I need some good low cal recipes that my kids will eat

www.parenting.com kids fun meals

My kids like roasted veggies, I make all my own spag. sauces, I use ground turkey instead of beef, brown rice and sweet potatoes instead of white, homemade beans for tostadas, (I bake the tortillas). You can make all kinds of changes in what you fix and they will eat it. Just look at revamping your recipes to make them lower in calories etc.

I look up a bunch of stuff online them tweak it to what will work for our family. I never would cook a separate meal as I'm a mom not a short order cook.

Hang in there. When my kids realize that what's for dinner is what's for dinner they generally eat it. If they really don't like what we're having they're welcome to have a PB & J as that's the alternative in our house. I'm not going to make them eat anything but I'm not recooking.

you should only be cooking one meal, and one meal only, if they dont like it then tough luck, they gotta learn to eat whats given to them. My sons learnt that, He wont eat and an hr later hes asking for snacks and i dont give in, im not a short order cook.

Make things like pastas, tacos, homemade grilled chicken burgers,maybe have a night where your kids choose the meal and do what you can to make it more healthy if its something thats not healthy (eg. chicken fingers. make homemade ones!)

You can try making kids favourites such as chicken nuggets and fishcakes from scratch so easy and you know eaxactly whats going into them nutrition wise..also alot better than the shop bought processed types. Instead of fries you can make butternut squash or sweet potato fries..i prefer the butternut squash Simply cut into strips or 'fries' and put on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil if wanted and season, roast in oven for around 20-30mins. They have the same texture and shape as fries and are ALOT heathier..they are lovely!

Home made pizzas are good also, you can make your own dough with strong bread flour (i use wholemeal) but you could do 50/50 wholemeal/white to suit kids tastes, some quick yeast and water or olive oil, rest to allow it to rise and then knead it out. Pick your own healthy toppings such as fresh mushrooms, pepppers, onions, grilled chicken and use fresh tomato paste and low cal half fat mozarella to top..pop in oven till nice and crispy. Its also fun for kids to make there own pizzas, letting them help put toppings etc on

My 8 year old step son is SOOO picky.
Not really picky, just spoiled.
When he is at home (not our home), he eats processed junk, and rarely has a "family dinner".
His typical meals consist of: Mac and cheese (the cheap boxed kind), chicken nuggets (the frozen tyson kind), french fries, fast food, pizza, candy, hot dogs, corn dogs, those breakfast sausage things on a stick wrapped in a pancake, sugary cereal..you get the drift.
WELL, when he comes here he refuses to eat vegetables or fruit. So, I say ok, and don't argue. I just trick him :blushing:

His favorite thing to eat here is pizza! Little does he know, the crust is made solely from cauliflower, and the toppings include turkey pepperoni and low fat cheese!

He also likes chicken fingers. I make them homemade- still not the greatest for you, but, they aren't that bad.

This weekend, I am going to make tofu chocolate mousse, I wonder if he can tell the difference!

When I make lasagna (another favorite), I sometimes use boca meat and turkey sausage, and put a TON of veggies in the sauce. Also, When I make mac and cheese, I put a little spinach in there. When I make hamburgers, I use turkey, but, put a little Lipton's beefy mushroom soup mix and a little worchestire sauce in the meat, and it tastes like beef, I also put chopped veggies in!

All in all, I don't think he can tell. the only thing I wouldn't try is sugar free chocolate syrup! I tried that for chocolate milk, and the clumping and weird look is a dead giveaway. But, we use skim milk, low cal butter, and almost low fat everything, even string cheese and pudding and jello...which he loves.

So, be creative! Hope this helps!

Try skinnytaste.com
I've found tons of recipes just in the past couple weeks that even my picky child will eat....(To name a couple, skinny shephards pie and skinny sloppy joes...) I made the sloppy joes last night and they were delicious!

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I have a low carb husband, a vegetarian teenager, a non-dairy teenager and a fussy 6 year old. Dinner can be a challange.:ohwell:
I tend to make things that they can customize at the table. Things like make your own burritos. Whole wheat tortillas, lean ground beef or turkey, black beans, lettuce, tomatos, cheese etc. (Husband no tortilla, teenager black beans and vegetables, teenager 2 meat and veg, 6 yr old tortilla with cheese). For pasta I keep the whole wheat pasta, the meat, the sauce (with extra veg) and cheese separate. Same thing with stir fry.
If I make something I know someone won't eat I always have a side dish that they will eat. I make sure everything on the table is healthy and that is it. We eat together and I only make one meal. The more times you serve something the more likely your kids will try it. Good Luck.

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