I love my 5 children so very much. I will have to admit that I do not miss all those summer lunch meals. They are adults now. Praise the Lord! Summers cost us a fortune. lol. Although I do miss the yard help and gardening help. lol. We truly enjoyed our summers with grilling outside by the community pool. Late night Volleyball, Badmitton, hide and seek, etc. Super fun summer meals were charcuterie trays with lots of fresh fruit and drinks put in ice buckets. I never knew how many neighborhood kids were going to be at my house for games and food.

63 year old but I am always looking for new, and frugal meal ideas. I love taking a Flatbread and making a pizza - I always use olive oil on the crust then include a leafy green veg such as Kale or Spinach usually cooked in a homemade Tomato Sauce, a protein Ham or Hamburger , different Cheeses, Onions, Peppers seasonings and it is always yummm

Alisha from the Dougherty Dozen packs her kids lunches just like she does for school all summer. I started this 3 weeks ago and oh my goodness my life has changed!! I don’t have to think about lunch every day, my kids aren’t trashing the kitchen, I’m not harping at FIVE kids to clean up said mess, I’m not being asked by FIVE kids what’s for lunch, my husband doesn’t have to figure it out on days I’m away for business , etc, etc. we’re on 3 week road trip in our RV and I’ve continued it, everyone eats when they are hungry and I’m not glued to the camper kitchen. On the weekend they either free range in the kitchen and make their own lunch or I make something.

When my girls were young ( they are 28 & 27 now) I picked up an appetizer cookbook, and made all kinds of things from it.... they loved puff pastry for fun once in a while treats, but I would make little pizzas out of English muffins, or put tuna or chicken salad between crackers, or on cucumber slices, they loved lettuce with ham & cheese and a little cream cheese rolled up, I used to make tuna Macoroni and cheese, corn muffin waffles, and add ham or bacon and cheese....and use croissant dough and put pizza toppings in it minus the sauce,,bake it, then have them dip them in sauce.... anyway. I love your videos, your very inspiring!! Thank you for sharing

I make a big batch of breakfast burritos and freeze them. If heating from frozen, we microwave about a minute to defrost then put in air fryer for 10 minutes or so. This heats up burrito fairly evenly and crisps up the outside.

We buy Annie's organic white cheddar pasta and we add frozen peas and real bacon bits for a cheap and easy carbonara style pasta.

My kids are teenagers, so I don’t normally prepare lunch for them anymore, but a super simple thing they love to have is chicken Caesar wraps. They just use whatever chicken (rotisserie, leftover, or even the frozen breaded chicken), a bag of Caesar salad mix and a wrap. Mix it all together, wrap it up and viola. I like them too, and it can make a fast summer dinner without heating up the kitchen.

When microwaving the burritos, when the microwave is done, leave it in there with the door closed for a few minutes. The heat will even out more in the burrito. I use the same technique when quickly thawing meat without cooking it

Love the ideas! Thank you, *thank you* for mentioning how kids can help make some of these meals themselves 🙌🏼 As a teacher, I see firsthand how (age appropriate) self-sufficiency is so important for being prepared w those life skills and for independence. So when I see so many mom youtubers who make these beautiful looking meals, but they do absolutely everything for their kids 24/7 & I never see any of the children helping, it worries me, as this is a trend I have noticed w kids I teach too. Thank you for putting that idea out there that kids are capable & it’s important we support them in boosting their confidence in doing things like helping w meals.

Frozen burrito tip because I love them! Put them in the microwave seem side up for half of the time then flip them over, cut them in half, and turn them filling side out for the rest of the cooking time.

The frozen burritos are awesome to thaw overnight in the fridge and toast them in a buttered skillet

I love your videos. Thank you for all the tips. My tip for you the frozen burritos, I usually wet a hand towel napkin over the frozen burrito and put in the microwave for 1 minutes and 30 seconds. It doesn’t dry out or harden and it ends up perfectly HOT on the inside. 👍🏼

Vegetable ranch pizza is so refreshing in the summer. It's a cold pizza. You just roll out crossaint rolls and bake then top it with ranch mix & creamcheese. Put fresh veggies on top, cucumber, broccoli or which ever you prefer and cut it in squares. A must try!

Cauliflower crusts get darker and super crunchy easy so be sure to really watch them well

👌Good ideas! Tortillas pizzas,🍕 pb&j wraps, and salad with hummus wraps 🌯are our favorites for easy lunches here. Love Jim Gafigan! 😄

Hot pockets! 🎶🎶 I love your videos and how down to earth and practical they are. I appreciate how you shop at Walmart and unapologetically use store brands to make nutritious, affordable meals!

