Any ideas for low cal dinners to satisfy the whole family??

Asian stir fry, curries, grilled meats and veggies. You can make just about anything low cal, it's just not as good as when you make it with tons of butter, oil, and cream :-/

Lean mince steak is good and filling - make a chili or bolognese sauce with it. I've never known a kid to turn down beef bolognese! Keep the oil content low - just enough to cook the meat, and drain any excess before adding other ingredients. For meals like that, weigh everything raw before it goes in - makes calculating calorie content so much easier! Pair them with a green salad (no dressing), or small portions of rice/pasta/potatoes - definitely add in carbs for a growing 4 year old. Nothing wrong with red meat, as long as you keep it in moderation - perhaps two days a week.

I agree with allowing children to be involved in food preparation. Little ones can take a bowl of meatball mixture, and help with mixing and prep of the meatballs. Their small hands are ideally suited to the job, and they enjoy the messiness! I've involved my nieces and nephews in food prep since they were tiny. Supervised knife use is essential, but I've converted some horribly fussy eaters simply by getting them to prepare and cook their own food, and them tell me they're excited to eat what they've made. In fact, the number of mini aprons outnumbers the number of normal ones hanging in my kitchen, as the kids come to my house to cook with me so frequently!