little and is better than them subsisting on goldfish and lollipops all season. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/easy-meals-i-can-cookprep-ahead-and-reheat#post-2928173 Mon, 17 Apr 2023 20:03:37 +0000 erinbaderin 2928173@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Grilled cheese or quesadillas, buy a rotisserie chicken. We like to have “picnic” - baguette/crackers, deli meat and cheese, and veggies. Rice bowls, if you’ve pre-cooked the rice.</p> <p>I got turned onto the Lazy Genius in another thread and she pointed out that dinner doesn’t need to be the main meal, so you can always just do sandwiches! Or eggs are pretty quick. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/easy-meals-i-can-cookprep-ahead-and-reheat#post-2928172 Mon, 17 Apr 2023 19:04:27 +0000 catgirl 2928172@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD has evening activities 3-5 nights a week and I am solo with her for most of them. I don't have time to cook an actual meal when we get home - I need to walk in the door with her and have food on the table within 10 minutes. I try to cook full meals or individual items on Sunday. </p> <p>For example, last week on Sunday I prepped: Pulled Pork, Roasted Chicken Sausages, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese, Roasted Broccoli, and Green Beans. Then each night I would take out a meat, starch, and veggie. It felt like a new meal each night but it was super simple.</p> <p>So two meats, two starches, and two veggies - I try not to have the same of anything two weeks in a row (other than broccoli because it is DD's favorite). Or if I do something like taco meat, I can chop all the things to go with it and one night it will be tacos and another night it will be taco salads/burrito bowls. </p> <p>Other things that I will make ahead of time (and try to double and freeze if applicable): Casseroles, enchiladas, quiche, and soups/chili. In the summer I will make big batches of pasta salad loaded with veggies and some meat. On our most stressful night we often do homemade lunchables or even PB&amp;J with fruit and pretzels - on those days I try to make sure we all have a bigger/heartier lunch. </p> <p>I've accepted that at this stage of life we very rarely eat a meal "fresh" but we try to only get takeout a few times a month. So I find cooking ahead and then just reheating is the best plan. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/easy-meals-i-can-cookprep-ahead-and-reheat#post-2928171 Mon, 17 Apr 2023 18:06:01 +0000 smuckers 2928171@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>1. it's always soup season<br /> 2. don't sleep on a good casserole or lasagna; they were made for this kind of thing<br /> 3. i believe there are a bunch of chicken dishes can be prepared in the morning, popped in the fridge, and put in the oven come dinner time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/easy-meals-i-can-cookprep-ahead-and-reheat#post-2928170 Mon, 17 Apr 2023 12:08:41 +0000 bees_knees 2928170@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We have three in soccer this year which means there are 3 nights a week where we are at the soccer fields from 4:30-7:30. I’m trying to think of easy dinners I can have ready (or easily reheat) for asap when we get home and am totally blanking. My ideas so far:</p> <p>Basically any crockpot meal (which I normally don’t love 😬)<br /> Tacos<br /> Soups/chili (is it still soup season?!)<br /> Sloppy joes<br /> Chicken tenderloins for over salad or in wraps</p> <p>There has to be more, I know people do this all the time 😂 help! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/does-your-kid-take-a-multi-vitamin#post-2920853 Sun, 15 Nov 2020 20:50:41 +0000 wrkbrk 2920853@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Thanks y’all!! I’ll look into those mentioned! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/does-your-kid-take-a-multi-vitamin#post-2920850 Sun, 15 Nov 2020 19:27:14 +0000 SweetCaroline 2920850@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD takes Flintstone multi. I may try to find a more natural option after this bottle is gone. I don't buy gummy vitamins for several reasons (though I know they are a great option for many!) and chewable tablets aren't as prominent. </p> <p>DD also takes Vitamins D and C. We all used to take elderberry syrup, but cut that out this year as I believe the risk in regards to immune response to COVID outweighs any potential benefits. