Help with lunch ideas for a Playdate?

-Hello! I'm having a playdate at our house on Thursday and looking for some lunch ideas for the kids and adults. There will be 4 moms and 8 kids (4 toddlers, 4 infants). Do you have any ideas for lunch for the moms? Toddlers? How about dessert ideas?



For the infants who can eat some solids, I will have applesauce, steamed carrots, bananas, puffs, and yogurt melts. The moms can take care of the rest for them. :o)



Thank you!Most kids like pasta, but they don't all like tomato sauce. Make the pasta for the kids, but serve the sauce on the side. You should also serve a vegetable. I would really check with the Moms to see what vegetable or other foods the kids will eat.



For the Mom's, you can serve a Cob Salad-cooked chicken, salad greens, avocado and tomato or chef's salad-salad greens, tomato, deli ham, turkey and swiss cheese and hard boiled egg(s). Both salads go well with Russian dressing, but have vinegar and oil handy and some halved lemons in case you have dieters etc.



You could also just serve the Mom's the pasta and sauce with a green salad and garlic bread.



Ice cream for dessert for all.Moms- Just simply lay out a few different foods on a table, for example, a bowl of fruit, a bowl of chicken things, a bowl of salad, a bowl of pasta, some cakes, and five buttered bread rolls. Make sure their medium sized bowls where they can scoop out some of the food from each bowl and place it onto their plate (like a buffet, but a lot smaller)



Toddlers- Soft foods, like rice pudding, sliced grapes, cut up strawberries, cut up cocktail sausages, cut up chicken, small sliced potatoes, that sort of thing.



Deserts- Fairy cakes, biscuits, apple pie, cheesecake, ice cream, a bag of soft sweets.



It would be best to ask the parents what type of foods themselves and their infants like first though, and check if any of them are allergic to anything such as nuts, because if you went out and bought lots of food and the infants didn't like it/wouldn't be able to eat it then it would be a real shame. Good luck!
For the kids sandwiches always work check with the moms to make sure there are no allergies to anything like if you decided to make peanut butter and jelly you would need to make sure no one was allergic to anything.



For the moms I would suggest Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Potatoes

Prep time: 15mins

cook time: 30 mins

You will need

2 tsp. Paprika

1 1/2 tsp. Crushed Rosemary leaves

1 tsp. Minced Garlic

1/2 tsp Coarse ground black pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. salt

6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed (about 2 lbs)

1 1/2 lbs. small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes



Directions:

1. Mix oil, all of the Spices and salt in large bowl. Add chicken and potatoes; toss to coat well. Arrange chicken and potatoes in single layer on foil-lined 15x10x1-inch baking pan sprayed with no-stick cooking spray.

2. Roast, uncovered, in preheated 425 degrees ferinheit oven 30 mins or until chicken is cooked through and potatoes are tender, turning potatoes occasionally. (makes six servings)



Hope this information helped you.
I started getting together with two other moms in the area. We've had a few play dates so far and It's going to be my turn next. I'm having a hard time coming up with ideas for lunch for our children and us.



First playdate was a little of everything. Fruit, crackers, pepperoni, cheese, tukey/creamcheese roll up tortillas.



Second was breakfast casserole.



Third was Tortilla soup for moms and 'lil smokies wrapped in cresent rolls and fruit.



What have you done for playdates? Any easy ideas? Something that can be made ahead of time and just put in the oven or simmer on the stove. Minimal work while playdate is going on.I've made a bacon and egg quiche for several playgroups. I fry the bacon in advance like the night before but you can buy fully cooked bacon too. I also use a Betty Crocker pie-made pie crust. The morning of the playgroup I only have to whip up the eggs mixing in some cream. I also use bagged shredded cheese. So easy! I usually have some fruit - whatever is in season and maybe some muffins (something sweet).



Fruit and muffins can be prepared/made in advance.
With the 4 toddlers you and the other Mom's should make mini pizzas with them. Get bagels or english muffins or hamburger buns and let them make their own pizzas. And there even delicious for adults too :) And for dessert you could get vanilla and chocolate ice cream then pick up sprinkles and smarties or fresh fruit and let them pick their own ice cream falvour andlet them add what they wnt to it :)
I would make a tray of tortilla wraps with turkey or ham. Cheese, lettuce, tomatoes. A fruit salad is always delicious in the summer time. I don't add bananas but melons, kiwi and all kinds of berries. I will squeeze an orange over it to keep it fresh. I would make both and keep them chilled in the fridge for a couple hours. The wraps need to be covered in plastic or they will dry out. Grab a bag of chips or pretzels and you're good to go.



Have Fun and good luck!
English muffins (toast lightly) then add pizza sauce, cheese, etc and do in the oven. Each toddler could do just plain cheese and the adults could add different toppings and all have the same thing and it would be quick and easy.



Yogurt(low-fat)--top with blueberries, strawberries, sponge cake. Layer each in a cup.



Soouthern ice tea. Ice tea with lemonade.
Save yourself some time and energy by choosing a dish that both the kids and adults will like. This will eliminate the need to make two completely different meals for the different groups of people that you are going to be entertaining. Make a kid friendly dish that looks like a food they are familiar with, yet has better flavor and nutrition. This will satisfy both the kids and parents.



Make homemade chicken fingers in the oven. Coat thinly sliced chicken breasts (or you can buy tenders) with a traditional bread crumb mixture. You can add any seasonings that suit your taste buds. Just don't use spicy ingredients or something that the kids won't like. If you wanted to, you could do a basic breading on some tenders and then create a spicier version for the adults. Throw in some Creole seasoning or even some hot sauce into the egg mixture. Bake them at a high temperature until the chicken is crispy on the outside and cooked the entire way through.



Macaroni and cheese would be a delicious side dish. Make a homemade version of course. Kids and adults love it the same so there is no need to make an alternate version for the kids and adults. Top it with bread crumbs if you want a crispy topping that compliments the chicken fingers.



Steamed vegetables would be perfect for the kids because they are easy to eat and very nutritious. Use colorful vegetables like carrots, sugar snap peas, and green beans. A bit of butter and salt/pepper is all you need to flavor them. You could serve the adults these vegetables as well or make a salad bar for the adults with lots of fresh vegetables and toppings. Homemade dressings would make the meal extra impressive.



Dessert should be fairly light since it is a lunch. And you don't want anything that is going to put the kids into a sugar rush right before an afternoon nap. Fresh fruit and yogurt parfaits would be the ideal choice to get a serving of fruit into the meal and provide a light and refreshing end to the lunch date. Alternately layer fresh fruit and yogurt. Granola or assorted nuts would be a great topping for the adults to make it extra special. You could also soak the fruit in an alcohol of some kind to infuse the flavor. Just choose a kind that will compliment the yogurt flavor. This would make the adults feel special, and it is a great way to infuse flavor into dessert while still keeping it healthy and light. Fruit salad would be another option with some whipped cream on top.