Thank you for this video!!! My daughter is staying home alone this summer for the first time, and these were great ideas. She can only use the toaster and microwave when no one is home. So some of these I can make the weekend and she can reheat.

Frozen burrito tip: cook a minutes then flip over cook another 1:30 then that should cook them all the way through.

The trick with frozen burritos is to microwave them to get the inside scalding hot while the outside is still cold and then toss them under the broiler to get outsides scalding. Then they're perfect!

My husband LOVES those frozen burritos and he will nuke them in the microwave for one min. Then fry in a pan with oil

School is not even done until June 30th here in Calgary. Nice ideas, even for lunch boxes for summer camps

Frozen burritos we put 2 on the plate put it in the microwave for 2 minutes turn then over and cut in half add shredded cheese if you wish then put it in for a minute. Works great! 👍

For frozen burritos in the microwave I do half the power for half the time then flip and repeat. They come out much more evenly heated.

My kids absolutely loved macaroni and cheese. When they were young, I would make chili macaroni & cheese. May mac & cheese as directed, heat a can of store-bought chili and combine. Also, I would sometimes add frozen peas or broccoli to add more substance to it.

Love the blue polish you’re wearing in this video! It looks like a perfect summer blue color!

reheating burrito tip - cook at 75 to 80% power, then let sit for a bit

I pop my frozen burritos in the air fryer and for the most part they cook pretty evenly.

You yelling at the fly reminded me of my oldest son, who is now 19, when he was around 3. We were sitting in a Panara Bread eating and a fly was buzzing in the window next to him. He grabbed a mayonnaise packet and started threatening the fly, "I'm a gonna get you fwy! I'm a gonna kiew you!" While flailing at it with his mayo packet. 😂😂😂 I think he actually managed to get it, if I remember correctly. So, thanks for the memory jog about one of my favorite funny kid moments.

Hot Pockets ! That is one of the funniest things he’s done. I will never think of them without hearing his voice. 😂😂

I can’t see hot pockets without hearing Gaffigan, too!! 😂. Mindy, I never loved frozen broccoli till I started watching you. Now frozen broccoli is a total staple.

Thank you for sharing summer lunches where kids eat the most while being at home lol

My son prefers pizza with garlic butter only, no sauce. And before you mentioned it I never thought of the frozen garlic bread as a basis for personal pizza

Adding scrambled eggs to Mac and cheese was a standard practice when I was a young musical theatre performer living in NYC and needing to keep it cheap but get that protein!!!

I’m a first time mom this year, and a preschool teacher/day care provider and I find that making a weekly menu helps to be cost effective. Use it as a guideline and maybe jot down 2 different meal options for children to choose from.

I have a lot: 1 can of cheap flaky biscuits. I make: 1)Mini pizzas (let kids add their own toppings) 2) Mini taco rounds(cook biscuits then add your taco meat, refried beans, and toppings for mini taco rounds 3) Get the microwaveable pulled pork and Mac and cheese. Put it on top of biscuits and serve. Get tortilla chips. Line them "standing up" in a throw away pan. Cook taco meat and season. In-between the standing up chips layer taco meat, queso, cream cheese(the more the better) chili no beans. Cook in oven about twenty minutes around 375. You can add extra toppings like lettuce and tomato after. Any event I bring this to it's gone. Can get a little soggy the next day though. I worked at a deli and we used to make this salad that was tuna, medium shell noodles, good seasons Italian seasoning, lemon juice, salt pepper. Refrigerate for easy summer light meal. Take leftover spaghetti and put it on Texas toast garlic bread for "spaghetti sandwiches" Hawaiian roll ideas: 1) Roast beef, cheddar, bacon, can of dark gravy. Season rolls however you prefer. Assemble and cook in the oven until hot and melty. Dip in gravy. 2) "Thanksgiving day rolls" I use sliced turkey, white cheddar, can of turkey gravy, can of cranberry sauce and the microwave mashed potatoes. Layer turkey, mashed potatoes, cheddar, and cranberry sauce. Heat in over until melty. Dip in the gravy :)

I been putting pasta sauce and cheese and pepperoni on the tortilla and put it in the oven the kids can make there own way they love it

For the frozen burritos, I put a couple into the fridge the night before if I know that's what I'm going to offer them for lunch the next day. That way they're mostly thawed and they reheat much more evenly.

That shirt saying always has me cracking a smile!! I had to pause this video & go add mozzarella pearls to my grocery wishlist. Besides those Babybell things, I didn't even realize those existed; must try!! I like that idea of a charcuterie board/"deconstructed pasta salad"!!! Another must try!!! Bloopers!!!! "I'm gonna get you fly!" made me laugh.

Love the outtakes. So funny! Especially love when you laugh at yourself.

