Anyone have a good meal kids will actually eat?

curvykim78
curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I'm trying to make my grocery list, but I'm tired of eating the same things all the time. Does anyone have a simple meal or idea for dinner? I have 3 picky kids and one with food allergies. (egg & peanuts) I can make him something else if needed. Any ideas? Thanks!
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Replies

  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    Tacos are fun, and you can make them healthy if you choose good ingredients like grilled chicken breast and fresh veggies. They can leave off whatever they don't want. My son prefers to break up the shell and eat it like chips, eating the fillings separately with a fork. It works.
  • andreacord
    andreacord Posts: 928
    Skinnytaste has some really good, healthy family-friendly recipes .. not a mom myself but I used to nanny part-time and the kids loved her chicken nuggets, and the parents loved that it wasn't processed junk :smile:
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,224 Member
    Pizza....the gov't now classifies pizza as a vegetable, so it's a shoe in.
  • Mercenary1914
    Mercenary1914 Posts: 1,087 Member
    grill chicken
    bake chicken
    chicken nuggets
    chicken tenders
    chicken fingers
    chicken sandwhich
    and finally

    Chick-fil-A
  • CristlNothem
    CristlNothem Posts: 54 Member
    my 3 year old loves when i make vegetarian pizza. All i do is spread out the dough on a pan, sprinkle some garlic powder, then the mozzarella cheese, and put sliced tomatoes, red onions and some parsley on top. It tastes amazing, takes about 5 minutes of prep and my son gobbles it up
  • nicholawelch
    nicholawelch Posts: 74 Member
    cottage pie
    shepherds pie
  • dewgirl321
    dewgirl321 Posts: 296 Member
    Pulled pork - put a pork shoulder in the crock pot with a can of coke and bbq sauce to coat the pork - put on low overnight or high for probably 4 hrs. Very yummy! Can also be done with beef roast or chicken breast. Serve with potatoes or beans and salad or other veg the kids like.
  • Mercenary1914
    Mercenary1914 Posts: 1,087 Member
    And if you go to Chick-Fil-A

    Get me Chick-Fil-A Spicy combo large with lettuce and tomato...swap out the drink and ask for the Cookies and Cream Milk Shake

    I will pay you back tomorrow.
  • UponThisRock
    UponThisRock Posts: 4,519 Member
    My kids love steak and potatoes
  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    grill chicken
    bake chicken
    chicken nuggets
    chicken tenders
    chicken fingers
    chicken sandwhich
    and finally

    Chick-fil-A
    LMAO....I was like wow this guy loves his chicken! :) Sorry, no Chick fil A for us, peanut allergy. :( They use peanut oil for their nuggets.
  • Mercenary1914
    Mercenary1914 Posts: 1,087 Member
    grill chicken
    bake chicken
    chicken nuggets
    chicken tenders
    chicken fingers
    chicken sandwhich
    and finally

    Chick-fil-A
    LMAO....I was like wow this guy loves his chicken! :) Sorry, no Chick fil A for us, peanut allergy. :( They use peanut oil for their nuggets.

    dang it! freaking peanut allergies...I will declare from this day forward to find a cure for it.
  • LauraSmyth28
    LauraSmyth28 Posts: 399 Member
    Stew.

    Supposed to be made with cubed beef but I make it with ground beef for the kids, easier to eat. Carrots, swede, parnsips, onions, leeks (anything you want really), potatoes all boiled up in oxtail soup. Brown the beef first. Great one-pot dinner, kids love it.
  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    grill chicken
    bake chicken
    chicken nuggets
    chicken tenders
    chicken fingers
    chicken sandwhich
    and finally

    Chick-fil-A
    LMAO....I was like wow this guy loves his chicken! :) Sorry, no Chick fil A for us, peanut allergy. :( They use peanut oil for their nuggets.

    dang it! freaking peanut allergies...I will declare from this day forward to find a cure for it.
    AWESOME! When you do, let me know and I'll buy you that meal, with cookies AND a milkshake! :)
  • Funsoaps
    Funsoaps Posts: 514 Member
    My Son has multiple food allergies.


    I buy gluten free corn flakes, crunch them up with a little galic powder, onion powder, sea salt and dip in chicken breadt tenders and bake. You can dip in coconut milk or rice milk to make them stick better if you like and grease the pan.

    Wraps, tortilla shells, turkey breast meat, cream cheese if you like or cheese, lettuce or spinach, shredded carrots, etc

    Noodles, ground turkey, cheese sauce packets, I use an organic dairy- free type and mix with rice milk, add green beans for a casserole. Spagetti sauce works too

    Turkey patties, ketchup in them and brad crumbs and fry up with brown rice on the side and green beans

    Pot roast in the crackpot with veggies.

    Turkey meatballs, spagetti sauce on top, noodles or rice and veggies on side
  • victoria4321
    victoria4321 Posts: 1,719 Member
    I haven't had kids but when I was a kid I ate whatever my parents made me eat. Kids don't have money and they won't starve to death. Feed them like adults (minus the allergens) and if they complain then tell them they can eat when they're hungry. Eventually they'll come around.

