Having kids in the kitchen during meal preparation is usually a bit of a hindrance, because parents have to find a way for the kids to be useful without over-measuring, under-stirring, or adding unwanted ingredients. There are several complete meal kits that provide a decent-tasting dinner, and they are simple to prepare and make.
Betty Crocker Complete Meals
If parents set out the cooking supplies and take care of oven duties, kids who can read, measure, and follow step by step directions can make this meal. Most 10 year olds could do this, and they would like the opportunity to help in the kitchen.
The meals have the same basic elements:
- a can of progressive soup-like meat and vegetables
- sauce/seasonings/toppings
- the pasta/bread component of the meal
Kids can easily follow these directions. For example, with the Betty Crocker Chicken & Buttermilk Biscuits meal kit, kids need to be able to do the following:
- preheat the oven
- open a can with a can opener
- pour the contents of the can into the baking dish
- heat and measure a cup of water
- cut and open the seasoning mix
- mix the seasoning mix into the baking dish
- measure 1/2 cup of water
- cut open biscuit mix
- stir water and biscuit mix
- drop the biscuit mix onto the contents of the baking dish
Parents should put the dish into and take the dish out of the oven. The precision does not have to be exact; if the biscuits get a little too much water, or the seasoning gets lukewarm water, the meal is forgiving. The biscuits do not have to be perfectly lined up; they can be dumped in and it still tastes like chicken and biscuits.
The Betty Crocker Meal Collection Includes:
- Chicken and Buttermilk Biscuits
- Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
- Three Cheese Pasta and Chicken
- Cheesy Beef Taco
- Stroganoff
Although they are not restaurant quality meals, they are fun to make and easy to clean up after cooking and eating, and serve three people, although the box says that they serve five people at 280 calories a serving.
Banquet Homestyle Bakes
Similar to the Betty Crocker Meals, Banquet Homestyle Bakes are also decent-tasting dinners that kids could make, and they have a larger line of products, including:
- Asian Fried Rice
- Beef Chili
- Beef Stew
- Cheesy Chicken Alfredo
- Cheesy Ham and Hashbrowns (which would make a great breakfast)
- Chicken and Dumplings
- Chicken and Biscuits
- Country Chicken
- Stroganoff and Pasta
- Turkey
- Lasagna
- Pasta & Meatballs
- Pizza Pasta
- Tuna Macaroni
A comparison of the chicken and biscuits packages shows that the Banquet meal is higher in calories (it has 350 for a similar serving).
Of course, these would not be dinners for every night, because it is important that families have fresh food to be healthy eaters, but an occasional packaged meal is a good way to give parents a cooking break and offer kids the pride of contributing to family meals.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
