Anyone have a good meal kids will actually eat?

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..

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.

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!

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.

My kids are picky too. They are 5 and 9. We don't have peanut allergies so I don't have to avoid things like that, but sometimes I deconstruct dinner. If I'm having pasta with a sauce and veggies I know they won't eat, then I dish out that pasta first so their stuff is plain with light butter and parmesan cheese. Same with chicken, I just leave off the sauce. Or I put the sauce or gravy on the side and they can decide if they want to try dipping it in.

When I make fish with rice and veggies. My kids won't eat fish, so they get nuggets with rice and maybe strawberries if they won't eat the veggie I'm making.

For those that don't have kids, it is hard to just say tough you eat what I eat. They won't! It's a fight with crying and yelling and not worth it in my opinion. I slowly try to offer them new things and at least ask that they try it. Both of my kids won't eat potatoes unless it's french fries, but it hasn't stopped me from making and offering mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, or roasted potatoes. They usually gag though.

I do that crockpot pulled pork too with the coke and bbq sauce, except I use a leaner cut - the pork tenderloin. It isn't as flavorful as the pork shoulder but it's still fine. They will eat tacos as long as I don't make it too spicy and give them plenty of cheese with it. I also make lean boneless thin cut pork chops. Cooking Light has a great recipe with a country gravy and sage seasonings that my family enjoys. I leave the gravy off for them. Sometimes if I make shrimp tacos then I'll just make them a cheese quesadilla.

Spaghetti and Meatballs is a hit especially if I don't give them a lot of sauce. They like Turkey Kielbasa sausage or the chicken sausages. I cook those up quick with pasta or rice. We get Papa Murphy's thin crust pizza with half or 2/3 with veggies I like and the other half with just cheese or pepperoni that they like.

We also like Chick-fil-a. They make grilled chicken nuggets now and the kids can get a fruit cup instead of fries. Not sure if the grilled nuggets have peanut oil?

I agree it's hard making a meal you can eat as well as accomodate picky eaters. I'm always looking for new ideas to try on them. They do like grilled corn on the cob, grilled steak, hamburgers and hotdogs.

zucchini pizza bites, like a pizza but with zucchini bottoms.

My kids eat everything I eat. They absolutely love fruits and veggies. One snack they enjoy in particular is a bit of vanilla yogurt with frozen mixed berries mixed in, topped with fiber cereal or granola. It's really delicious!

If you're looking for grill recipes, you can grill just about anything from meat to veggies to fruits. My kids really enjoy lean chicken, beef, pork chops, etc. grilled, and they love yellow squash & zucchini, cut into rounds, sprinkled with some cajun seasoning and grilled. Even pineapple is delicious fresh off the grill. When we grill meat & veggies for dinner we usually make a tossed salad and some steamed rice with soy sauce to go with it.

One "fun" dinner we do is over the firepit. I take onion and red and green peppers and cut them into strips. Wrap them in individual foil packets, then throw them right into the ashes of the firepit. Throw some hot links on a skewer for each of us, we all get to toast our own sausage. Then I put a little grate over part of the grill and toast a bun to put the links/veggies on. It may not be the healthiest dinner but we're ok with fun stuff in moderation, and it's so nice just to hang around the firepit chatting on a nice evening as we roast our dinner.

Nice, convenient things to keep on hand for between meals would be carrot/celery sticks with pb and raisings, handfuls of nuts, homemade granola. A bowl of fresh fruit on the dining table always goes quickly around here, too.

For those that don't have kids, it is hard to just say tough you eat what I eat. They won't! It's a fight with crying and yelling and not worth it in my opinion. I slowly try to offer them new things and at least ask that they try it. Both of my kids won't eat potatoes unless it's french fries, but it hasn't stopped me from making and offering mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, or roasted potatoes. They usually gag though.

"For those who don't have kids" please read this post if you ever plan on having them. It will save you a world of frustration when it comes to your child's eating habits.

I have 5 kids-ages 7,9,10,16 and 17. I raised them to eat healthfully from the start. I say they eat what I eat, and they do. If they were to "cry and yell" I would make sure they know that type of behavior is not acceptable in our home. It is *absolutely* worth it to teach our children to eat healthy. I'm not unreasonable, if a child seriously has one or two foods they really do not like, I will have them just eat a few bites of that food on the nights I make it-but if my child were to throw temper tantrums and was just being picky, i'd definitely consider it a discipline issue and not a dietary one. Giving a child their way because they throw a fit is a huge mistake and the parent will regret it later. Sometimes it is difficult to be a diligent parent, but it is never "not worth it".

Thanks for the great ideas people. I especially liked the one with the octopus hot dogs. I will use that with my grandkids.