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/does-your-kid-take-a-multi-vitamin#post-2920848 Sun, 15 Nov 2020 18:18:52 +0000 autumnleaves 2920848@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Mine take little critters or target brand multi vitamin plus smartypants probiotic chews. I occasionally switch out the little critters/target ones with mega foods multi vitamin chews. They have stayed fairly healthy this past year with this so I am continuing with it though doctors said a multi vitamin isn’t needed in the past. I tried elderberry syrup with them in the past and they still would get ear infections, colds, strep, etc. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/does-your-kid-take-a-multi-vitamin#post-2920845 Sun, 15 Nov 2020 15:09:19 +0000 muffinsmuffins 2920845@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, we all do this year. 6yo takes the Costco gummy multi vitamin with an additional flintstones gummy vitamin D and a Jamison elderberry and vitamin C gummy. 2yo takes Sisu U-cube multi gummy and vitamin D drop (hard to find vitamins for under age 3, I’ve found)</p> <p>I know every doctor in existence is like nope waste of money and unnecessary but it makes me feel better, especially with Covid, that we are trying to boost immune systems particularly with the vitamin D. All the adults also take the vitamin C and elderberry, vitamin D, multi and omegas. BUT, make sure they do a good job brushing their teeth after the gummies...6yo has 3 cavities to be filled 😬😬😬 </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/does-your-kid-take-a-multi-vitamin#post-2920844 Sun, 15 Nov 2020 15:06:44 +0000 bhbee 2920844@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We use the target brand gummies also, and my 2 year old takes the target brand chewable. I agree with above, I feel they’re better than nothing and they take them without issue. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/does-your-kid-take-a-multi-vitamin#post-2920841 Sun, 15 Nov 2020 12:53:26 +0000 catgirl 2920841@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD typically takes the Cvs brand gummies or target brand gummies. She also takes a fiber gummy. I know the gummy ones aren’t the best for kids, but she takes them without issue and I feel like they are better than nothing. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/does-your-kid-take-a-multi-vitamin#post-2920840 Sun, 15 Nov 2020 12:41:20 +0000 pinkb 2920840@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes. We did flinstone ones for awhile but my picky DS stopped liking them. He is a super picky eater. So we switched to the target brand gummies. I just tried the sundown natural gummies since we ran out and they have been deemed gross by DS, so back to target ones. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/does-your-kid-take-a-multi-vitamin#post-2920819 Sat, 14 Nov 2020 16:45:18 +0000 wrkbrk 2920819@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>If yes, would you drop me the name/type? </p> <p>I think I want to get one for DS (almost 5) because his diet isn’t the best and he has those little white dots on his fingernails that could indicate lack of vitamins. Ped has said it’s not necessary but I’m going to ask her again.<br /> Thanks!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/for-fun-whats-the-latest-surprising-food-your-kid-ate#post-2920043 Tue, 27 Oct 2020 09:04:30 +0000 JennyPenny 2920043@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@caitcat: I feel like we're in the same boat.</p> <p>My 3yo DS2 will eat anything, so in that sense nothing he eats surprises me. They had carrot curry soup at school recently which would have been new flavors for him, but I wasn't surprised to see in his report that he ate it all.</p> <p>My 6yo DS1 eats almost nothing. I think the last thing he ate that surprised me was that he willingly tried a bite of a french fry a few months ago, but said he didn't like it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/for-fun-whats-the-latest-surprising-food-your-kid-ate#post-2920042 Tue, 27 Oct 2020 08:53:59 +0000 Mrs. Carrot 2920042@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 7 year old is thankfully not picky, but she has strong feelings about spicy food. We ordered Indian food from a new place yesterday, and got her her typical order, chicken tikka, and my husband ordered it mild as he always does. Well, this place's definition of mild was spicy even for me, and I can handle spicy pretty well. I decided to give it to her anyway and not say anything. Lo and behold, she ate it all and asked for more! