Beginner meal ideas for kids?

[worm761]

DS is 16 years old. He is a high functioning autistic with ADHD. We have been teaching him basic life skills for quite some time now. I really really need to tackle cooking meals with him. He can make tacos. And we had him make some pizza dough a few weeks ago that was actually pretty good. But he needs to be able to make more than just tacos and pizza. He needs a ton of supervision in the kitchen but I am willing to walk him through and make charts for him. I just need some suggestions for him.

 

[Erin1700]

DS is 16 years old. He is a high functioning autistic with ADHD. We have been teaching him basic life skills for quite some time now. I really really need to tackle cooking meals with him. He can make tacos. And we had him make some pizza dough a few weeks ago that was actually pretty good. But he needs to be able to make more than just tacos and pizza. He needs a ton of supervision in the kitchen but I am willing to walk him through and make charts for him. I just need some suggestions for him.

How about teaching him how to make a meat in the crock pot and then walk him through some side dishes first?

 

[caitlinsmom]

Spaghetti and sauce
grilled cheese with ham or plain
hot dogs and baked beans

 

[Aetheline]

How about scrambled eggs and toast?

Grilled cheese sandwiches and quesadillas?

Mac and cheese, and spaghetti with jarred sauce should be fairly straightforward.

 

[Nette]

Ditto on the scrambled eggs.

What about hard boiled eggs?

Chicken breasts on a george-forman-like grill? (or even baked)

Steaming veggies in the microwave?

 

[Imzadi]

Grilled cheese
French toast
Pancakes
Scrambled eggs

Maybe stuff he can prepare & just stick in a toaster oven and set for a period of time and it's automatically done? My extra large toaster oven has a timer. Set it and it turns off automatically. I love it.

I can also broil meats in it. I set the timer for 10-12 minutes, cook on one side. If I'm busy doing something and it turns off, fine. I just come back, flip the meats & turn on the oven for another set amount of minutes and it's all done.

 

[Aetheline]

Would you feel comfortable letting him use something like a George Foreman grill? He could cook a lot of things with one of those.

Just be careful. I have a 14 year old daughter with autism. This past weekend she got it into her head to microwave all the popcorn in the pantry because it was there. All 4 boxes.

 

[shortbun]

Spaghetti and sauce
grilled cheese with ham or plain
hot dogs and baked beans

I was going to list these three but I'd add a fruit element to them or another veggie. Make sure he gets enough of those in his diet if and when he's on his own. The hot dogs and baked beans thing is the one I showed my son this weekend. He's not much of a cook but this is a vacation staple for us and he's always liked it. If you get Hebrew Nationals or another really good quality dog, it's not a bad meal once a month-great protein, fiber, Bvitamins.

Just teach him to put 6-8 baby carrots on his plate or eat an apple.

 

[Aetheline]

My daughter's favorite food is bean and cheese burritos. We make them with canned pinto beans, drained with a pinch of salt heated through then mashed and spread into a tortilla. Top with grated cheese, tomatoes and cilantro before rolling. Lately she also likes them covered with mild enchilada sauce and dotted with sour cream but they are harder to eat this way.

These are also great with scrambled eggs, any leftover meat or even a little rice inside.

 

[worm761]

Wow... I guess maybe I just didn't realise how much he can cook already. He can make pasta and sauce as long as the sauce is already made and all he has to do is heat it up. He LOVES quesadllas and would live on them if I allowed it. Though he uses the waffle iron on the flat side to make them. He can make scrambled eggs and even hashbrowns. He makes French toast though he often forgets to butter the grill.

I guess maybe I just need to make him make meals. Thank you for the suggestions. They pointed out what I was missing.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Chicken caesar salad or garden salad with chicken, tuna or sliced meats (ham, turkey, steak) or cheese with pita.

Corn chowder (super easy) or other soups

Panini sandwiches (if he can use a griddle or George Forman grill)

 

[Katieinwonderland]

I am a horrible cook, and when my mom first started to teach me to cook meals, she had to start basic! You said he can do quesadillas, spaghetti, scrambled eggs etc, so it seems like he can make a few basic dishes.

My mom taught me how to make roast chicken when I was a teenager - it's very easy as long as you can explain to him about handling raw poultry and cleaning up. My mom also taught me how to make mashed potatoes and baked potatoes, as well as teaching me to steam vegetables in the microwave (still the only way I know how to make vegetables!) With all those foods, at least I could make a full, healthy meal on my own.

 

[smitch425]

If he can do tacos, he should be able to handle Manwich pretty easily.

 

[jen0610]

Does he like refired beans with his tacos?

DS17 does and he has learned both ways that I make them as a quick side or a snack item.

For a side dish, I just take a can of the refried beans, thinning them with just a bit of water and warm thru. Once warm, I put them in a microwave safe bowl, top with shredded cheese and cook until the cheese is melted. Dip your chips in. We do beans this way, because everybody in our family loves really cheesy beans. Each person gets there own bowl of cheesy bean goodness.

For a snack, I usually use the Tostito scoop chips and I put a layer of them on a microwaveable plate. I put a small amount of refriend beans in each one - straight from the can. Then cover the entire plate with cheese or if I don't have any shredded cheese on hand, I will cut up small chunks from a block of cheese, putting a chunk on each scoop. Cook until the cheese is melted. DH and I will then top these with sour cream and/or salsa, while the kids eat them as is.

 

[SandrA9810]

I loved my george foreman when I was a teen. Over the years, I've moved up my cooking skills, but grilled chicken and pasta was my midnight staple.

Does he know how to use the oven? Do you have a crock pot? A timer will probably be very helpful in the long run, when things have to be in the oven for 30 minutes or longer. Rice would be a good challenge on the stove, since it takes time and temperature control.

 

[donaldbuzz&minnie]

What about bacon? (There are some markets that carry brands without nitrates - Wegman's for instance.) Then he could make bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches on wheat bread, as well as bacon and eggs.

Tuna sandwiches would be easy and not require any cooking.

If you don't mind the sodium, etc in packaged food, hamburger and tuna helper would also extend his range.

I also like the idea of a George Forman grill. There are so many bottled sauces that would be good over grilled chicken.

 

[worm761]

Thank you again for all of the suggestions.

I think that I am going to start a cookbook for him that has step by step detailed instructions for him, possibly with some pictures, of how to make his favorite meals.

 

[JennyWren]

Pot roast is really easy. My son (also autistic) loves to MAKE parsley potatoes, however he doesn't EAT them.

 

[Aetheline]

Thank you again for all of the suggestions.

I think that I am going to start a cookbook for him that has step by step detailed instructions for him, possibly with some pictures, of how to make his favorite meals.

I keep meaning to do this for my typically developed 17 year old!

A favorite of his is tomato vegetable soup. I sweat veggies he likes (onion, carrots, corn, spinach - anything) in a little canola oil then cover it with water. I add some chicken broth base and a small can of tomato sauce. Bring it all to a boil and viola`! Easy and yummy soup.

This is also good with tiny meatballs in it. Just roll up little balls of ground beef about the size of a small brussel sprout and drop them in. You would want to cook it a little longer if you add these though.

 

[Mandychelle79]

You may want to look into beginner cookbooks or even the 4 ingredient meals ones.

Sounds like your son can make more then DH could when he moved in. If not apposed to processed foods you can teach him how to make chicken parm using chicken pattys ( heat them up, top with cheese and sauce, serve over noodles)

Or turning a boxed pasta salad into a meal by adding some sort of meat ( I use chicken, but could also use lunch meat) and other veggies.