What are your kids favorite dinners you cook?

[nesser1981]

Like I said in the grocery post, Coop is extremely picky.

So, what do your younger kids love for dinner that you make? And can i have the recipe?

Keira isn't as bad as Cooper, she will at least try different things.

[mariewilcox]

Well, Cheyanne has never been picky so I'm probably no help. Tonight we're having one of her faves since she was old enough to eat - stuffed peppers.

I'm trying to think of "kids" food but I'm at a loss - Cheyanne has always eaten whatever the adults ate since she was 9 months old :D

Maybe pasta with things they like added to it? Or a fried rice type dish with meat and vegetables they like?

[Laura_A]

DD#1 loves my Shepherd's Pie...1 lb ground beef browned & seasoned then mixed with 1 can Cream of Mushroom soup and one can of Corn. Put in a casserole dish, sprinkle with shredded cheese and top with mashed potatoes (I use instant cuz it's easier) & bake for 15-20 mins. Very tasty!

[kelley]

My kids aren't picky, but they still have their favorites. They love homemade pizza with chicken and bacon (or pretty much any toppings). I use this crust recipe (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pizza-dough-i/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=easy%20pizza%20crust&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page). Sometimes I use bread flour if I have it. The recipe states you don't need to let it rise, which you don't, but it is a bit better if you do, so I normally do unless I"m in a super big hurry. My fav to do is spinach leaves, artichokes from a can, and feta. Yumm.

The kids love anything chili cheese - chili cheese dogs, chili cheese mac, chili cheese mashed potatoes, chili cheese fries, chili cheese over rice LOL. I just use canned chili beans and shredded cheddar or colby jack.

Other faves are crockpot mac and cheese (http://whiskandaprayer.blogspot.com/2010/08/magazinecookbook-monday-slow-baked-mac.html), crockpot lasagna, and enchilada casserole. For that, I just buy a few cans of the enchilada sauce, pour some in the bottom of the 9x13 dish, then layer corn torts (I don't roll, just lay overlapping), cheese, onion, and black beans. Sometimes we do meat - either chicken or beef. Top with more sauce and continue layering, then top with sauce at the end. Bake it at 350 for about 30 min, then top with shredded cheese and bake till melted.

[MamaBee]

My kiddo gets to eat what we eat... ;) But there are times where I will ask him what he would like for supper... and it's usually pasta and sauce, tuna casserole, or "mom's tacos"... the "mom's tacos" is my hubby's mom's recipes - and of the few things he remembers her making before she passed away... very simple...

ground hamburger (I do go away from the recipe and add a bit of taco seasoning)
ketchup
cheese
onion
and corn tortillas that have been light fried in deep oil for a few seconds until soft.

Not the healthiest - but hubby loves them too...

[nesser1981]

Thanks girls!

yeah, I'm looking for stuff that we'll like and they'll like. I hate coming up with something else to give Cooper.

[YepBrook]

My kids eat everything & anything...

However, there have been short periods of times when one or the other has something they hate to eat and will complain about. For DD it was meat, for DS it was anything too mushy. But they eat everything I serve them... and that includes tofu, fish, every kind of veggie, and relatively spicy food.

During picky phases I made a lot of these recipes:
1. Baked Chicken Nuggets (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/baked-chicken-nuggets/) (I don't feed my kids the processed ones, they gross me out)
2. One of DD's very favorite meals is Tilapia because it's soft (no tough chewing or weird flavor for her) and she goes through phases where she hates strong flavors, this meal is pretty mild. I bake Tilapia (no recipe) with a little garlic salt & Old Bay sprinkled on top, and a few thin slices of butter on top of each filet, at 425 for about 10 minutes until the fish flakes apart. I serve it with green beans or steamed broccoli (her fave veggie) & jasmine rice with soy sauce.
3. Grilled Tilapia with Mango Salsa (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/grilled-tilapia-with-mango-salsa/Detail.aspx) (for the kids I cut the amount of black pepper in half and the amount of jalapeno in half)
4. Baked Mac & Cheese (I add cubed ham sometimes)
5. BLT's or BLTE's (add a fried egg to the BLT... amazing!)
6. Grilled cheese sandwiches with homemade tomato soup & tossed salad
7. Veggie burgers with homemade oven roasted potatoes w/ some green veggie
8. Roasted chicken (tender!) and mashed potatoes w/ some veggie