    Letting them eat "kid friendly food" will just give them bad habits later on in life. At least all the kid friendly food I've even seen is just a way to make something processed look cute. Like mini tacos, mini pizzas, chicken nuggets, etc.
  • dewgirl321
    dewgirl321 Posts: 296 Member
    And if you go to Chick-Fil-A

    Get me Chick-Fil-A Spicy combo large with lettuce and tomato...swap out the drink and ask for the Cookies and Cream Milk Shake

    I will pay you back tomorrow.

    Yum! Make that two! :tongue:
  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    I haven't had kids but when I was a kid I ate whatever my parents made me eat. Kids don't have money and they won't starve to death. Feed them like adults (minus the allergens) and if they complain then tell them they can eat when they're hungry. Eventually they'll come around.

    Letting them eat "kid friendly food" will just give them bad habits later on in life. At least all the kid friendly food I've even seen is just a way to make something processed look cute. Like mini tacos, mini pizzas, chicken nuggets, etc.

    Oh they don't get just 'kid food' here. We don't eat hardly any f that stuff anymore. I'm training myself and my family to eat healthier. :)
  • hongruss
    hongruss Posts: 389 Member
    I haven't had kids but when I was a kid I ate whatever my parents made me eat. Kids don't have money and they won't starve to death. Feed them like adults (minus the allergens) and if they complain then tell them they can eat when they're hungry. Eventually they'll come around.

    Letting them eat "kid friendly food" will just give them bad habits later on in life. At least all the kid friendly food I've even seen is just a way to make something processed look cute. Like mini tacos, mini pizzas, chicken nuggets, etc.

    TOTALLY agree, my daughter eats what we eat or she goes without, obviously if we know she doesn't like something(sprouts) she isn't expected to eat it. BUT I do not cook special meals! Eat OR Don't Bwahaha.

    Russ
  • iceqieen
    iceqieen Posts: 862 Member
    I used to love anything you can eat with your fingers :P so basicly anything cooked reasonably dry that you can dip into something if you want it wet. ....though that will mean cleaning after
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    are they old enough to help in the kitchen? that increases the odds that they will try something.
  • peteb79
    peteb79 Posts: 386
    Already saw it above, but I second the shredded Chicken Tacos, my kids love them and it's easier than beef tacos. or ground turkey tacos, my kids didn't notice when I used turkey instead of beef..
  • AMHouse85
    AMHouse85 Posts: 285 Member
    We make chili with venison, both mine ask for 2nds.

    Meatloaf, you can hide all kinds of veggies in there if you have a food processor.

    My kids like stir-fry on brown rice as well. You can make it very healthy with good for you oils/flavors, and making it at home gives you control over the allergy issues since so many Asian places use peanuts.

    I always keep tons of veggies on hand so they can snack all day on that stuff and I don't feel so bad if they are not big on the dinners I make.
  • saxmaniac
    saxmaniac Posts: 1,133 Member
    I haven't had kids but when I was a kid I ate whatever my parents made me eat. Kids don't have money and they won't starve to death. Feed them like adults (minus the allergens) and if they complain then tell them they can eat when they're hungry. Eventually they'll come around.

    News... kids don't always do what you tell them to.

    I have three. My youngest will eat whatever's on the table. The two oldest are picky, and will gladly skip dinner and double up on breakfast the next day, if it means never eating something they don't like. My oldest is 10, and despite putting food on his plate for 10 years straight, he really has not changed in his tastes (he won't even eat hamburgers).

    The only thing we can really do is put the right food in the house in aggregate.

    Kids like simple things, so fancyish recipes are usually out. One recent surprise was grilled salmon. They all love it.
  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    are they old enough to help in the kitchen? that increases the odds that they will try something.

    They are 12 & 13 for my girls, 3 for my boy.
  • Barbqn
    Barbqn Posts: 10
    One pot meal...Cook frozen mixed veggies, throw in low fat cream of chicken soup, cooked chicken (cubed or shredded). Mix it all up heat through.
    Serve with goldfish crackers on top or their favorite crackers.

    Variations:
    Add a roasted kosher Hot Dog cut like an octopus and set on top.
    Subsitute chicken for canned tuna

    When my kids were small they gobbled this stuff up. They probably still would. haha!
  • Val_from_OH
    Val_from_OH Posts: 447 Member
    My kids, 3 and 6, really love salad, and it is easy to do now that the stores are stocked with produce again. We make cobb style salad with chicken, bacon, avocado and ranch; taco salad; grilled chicken salad with apples and grapes; steak salad with blue cheese dressing. Just cut the lettuce and veggies really small so the 3 y.o. can manage it.

    Baked potatoes stuffed with pretty much anything are always a good bet too.

    A big surprise last night: pinto beans cooked with ham. They both ate an entire bowlful - yay!
  • timmyyesdog
    timmyyesdog Posts: 3
    My two year old loves "baked potato bar" night - mix broccoli or other veggies in with the potato, grilled chicken, etc. Also, my two year old loves to eat with chopsticks, doesn't matter what it is... so maybe using a fun utensil for eating will get them into eating something different too.
  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    Yum! Some great ideas here!
  • curvykim78
    curvykim78 Posts: 799 Member
    Anything good for the grill or crockpot?
  • impyimpyaj
    impyimpyaj Posts: 1,073 Member
    Anything good for the grill or crockpot?

    Whole roasted chicken in the crock pot. There are several recipes online, just choose the one you like the best. Or a pork or beef roast with veggies in the crock pot.

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