The make your own pasta salad lunch is a great idea!

Perfect timing! I’m doing some dinner prep for the rest of the week and I’m happy for the company of your video to chop some veggies to 😊

Burrito tip!! After heating per the package directions-cut in half & place the ends together to make a new middle. Then use the wrapper to re-cover & heat on 50% for about 10-20 more seconds (or until the temp. you desire). I do this all the time with frozen burritos & I usually add a little bit of extra cheese (under the wrapper) while heating it up the second time. :)

To help heat the frozen burritos evenly, thaw in the microwave first then cook until hot.

On of our go-tos lately for easy lunches is burritos! We prep the ingredients (rice, beans, taco meat, lettuce, cheese) and then prep them for lunches for a few days following. So dependable!

I just put a wet paper towel over the burrito and cook a minute turn it over another minute and turn again until it's done. But you could probably throw it in an air fryer or under the broiler to toast it up.

I used to mix vanilla yogurt with peanut butter and the kid's could dip their veggies or fruit in it. It's very yummy 😋. TY again for sharing all your ideas with us ❤️

Thanks for those suggestions. I live in southern Arizona and it gets HOT here. These recipes will be utilized for my summer meals. I also try and freeze juice, kool-ade or flavored waters to make my own otter pops. It works well for us. Of course, drinking lots of cold water helps too. Thanks for your tips.

I make frozen burritos by the dozen. I find defrosting them for 5 minutes first leads to a much more even cook. It's longer, but it's worth it. This also helps the ends from getting so brittle and crunchy.

Two things: 1) Settlers of Cataan! Your kids have great taste in games. 😁 2) My husband is a fluffer nutter fanatic. Me, on the other hand...🤮 LOL.

Hahaha I can’t look at hot pockets without thinking of Jim Gaffigan either !

My little one loves street taco Mexican pizza. Very cheap…shredded Mexican cheese,Prego Italian pasta sauce, spinach, street taco tortillas, and turkey pepperoni. And for breakfast I buy the $1 packets of Martha White banana nut muffin mix with one ripe banana to make easy, delicious muffins.

For the burritos, microwave until fully heated and them throw them into a pan with a little oil and they're perfect (:

Hot pockets! Hahah loved that reference 🤣

Girl! You read my mind! Next some hot summer meal ideas please

"Your minutes are numbered". 😂😂😂😂😂 So funny!

I've been doing chicken nuggets and waffles for the kids the past couple of days. It's super easy in the toaster oven. Summer lunch is definitely about ease and not turning the oven on. I do love the idea with pizza and leftovers though.

Froz3n burritos in the air fryer. About 7-8 minutes per side, they come out crunchy like chimichangas

I click like on all your videos because I always know I am going to LOVE your ideas or giggle with humor! Thanks!

wrap a damp paper towel around the burrito before microwaving.

Now I'm craving mac n cheese lol! We didn't have a microwave growing up, so everything was reheated in the oven or stove. It's a lost art that I have been teaching my child for the last year. I forgot how much better things can taste that way!

My littles like PB and j rollups(just on tortilla).

These are some great ideas as well for seniors (us old folks!). I get tired of eating leftovers for lunch the next day.

Topping frozen pretzels with pizza topping, cheese and pepperoni, and then dipping in red sauce is delicious!!!

I had never heard of your method to reheat mac and cheese before. Very interesting! I just add in a little milk and it looks fresh as the day I made it.

The frozen burritos heat for just a little in the microwave then air fry till done

I used to bring a frozen burrito to work and we didn't have a freezer so it would be thawed by lunchtime and it heated evenly in the microwave in about 30-40 seconds so you might try thawing them first. :)

I can use a lot of these ideas for when school starts back up (I'm a teacher).

Mrs. Mindy. You have no idea how much you have blessed me! It's very difficult for me to walk anymore in this Okc heat due to my Multiple Sclerosis. God is great and I have no complaints! I just wanted to let you know how grateful I am for you being my legs and I know what's in the store so I can plan and schedule my visit accordingly! Thanks sooo much!

We do the burritos a lot because hubby isn't a great chef and when he is working and I am not going to be home they are his go to. We actually Zap them for one minute seam side up, flip and add salsa, enchilada sauce or Taco sauce for another minute then add cheese and just let it sit in the microwave for a minute to allow the cheese to melt. The plate also makes difference we use a lot of paper plates but this requires a glass plate to even out the heating

The thing u put around a hot pocket needs to be used for the burrito and it will get done in the middle.

We go about 2-3 times a year, always Tp,paper towels and whole pork lion and 10 pounds of ground beef and my nuts for baking for the year and dry cranberries. Than we go from there.

