Meals to share with young children?

I have picky eaters so I'm not much help but my son enjoys oatmeal. You can also cook fruit into the oatmeal.
There are a lot of quinoa breakfast recipes out there as well. My son will eat that too. My daughter won't. She's strictly cereal and pancakes. Occasionally french toast or waffles but thankfully she loves fruit.

Lunch. Soup and sandwich. Hummus wraps. Hummus and veggies. Many times if I have the time and energy I'll basically make a dinner for lunch. Chicken, noodles, broccoli.

I have a 5 yo and a 3 yo and have been eating with them more often for the same reason, even though my DH doesn't get home until after their bedtime. We have had great success lately with grilling. Last night, we had grilled salmon, quinoa pilaf, and steamed broccoli. We have variations on that a lot: grilled chicken, a little whole grain pasta, steamed asparagus, fruit. My non-picky 3 yo also loves tofu-spinach curry, black beans and rice, tortillas rolled up with avocado and chicken, etc.

You are lucky to have a non-picky eater! My 5 yo is picky, which is why we eat broccoli almost every night; it's the only veggie he will reliably eat.

Good luck!

I'm with Waldo on milk but my fave for the little ones is omelette. You can add just about anything you want to it to suit dietary requirements and it's quick! And of course if you don't add anything to it, they call it scrambled eggs!

How about mini pizzas on english muffins? Can put about anything on those and she can help make them You can make sure and add extra cheese to hers for calories and less on yours for not so many. They also work good on pita breads.

My sister didn't/doesn't like milk either, but will happily drink a smoothie or milkshake - might be worth a try, if you haven't already. Our biggest 'success' involved milk, frozen blueberries, a little ground cardamom or cinnamon and a banana. Otherwise, yoghurt, cheese...

I have a great recipe for oat-based pancakes, which I will happily send you, if you'd like? Very good, nutritionally, and lots of fibre. Relatively low in terms of daily calorie percentages for you, but quite high for a toddler.

Edited to add recipe:

To make two large pancakes or four small ones (serves two). Half the mix is approx. 300 calories, assuming you don't drown them in butter when you cook them - you do need a little, though. Dry-frying does not work well. They also freeze fantastically, and you can defrost them in the toaster, or overnight, and then toast to heat through...

1/2 cup of giant rolled oats (NOT the fine milled ones, but anything else will be fine - the bigger the better, though)
approx. 4tsp demerara/soft brown sugar ( to taste)
1tsp baking powder
1/4-1/2 cup of flour - I usually start with 1/4 and add a little more if necessary before cooking
(optional: spices - I usually throw in some mixed spice, dried fruits/fresh fruits, nuts, seeds...)

1 egg and 75-125ml milk per 1/2 cup of oats

Combine dry ingredients - flour required is slightly variable dependent on the absorption of the oats you are using. Add egg and milk, stir, and leave to soak for a few minutes. Melt a little butter in a frying pan and cook pancakes on both sides. 1/2 cup of oats makes 2 large pancakes or 4 small - I eat one half the recipe for a normal breakfast, the whole for a substantial meal if going skiing/hiking etc. Top with maple syrup/golden syrup/honey/fruit jams/fresh fruit/bacon...

Absolutely delicious, and quick if you pre-prepare a whole jar of the dry mix - then it's just add liquid/egg and cook.

Does she have full fat dairy? If she's not and if she's underweight this could really help her put on a little more. Skimmed dairy not only removes the fat but also the fat soluble vitamins. There's no reason for kids to be on skimmed or semi skimmed dairy products unless a doctor/health professional advises it for a specific issue.

I have separate dairy products for me and the kids (age 2 and 5), I just explain that their one has more fat in it because kids need more fat than grown-ups as they're still growing.

If you need to "fatten" her up try peanut butter. That's what I have to do with my daughter because she eats very little. Avocado would work too if she'll eat it.

Nothing compares to the power of whole milk for this purpose. Milk is grow juice.

She LOVES avocado and peanut butter so I will have to try to give her those more often.
The only thing she won't touch is milk. I've tried everything. Plain, in cereal, even flavored. Nothing. The Ped. thinks that's part of why she's so little.

if she likes fruit maybe use milk and greek yogurt and make her smoothies

If you need to "fatten" her up try peanut butter. That's what I have to do with my daughter because she eats very little. Avocado would work too if she'll eat it.

Nothing compares to the power of whole milk for this purpose. Milk is grow juice.

She LOVES avocado and peanut butter so I will have to try to give her those more often.
The only thing she won't touch is milk. I've tried everything. Plain, in cereal, even flavored. Nothing. The Ped. thinks that's part of why she's so little.

have you tried the vanilla silk soy milk? My daughter prefers it over regular milk. It is a little sweeter, but not by much. The original is a little bit sweeter too. It also has more protein than regular milk and doesn't cause constipation in kids like dairy milk can in kids.

I wish my 2.5 year old wasn't picky and would eat some of the things listed here.

Most of what he eats is healthy.. its just the same things over and over ... he doesn't really like to try new things. Unless it's fruit.. he will eat ANY fruit.