I also found a great way to get veggies or new things into my kids was to never stop putting them on their plate. Even when they were picky, they got the same thing we ate on their plate. I never forced it and I never made substitutes. In my mind there was picky (like they just don't want to try something new) and reasonable (mushy cheesy food made DS gag or tough meat was hard for DD to swallow). If it was reasonable I tried to accommodate. ;)

[YepBrook]

Oh! And I forgot, spaghetti with ground turkey/beef or traditional beef meatballs was almost always a success.

[pewtertm]

Tacos here, mainly because everyone can add what they want to theirs. I just have to make sure that there is some plain meat, as well as meat with seasoning. That's an easy enough compromise for us...I can put Rachel some plain meat aside before adding the taco seasoning. And the hubby can add cheese/sour cream to his, and Rachel and I don't have to mess with it (we don't eat cheese but he loves the stuff)

[julifish]

I really believe it takes time for kids taste buds to evolve. My 13 has started eating just about everything DH and I like. My 10 yo not so much, but she's starting to try new things and is interested in cooking so that helps. I'm still making meals where DH and I have something slightly different than the girls. So I'll make sauted chicken breast. I'll cover the kids with cheddar cheese and some chopped up turkey bacon. For the adults I put on BBQ sauce, then the cheese and bacon and add some chives.

I'm the only one that likes things mixed together so other than baked ziti we don't have casseroles.

Things everyone in my house will eat -
Boneless pork chops marinated in Ken's Light Ceasar dressing (with a litlle worchestershire sauce thrown in)and then grilled on the gas grill.

Chicken fried chicken - chicken breasts pounded flat, dredge in milk then flour that is seasoned with Montreal chicken seasoning (or salt, pepper and garlic powder). Heat pan with veggie oil, fry each side till brown. Kids eat this plain just like this. For the adults I can add tomato sauce and provolone for chicken parm or make a nice lemon caper sauce for chicken piccata.

Chicken or shrimp scampi - saute' meat in pan with half stick of butter, minced garlic. When brown add chicken stock, other half of butter and more garlic. I put in a little white wine, but 1 tsp of vinegar will give it a little zing if you don't want to use the wine. Serve over spaghetti or rice.

Baked ziti - my youngest will not eat ground beef so I use Italian sausage, chicken italian sausage (Target) or cooked diced chicken for the meat. Boil and cook penne. Then drain and put in a baking dish with a jar of marinara sauce, mix in some mozzarella cheese, meat and stir. Cover with mozzarella cheese and bake. I will make ahead and then just put it in the oven to bake when I get home from work for an easy dinner - serve with garlic bread and salad.

Make your own pizza - I get the Pillsbury Thin Crust pizza. We roll it out on a cookie sheet and pre-bake. Then each person gets their own section to adorne as they wish. I just put out left overs and basic pizza toppings. This is awesome when I have to work late and DH has to cook!

Terriayki Glazed chicken or pork - I buy the glaze in the bottle on the Asian aisle. You just baste the meat as you grill or cook in the pan - super easy! I serve with some frozen asian veggie mix I heat up in a pan and some success rice. AGain - quick and easy and I can eat more veggies vs. less meat. If I want to fancy this up I cut the meat and put it on bamboo skewers with some onion, peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms and then have DH cook on the grill. The kids think it's special.

Paninis - we have a panini maker, but before we got one I just made grilled sandwiches for dinner every now and then. I get bakery bread or cuban bread. The kids like ham and provolone. DH and I like a wide variety of meats and cheeses and add ons. I make the kids first and keep them warm in the oven while I make ours. I serve with homemade french onion soup or baked potato soup or whatever I have in the pantry.

