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Easy Meals for Kids on your Winter Roadie

22 Jun 2017

School holidays are always coming up, so its handy to have a few ideas on how to feed the tribe on the road.

Easy meals for kids on the road discovery parks banner

Whether you're on the road, at your site or in a cabin, its vital to keep the kids’ energy levels up on holiday.

From breakfast burritos to chicken burgers and grilled bananas, here are a few easy meal options perfect for the winter school holidays!

PLAN YOUR HOLIDAY NOW

BREAKFAST ON THE ROAD

Picture this: You're up early, the car is idling and the kids are piled in, but everyone is already hungry. What? It must be time for breakfast!

Check out these easy to prepare breakfast ideas you can take with you in the car, or prpeare once you’ve arrived in the park.

Pikelets and PancakesEasy meals for kids on the road discovery parks pancakes

Flapjacks, pikelets, mini-pancakes - whatever you call them, these tasty morsels are easy for the car with no need to worry about making a mess.

How to prepare Pancakes and Pikelets:

  • You can buy your favourite brand of pikelets, crumpets, or english muffins at most supermarkets!
  • Spread them with peanut butter, jam or honey, then add a few slices of banana to smoosh on top.

Pro-tip: Less thinking, more convenience.

Cheesy Scrambled Egg BurritoEasy meals for kids on the road discovery parks

A good breakfast burrito will give your kids their zing back in the morning! Prep your scrambled eggs like you normally would.

How to prepare a Breakfast Burrito:

  • Whisk eggs with a dash of milk, salt and pepper.
  • Pour and scramble in a fry pan with shredded cheese.
  • On a separate fry pan, place a tortilla on and flip on each side until lightly browned.
  • Once done, slide the tortilla onto a plate, add shredded cheese (yes, again), pour on the scrambled eggs and add your choice of veggies; tomatoes, spinach, capsicum and any leftovers you have in the fridge will spice things up!

Pro-tip: Add bacon for a protein kick or a dash of tabasco for a spicy delight.

Banana and Cinnamon PorridgeEasy meals for kids on the road discovery parks porridge

The perfect winter warmer, a big ol’ bowl of porridge will give your kids energy to burn all day!

How to prepare Banana and Cinnamon Porridge:

  • Pour milk into a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
  • Add traditional oats and bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat and stir until the oats thicken.
  • When ready, remove from heat and let sit for a few minutes.
  • Then pour into a bowl and add cinnamon and banana.

Pro-tip: Add a teaspoon (or tablespoon, we won't judge) of peanut butter and a few drops of honey or maple syrup. Your taste buds will thank you.

SNACK TIME

Every child deserves snack time! Not only does it break up the day, by being prepared you'll avoid that 'hangry' stage kids find themselves in between meals. Check out these classics below!

Ham, Cheese & Tomato ToastieEasy meals for kids on the road discovery parks toasties

As a proudly Australian company, we stand by the toastie as a pillar of every child’s diet. And while it sounds silly for us to explain the recipe of a national favourite, we do have a few recommendations

If you don't have an old Breville sandwich maker, don't worry, you can still achieve greatness on whatever grill set up you're rolling with.

How to prepare a Ham, Cheese and Tomato Toastie:

  • Pre-toast the sandwich bread. This is crucial.
  • Always butter on both sides before adding to your grill.
  • Add chives or another herb of choice to the butter mix if you wanna get fancy.
  • Remember to keep the tomatoes nice and fresh, use more than one type of cheese if you have it and remove from griller before you end up with a melted mess!

Pro-tip: Always add avocado. Like bacon, not only is it healthy, you'll instantly feel like you’re dining at the hippest café in Melbourne.

Fruit Salad with YoghurtEasy meals for kids on the road discovery parks fruit salad

Whoever said you don’t make friends with salad wasn’t thinking fruit salad. Plus, it's good for kids and they won’t know it's good for them with the serving suggestion below!

How to prepare Fruit Salad with Yoghurt:

  • Slice up seasonal fruit to ensure freshness.
  • We recommend any combination of banana, apricot, mandarin, orange, kiwi and grapefruit.
  • Pour Greek or vanilla yoghurt on top and enjoy.

Pro-tip: Drizzle it with honey - you know you want to!

LUNCH

An important part of any holiday, getting together with the family for lunch is priceless. Don't take that literally, we're aware of the price of lettuce. Try these out on your darlings! 

New York Style Hot Dogs Easy meals for kids on the road discovery parks hotdogs

We find that if you add the name of a city in front of any food, it sounds more exotic and therefore easier to sell to fussy children.

Luckily with hotdogs they can be from Siberia and no one will care. Check out our delicious serving suggestion below.

How to prepare NewYork-style Hot Dogs:

  • BBQ those snags until they're cooked through.
  • Place into a hot dog bun and give it the New York works.
  • Sauerkraut, yellow mustard and tomato sauce as a minimum (we’re still in Australia after all), then relish or as many slices of pickle as you can handle.

Pro-tip: Serve with slaw on the side and enjoy! 

Roasted Chickpea YirosEasy meals for kids on the road discovery parks yiros

You might know it from late night shenanigans of your youth, but to your kids it’s a reliable meal they’ve come to love and trust.