Just in time! Kiddos are done with camps at the end of the week will be home again for the next few weeks. Tip for the burritos- the air fryer! I spritz with a little cooking spray and air fry at 375. Evenly cooked and super crispy every time!

Great video! My kids are going to appreciate some new ideas. I need that shirt too 😂

I always flip the burritos so like if it says 3 minutes is the max then I turn them over halfway through and they're usually fine

We find with frozen burritos, 45 seconds flip and add another 30 seconds let stand 1 min. Love your videos:

Great ideas Mindy. I didn’t know about the Mac and cheese reheat. Thanks for sharing!

My family has always bought certain things the store brand and other things name brand. I’ve been wanting to try the great value cracker options and I finally did… the great value Triscuits are just as good as name brand! Will be trying store band more often for sure.

Good options for lunches...when it's cool. Temps soaring to over 100 plus high humidity means nothing baked! Pizza has to be baked at 400-425 and broiling??? 500! Please help with frugal cold options.😃

Frozen burritos in the air fryer are the absolute best! They heat evenly and come out crispy instead of kind of soft and soggy. I never do them any other way anymore. Also another fav thing that kids love is to toast up waffles in the toaster and then cut a slice of ice cream to put in the middle to make an eggo ice cream sandwich. They are sooo good!

I'm a kid at heart. So much inspiration. These ideas are fabulous and fun!! (We have 8 grown children and 8 grands between myself and my husband.) We all love fun food!

Even though my kids are all under 5, I’m definitely filing away these ideas! 👍🏻 And Jim gaffigan was one of the ways my now husband and I first connected 😊 “caliente pocket… you have a gift my friend” 😂

An easy one I make a lot is to get a boxed Betty Crocker pasta salad and add to it. My favorite is the Caesar one served hot with chicken added in, and we also add a little mayo so it's creamier. Or we do the Italian one cold with cut up string cheese buts and mini pepperoni in it. So good and easy! Done in 12 min and don't go bad in the pantry.

Great ideas! And LOL at Jim G and hot pockets yes

Thaw the burritos and fry them. My whole family loves them. You can top with lettuce, tomato, cheese, salsa, onion, or just chili. Also my kids always loved to stir multigrain cheerios into yogurt.

Love Jim Gaffigan haha

Mindy I’ve found the air fryer at 350 for 12 minutes makes a perfect frozen burrito. I usually preheat my air fryer for 2 minutes and then pop in the burrito straight from the freezer.

I'm a little late to the party, but.... I love throwing sandwich/hamburger ingredients on a green salad. For a while I couldn't eat gluten, so I would put crumbled hamburger, cheese, bacon, etc on a romaine salad and use ketchup&mustard or BBQ sauce or 1000 Island for dressing.. YUM!!! Still make it a couple of times a month but can add croutons . Much love from Oklahoma City!

This gave me great ideas!! I only cook for me and I love the pasta salad recipe, why make it all at once. I will do it individually and freeze any pasta I don't use. Thanks so much for this it really helped me! :)

My kids love the French bread pizza. I take out part of the bread and that becomes a vessel for the rest of the topping and then I use the insides for breadcrumbs. It's so good!!! I love your video's!!!

Yay! I love these ideas, thank you!! Some of my kiddos favorite lunches are snack type foods (deviled eggs, cheese cubes, veggies, cashews, kettle corn, fruit, etc...) I'll have to add the frozen pretzels and a variety of dips into our rotation. Thanks Mindy!

frozen burrito tip - heat 1/2 the time seam side up, flip to seam side down and heat remainder of time. I never reheat more than 2 at a time. I'm a long time bean & cheese burrito fan!

When my kids were young I made mini pizzas in a muffin tin with those cheap 50 cent cans of biscuits..not the grands...they are nice bite sized for kids

Easy and yummy lunch meal- Sloppy joe meat on Texas toast with some mozzarella cheese on top and toast in the oven!

Best timing it will be 3 kids and myself for 5 days so I need some options that they will actually eat

I make deviled eggs almost every week. My husband and I eat two for breakfast along with fruit and a half bagel. It has become our favorite breakfast.

My burrito tip is I cook the burrito wrapped in a slightly damp paper towel for 1 minute and then flip over and cook for 1 minutes 20 seconds. And they come out perfect. I use a 900W microwave

Watching from Muskogee, OK! Thank you for the ideas!

Hot Pocket 🎵 I love Jim Gaffigan I sing it every time I see hot pockets!

For those frozen burritos- I microwave them for half the time, flip them over, then do the rest of the time. I also don't microwave more than 4 at a time and I make sure there is space between them all.

Love these vids, very helpful especially in these times of summer fun 😊