I’m lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where there are plenty of kids, so spur-of-the-moment playdates happen regularly.

Still, with three kids of my own, if each kid has just one friend over that’s six kids minimum. Throw in a few siblings, stragglers and what have you, and it’s not unusual at all for us to have 8-10 kids over at a time.

How do I handle lunchtime? No, I don’t send everyone home. I would WAY rather cook for 10 and keep my kids happy, entertained, and practicing their people skills than break up an afternoon of fun for them and peace for me.

So here are the 5 things I always have on hand, to deal with a hungry crew:

1. Boxed Macaroni and Cheese

Go ahead and scoff, but in my experience most kids like boxed mac 'n cheese BETTER than homemade. If you have super picky kids on deck, you don’t even have to use the cheese powder. Make the macaroni plain and let ‘em toss real parmesan on top. This works just as well with red sauce.

2. Quesadillas or Grilled Cheese

I always keep some flour tortillas and American cheese on hand. My kids won’t touch American cheese, but all the neighborhood kids almost always love it. Just warm up a tortilla in a pan, put the cheese in the middle, and fold it over.

3. Mini-Bagels, Soup Optional

You can put anything inside these suckers and they are sized just right for kids. Cream cheese, tuna or egg salad, American cheese – even just plain butter works in a pinch. If you want to get a little crazy, warm up some canned soup to go with it.

4. French Fries

Ever see those bags of frozen fries in the store? These are the PERFECT hearty snack for a large group of kids. Keep these on hand and you always have a solution to the “mom we’re hungry!” chorus,  I use foil to line the baking pan too, so clean up is super easy.

5. Ramen Noodles

Are these bad for you? OF COURSE they are. But if you serve it only once and a while, I say it’s FINE. Balance the relative evil of ramen noodles against all the other undoubtedly large mistakes you are making as a parent, and suddenly they don’t seem so bad, right?

Once you’ve got the basics done, converting these carbohydrate basics into a healthy, well-balanced meal that will do you proud is easy. (You know the kids are gonna tell their parents what they ate, right?)

Here’s how. Add this on the side:

1. Mini Carrots

2. Sliced Fruit – Apples, Plums, Tangerines

3. Canned Black Olives

4. Canned Beans of Any Kind – Chickpeas, Red Kidney Beans (Protein!)

Very important! Make the kids do the work of putting dishes in the dishwasher and the trash or compost when they are done. 

Keep these on hand and you’re ready for playdates, last minute dinners – anything the kids throw at you.