Meatless Lenten Meal for Kids

We made this super easy Lenten lunch last Friday, and the kids really loved it! It’s amazing how 30 seconds of work can dazzle kids. This would be a perfect, simple lunch to serve on Good Friday (or Ash Wednesday, or any Friday during Lent really). You can find all of my holy week food ideas for kids here.

Sandwich with pretzel crosses and cut into triangles

This could not have been easier to do. Make your kids some peanutbutter sandwiches- whatever your family likes. (You know, pb & jelly, pb & banana, pb & honey, pb & sugar, pb & scrambled eggs… hey, people put all kinds of things on peanut butter sandwiches!)

Take 2 pretzel sticks. Leave one of them tall, but the second one needs to be nibbled down a little cut with a sterile knife to make it shorter than the first one. Use a little dab of peanut butter to hold the pieces together like a cross. Make 3 for each sandwich, and stick them into the bread so they stand straight up.

Peanut butter and pretzel sandwich cut into triangles

If your child is allergic to peanut butter, I’m sure you have some clever cream cheese recipe or something you can substitute.

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Isn’t is hilarious how adding pretzel stick crosses to peanut butter sandwiches actually make them taste better? 😉

Eating Lenten Sandwiches

Violet made a real mess out of hers, but then again, she always does. At least she didn’t put it in her hair.

Eating Lenten Sandwiches

What about your family? What do your kids eat on meatless Fridays?

You’ll find all of my Lenten resources for kids here
More Lenten Resources For Kids

Comments

  1. Precious, precious photos of your children! 🙂
    I’ve lurked here a long time without posting but those grins were too cute to resist!

    REALLY enjoy your blog and am grateful for the blessing of your creativity.
    Thank you for sharing so many fabulous ideas, Lacy.
    Ace1234

    • Thanks! I was thinking the other day that I don’t share enough pictures with my kids actually in them, so I posted a few. 🙂

  2. We rarely eat meat, so there are lots of meatless ideas:
    pasta with sauce piled on the plate in the shape of a cross
    cross shaped pancakes
    soup with homemade pretzels for dipping
    bagels cut in half (not lengthwise, but the other way) with an olive. lay the bagel on the cut end like a tomb and put the olive in the hole like the stone
    any food with spinach leaves used like palm branches on the road (Palm Sunday)

    Enjoy!
    Hope

  3. My kids love lots of meatless meals.
    But, their favorite is Lent “Chicken” Nuggets. It’s actually just boring baked fish sticks, but if they knew it was fish, they wouldn’t eat it! They think the fish sticks are chicken nuggets that have been specially prepared to be OK for Lent.

    Should I go to confession for tricking them?

  4. This is boring, but my son just eats what we eat. I let him help when I’m not doing any frying and that’s solves most of his “I don’t like that” protestations. However he’s generally offended by the lack of breakfast meats, sweets, and other food luxuries.

  5. My kids love meatless meals too! EasyMac, tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches, fish sticks with french fries, Fettucine Alfredo with Broccoli, Cheese Pizza, Potato Soup (instant mashed potatoes thinned with milk), I make lots of Homemade Vegetable Soups too (Butternut squash, Carrot, Winter Vegetable) Place any vegetable(s) with a chopped carrot, and onion in a pot, cover with water, boil until soft. Make a roux with butter and flour( can use instant potatoes for Gluten Free), add milk and stir until thickened, add pureed vegetables and season with butter, salt and pepper! A Winner in our house!
    Miss you Lacy, Hope you are getting settled and are happy with family! I told someone in the grocery store about your Shepherd’s Pie as I was searching for a 3-lobed green pepper!

  6. This is such a great idea! I wish I could make these for my 1st Communion students, but I don’t know how that would work out (in case someone is allergic.. )

    • Yes, you always need to find a peanut butter substitute for classroom use. Maybe pimento cheese?

    • Before you do projects like this in the classroom, ASK the parents if anyone is allergic. If someone is, then find something else. Otherwise, peanut butter is OK. Walmart does sell soy butter, which is marketed as a substitute for peanut butter, for the kids who are allergic, and for the kids who are in a classroom with a severely allergic kid who can’t be around peanut butter at all. I’ve never tasted it, but it didn’t seem prohibitively expensive!

      • Would a bit of honey also make them stick? Maybe cream cheese?
        Almond butter is a tasty alternative.

  7. This is such a cute and easy idea. I also love the idea in the comments section. We are new to the church and I love getting new ideas for Friday meals. Thanks for sharing!

  8. Angi Jones says

    Sub for peanut butter for kids with allergies, most people use Sunbutter or Soybutter. If you are making anything for someone else’s child, please check with all of the parents first. My children have allergies and would refuse to eat anything made for them that is not Mom-Approved 😉

    We enjoy salads, banana with mayo sandwiches, appetizer plates (finger foods). Due to allergies, we cannot have any fish or shellfish, so our meatless meals center around pasta and cheese lol

    Also, adding food coloring to pancakes is always a big hit. We had green pancakes the other day in celebration of St. Paddy’s Day. We will be too busy Irish Dancing around town to celebrate on Saturday.

  9. Talk about putting weird things with you PB&J – some of my kids put Doritos in their sandwiches!!