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/for-fun-whats-the-latest-surprising-food-your-kid-ate#post-2920039 Tue, 27 Oct 2020 07:20:19 +0000 caitcat 2920039@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My three year old eats almost anything...last night, she ate sauteed spinach and asked for seconds. </p> <p>Meanwhile, my five year old eats about ten foods (total) and is going through a phase where she only wants mac and cheese as leftovers and just lukewarm so that it isn't "all melty and saucy." </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/for-fun-whats-the-latest-surprising-food-your-kid-ate#post-2920038 Tue, 27 Oct 2020 07:07:47 +0000 Mommy Finger 2920038@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DS1 is usually a pretty awesome eater but we were even surprised when he loved the raw ahi tuna from an app that DH and I ordered. He also loves the liverwurst sausage on crackers that DH eats that come on, no. Yet the kid doesn't like tomato sauce on his spaghetti. Can't win them all.</p> <p>DS2, on the other hand, told me that taste and texture of a cinnamon muffin yesterday was unnecessary. Honestly, I was just happy he tried it. He's the one that my parents regularly tell me is payback. I deserve it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/for-fun-whats-the-latest-surprising-food-your-kid-ate#post-2920037 Mon, 26 Oct 2020 22:01:12 +0000 winter_wonder 2920037@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>DD isn't super adventurous with her eating, but the girl loves havarti dill cheese!!</p> <p>@lady baltimore: Neither DD or DH eat soup, ugh. I want to make it all the time now that it's getting chilly out! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/for-fun-whats-the-latest-surprising-food-your-kid-ate#post-2920036 Mon, 26 Oct 2020 21:23:27 +0000 ALV91711 2920036@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 2 year old loves olives. Yesterday he asked for and ate garlic stuffed green olives. He wanted more! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/for-fun-whats-the-latest-surprising-food-your-kid-ate#post-2920034 Mon, 26 Oct 2020 19:33:48 +0000 lady baltimore 2920034@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Panera is not exactly haute cuisine, but my four-year-old did order soup &amp; salad last night instead of mac &amp; cheese! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/for-fun-whats-the-latest-surprising-food-your-kid-ate#post-2920033 Mon, 26 Oct 2020 19:20:45 +0000 DillonLion 2920033@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 15 month old ate bok choy tonight! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/for-fun-whats-the-latest-surprising-food-your-kid-ate#post-2920021 Mon, 26 Oct 2020 14:16:39 +0000 PinkElephant 2920021@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My four year old requested salmon &amp; broccoli for her birthday dinner (rather than pizza, burgers, or other junkier options).</p> <p>Her six year old sister has recently been stealing my portion of asparagus at dinner! She's also a big fan of gyoza (so, similar to pot stickers) and xiao long bao/soup dumplings. </p> <p>But my eight year old wants to eat, like, nothing but "kid food". I think the most adventurous thing she eats willingly now is green salad with Italian dressing (and I'd better not try to sneak a tomato in there). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/for-fun-whats-the-latest-surprising-food-your-kid-ate#post-2920020 Mon, 26 Oct 2020 14:13:34 +0000 Corduroy 2920020@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My 7 year old was begging for tofu recently. It's not something I buy regularly so I was surprised and asked her what made her think of tofu? After quite a discussion I figured out she meant steamed pork buns/char siu bao. I'm glad I figured that one out because she would not be pleased if I had presented her with a block of tofu. She was happy with the char siu bao.</p> <p>DS has been pretty adventurous lately mainly to show up DD. Last night he ate some of the Hungarian paprika chicken stew I made. Not that adventurous but it looked and smelled different than the dishes I usually make. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/for-fun-whats-the-latest-surprising-food-your-kid-ate#post-2920016 Mon, 26 Oct 2020 12:58:54 +0000 KT326 2920016@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My kids love brie and crackers. They will not eat cheddar and crackers, but give them some brie and they devour it! </p>