Healthy meals kids will eat

I like to make pasta bakes and put lots of veggies in there. They have no idea.

Skinnytaste.com has a lot of great recipes. My 3 year old loves roasted veggies and when they are sautéed in garlic. But sometimes she isn't into it.. so I also sneak some into sauces, soups, fritters, in meatballs/burgers, eggs, pancakes, muffins etc.

My kids love tacos...it's easy to smash up avocado and hide the chopped spinach on the inside. I sub the sour cream with greek yogurt.

We make our own pizza with thin crust, shredded chicken, or ground beef; also easy to hide the chopped spinach in sauce/cheese.

I make a fake lasagna...basically all the ingredients minus the noodles (low carb). My kids really like that.

Chilli is super easy and can be loaded with beans/meat/veggies...the spices and cooking down the veggies can mask the taste too.

What are they eating already? Maybe start with making smaller changes to make those meals healthier.
They do get used to veges too - it can take a few times.

I also found raw vege sticks and dip another good way to add in some healthy food.

Involving them in making dinner can be fun too....sometimes need extra time and patience though, so not on the days you are in a rush.
And if you have space, growing food themselves is great - tomatoes, peas, potatoes are some my kids now love after growing their own (my son wouldn't touch potato until we grew some!).

Vegetable soup can be another way to add in extras - for an afternoon snack or with a meal. I find my kids like soup better in a mug with a small spoon rather than in a bowl!

My friend who worked as a teachers aide and a foster parent of special needs kids has all sorts of tricks up her sleeve. I've seen her put out all the fixings to make fruit pizzas. Similarly for kebabs. Get the children involved in the construction.

Put out very small amounts of the new veggies the first time.

I use ranch dressing and cheez whiz to dress up veggies.

I'm also in the my kids eat what I eat camp. Each of my kids has 1-2 foods they just don't like (like mushrooms and squash), and I can live with that. They are both adventurous foodies who aren't overweight, so I did something right in that regard. My daughter is in college and regularly sends me pictures of the food she cooks for herself. She has Celiac, so the normal staples of Ramen and cheapo college foods just aren't an option for her. She made sauted chicken and roasted Brussells sprouts the other day. I was a proud mama! My 13 year old son would rather dive into a perfectly grilled salmon filet than have chicken nuggets. He's also weird because he'll eat salad with no dressing. Go figure! I think a lot of this stems from my daughter's diet restrictions as a young child, so we always cooked more meals than we did convenience type foods.

They have cousins who would come to family dinners with Spaghetti Os and hot dogs while my kids ate steak and amazing delicious stuff.

Anyway--roast those veggies. A little olive oil and sea salt goes a long way. Lately we've been into "green bean fries" where we toss fresh green beans with EVOO and sea salt and roast at 4:25 for about 25 minutes. They get a little charred and crisp but are SO delicious. We'll also steam some edamame pods and sprinkle with sea salt and smoked paprika. It's a very hands-on snack that is SO satisfying to eat.

The 6 year old is old enough to take shopping and getting input on what vegetables to buy. Getting children involved in the process can get them to try new things. Also try growing a few things or just some herbs and have the children help water ect. I was lucky that my parents had a huge garden and my children would go over and eat different vegetables right out of the garden.

I do a mix of "eat what's served or go hungry" and making special meals. My son can eat what he wants and how much he wants from what's on offer at each meal, but he doesn't have to clean his plate, try everything, or eat at all if he doesn't want to. I don't see the point in trying to make him eat identically to me; we are different people with vastly different physical needs, if nothing else. I make meals that contain at least one (usually two or more) component he likes and I make sure the foods I prepare and offer him are a good mix of healthy, fun, and tasty. After that, he takes over and decides what and how much of what I've offered he's going to eat -- and he knows I will not offer anything else if he decides to turn up his nose at the entire meal.

Sometimes this means (like last night) he has two helpings of rice and broccoli-cheese sauce, but no asparagus. Sometimes it means (like last week) he eats 400000000 baby carrots and cherry tomatoes, but skips the tilapia. Sometimes (like Saturday) it means he scarfs down his own whole steak and double helpings of mashed potatoes and salad; sometimes (like many nights) it means he takes two bites, says he's full, and I'm left wondering how he has so much energy to run around! Sometimes (like Monday) it means I make mac'n'cheese from a box because he likes it, and sometimes it means he kindly eats artichokes and quinoa because I like them and he's being nice to his cranky mom that day.

It works out for both of us: I don't have to spend money and time on "kid meals," he gets to have agency over his appetite and food choices, and neither of us spend much time fighting over dinner.

maybe an option could be smoothies or shakes for nutrition? my parents used to make these green smoothies and mask all the vegetables with fruits or some apple juice.

I really struggle with this. I have a 2 year old who will eat whatever I give him but my 3 year old is horrible. She is so picky, anything casserole or pasta she gags and almost throws up...she has some type of a texture issue. She will eat whatever I serve her but often it can be a battle. Of course she loves the not so good for you foods-I feel like I am ruining her by just giving her what I know she will eat.

Generally I ate what my parents ate. If it was something we didn't like, we just had to eat a small portion. Literally three bites, and then could have a sandwich. Not every night, and at three you should def be working on expanding what they eat. A lot of times it's not so much "its gross" as "it's different".

One thing I really enjoyed was getting to pick out one new fruit or veggie to try. Each grocery trip I'd get to pick one out- coconut, persimmon, star fruit, etc. Although, if you don't know how to eat it, look it up! We tried to eat a pomegranate like an apple!