Roasted Chickpea Yiros:

  • Pat the chickpeas until dry with a paper towel.
  • Mix in a bowl with olive oil and spices; try pepper, salt, sage, or anything esle you like.
  • Once roasted, put the chickpeas on pita bread with lashings of tzatziki and vegetables. 

Pro-tip: Toast the pita bread on a pan until slightly crispy and warm. To avoid mess, wrap in paper and avoid having to pick up chickpeas off of the floor.

Grilled Chicken BurgersEasy meals for kids on the road discovery parks burgers

Burgers on holiday are every kid's foodie dream. They’ll do anything for you after this! (Stop laughing, they will).

How to prepare Grilled Chicken Burgers:

  • Barbecue your chicken breasts with spices and ingredients of of your choice - oregano, paprika, lemon and pepper all taste great together.
  • When ready, slice up the chicken into fillets and place into burger rolls with your choice of extras.
  • Ensure your buns are soft and toasty warm!
  • Apply lashings of gourmet sauce to elevate your burgers from good to great!

Pro-tip: We like to add in lettuce, fresh slices of tomato, BBQ sauce, sautéed onions and beetroot into our burgers. What do you like?

Tuna QuesadillasEasy meals for kids on the road discovery parks quesadillo

If you loved that trip to Mexico in your 20s, here’s your chance to relive its glory - through your children’s food. They’ll thank you for introducing them to new cultures, and you get to skip down memory lane. The first part of this sentence is not guaranteed.
In any case tuna is easy to buy and store, and quesadillas are fast to make.

How to prepare Tuna Quesadillas:

  • This recipe calls for a mix of drained tuna with mayonnaise and salsa.
  • Simply place your choice of tortillas onto aluminium foil.
  • Add your choice of shredded cheese and tuna mix, then more cheese and another tortilla over the top.
  • Cover with aluminium foil and place on the BBQ or hot plate.
  • Turn periodically, checking that your cheese has melted through.
  • Once ready, cool for a few minutes and allow the cheese to sit.

Pro-tip: Make sure to wait for the quesadillas to cool and have plenty of serviettes, chilli sauce and tabasco on hand.

DINNER

Ring the bell, dinner is served! Or at least it will be when your kids wrap their tatsebuds around these favourites. Any complaints, send 'em to us. Actually don't we're full already!

LASAGNA!

Easy meals for kids on the road discovery parks lasagna

It might sound like a song if you squint your ears and say it three times, but you don’t have to know how to read music or speak Italian to make a Lasagna your kids will love.

You do need an oven though so try this recipe for a family dinner in one of our amazing Deluxe Cabins. As usual with cheese it's okay to be flexible.

How to prepare a Lasagna your kids will love:

The Bolognaise

  • Finely chop half an onion, grate half a carrot and cook in olive oil.
  • When soft add a pack of mince and mix until it's brown all over.
  • Add a tin of chopped tomatoes, some tomato puree, a little pepper and a generous teaspoon of mixed herbs!

The Lasagna

  • Put a layer of bolognaise in an oven dish.
  • Cover with a layer of dry lasagne.
  • Add another layer of bolognaise and dribble some cheese sauce on top.
  • Repeat until all the bolognaise is gone and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Pro-tip: Everybody knows that slices of cheddar work well in the layers!

Meat Kebabs with white rice

Easy meals for kids on the road discovery parks kebab

Yes it is food on a stick but your kids already love it, so why would you even think twice?

This is the simple solution after a long day of holidaying with your family - and perfect for the camp kitchen's BBQ. The only other thing you'll need is 30 mins to prepare the meat before cooking. The other good news is, you can take that time to boil the white rice.

How to prepare Meat Kebabs:

  • Marinate the meat of your choice (lamb, beef and chicken all work fine).
  • On the skewer, observe Aussie tradition by alternating between meat and veggies. Capsicum, zucchini, onion, cherry tomatoes and mushrooms are fine choices.
  • Grill until the meat is cooked through, turning only occasionally and remarking to your BBQ cohorts about the weather or local sporting team.
  • Place it next to your pre-made white rice and you're ready to eat!

Pro-tip: Grab some non-stick BBQ hot plate liners before you hit the road. It will make clean-up a breeze!

DESSERT

Do your children deserve dessert? Of course they don't but you do! Just kidding, give your kids the treat they want and they'll be singing your praises for the rest of the holiday. Yay!  

Grilled Banana with Vanilla Ice Cream

Easy meals for kids on the road discovery parks grilled banana

Could it be more simple than this? We doubt it. But does it get more tasty? Arguably yes but not in the same time frame!

How to prepare Grilled Banana with Vanilla Ice Cream:

  • To get it done simply cut your bananas in half, (long-ways is preferred).
  • Place on the camp kitchen BBQ or hot plate and flip on both sides until browned.
  • Place in bowls with vanilla ice cream and drizzle with maple syrup!

Pro-tip: Top with chocolate chips and crush your holiday diet. You'll thank us later.

Easy meals for kids on the road discovery parks hotdogs kids

The best part about all of these recipes is that there are no real rules on when to use them!

Go crazy by eating a breakfast burrito for lunch or tasty kebabs for dinner. Try them out at any Discovery Parks these Winter School Holidays and be sure to post a pic.

Use the hashtag #discoveryparks and we’ll do our best to share!

PLAN YOUR HOLIDAY NOW

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