Chicken Tacos/burritos/enchiladas - I just boil chicken breast with a little water and some taco seasoning. When done I drain most of the water leaving a little in the pot, shred the chicken with two forks and then mix in some taco sauce. We do make your own tacos/burritos. If I have time I make enchilads by just putting the chicken in flour tortillas with some cheese and little taco sauce. I mix a small can of tomoto sauce with some taco seasoning and garlic powder and pour over the top of all the enchiladas. If someone just wants cheese I can make just cheese and put it on one end and mark it with a tooth pick.
I usually make double meat and then can have a taco salad for lunch the next day or make taco salad wraps for DH and 13 yo for lunch.

Pot Roast in the crock pot- I use the Lipton Onion Soup mix recipe right on the packet.

Beef Stew - I call it Pot Roast soup because the kids love pot roast but always say they don't like stew when it's almost the same thing.

Favorite side dishes -
Lipton Onion Soup Mix potatoes - just cut the potatoes in chunks (I let my kids do this) and then toss with olive oil and the soup mix and put them in a pan in the oven for 40 min at 400. Yum!

Baked potato bar - I just bake regular potatoes for the kids and a sweet potato for DH. Then everyone can top it with what they like best. Cheese, sour cream, bacon, ranch dip, broccoli and cheese, chili, etc.

Jasmine Rice
Fresh veggies and ranch or french onion dip
Sliced apples with vanilla yogurt
Salad - we keep a variety of dressings so everyone has one they like
Mac & Cheese - we can never eat a whole box so I don't make this too often.
Baked Beans - you can even add ground beef and some butter beans to make it a heartier main dish.
Black beans and yellow rice or white rice mixed together
Canned tropical fruit

I finally got to the point where if my youngest was only going to eat chicken breast each night that I made 3 chicken breasts for her at the beginning of the week. I added different toppings or just served warmed up and then the rest of got to eat what we liked. I always ask her if she wants to try what we are having and often put a taste on her plate so that she has to give it a try.

[tanyiadeskins]

I just asked the girls and they said... ZITI

which is a cop out night, its basically ziti noodles, jarred marinara mixed with jarred vodka sauce and seasoned browned ground beef, mixed together, baked with cheese on top lol

they all love a taco night.

they all love these:

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Meatball-Sub-Casserole
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/10/cheesy-enchilada-casserole.html
http://tidymom.net/2010/how-to-make-home-made-pizzaolls/
http://beyerbeware.net/2011/04/hunk-of-meat-monday-game-time-favorites.html
http://team-t-adventures.blogspot.com/2010/03/crock-pot-orange-chicken.html
http://thecrockstar.blogspot.com/2009/01/absolute-best-crockpot-beef-stroganoff.html

[julia]

Ugh... I swear, my kid ate everything when he was just around a year old, not picky at all!! And it continued well into his 2nd year, but then, suddenly he refused a lot of foods and now is uber picky. Here he goes tired after eating something a few times so I always have to be creative. However, fish sticks usually do the trick here in our house.

[rach3975]

Like I said in the grocery post, Coop is extremely picky.


Vanessa--when you say he's extremely picky, is there any rhyme and reason to it? For example, I have 1 child who won't eat any form of melted cheese and dislikes casserole-type mixed foods (gets that from DH). I have another who hates all red meat. My middle guy isn't picky, but some meats are too hard for him to chew.

Some of my kids' favorites are:

Breaded chicken cutlets-No access to my recipe right now, but it's basically boneless chicken breasts pounded flat, dipped in egg and then into a mix of bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, and sauteed in a bit of oil

Breakfast for dinner

Mexican haystacks-brown rice, beans, corn, and shredded cheese. For the adults I combine them and either serve over salad (for me) or in a tortilla (for DH). For the kids I put separate piles on their plate and they usually don't mix it. Salsa and sour cream are offered but usually refused.

Pasta and bean soup

Rotisserie chicken

Homemade bread

The 2 red meat eaters like:
Meatloaf, often made with a mix of beef and ground turkey
Roasts


I put everything on everyone's plate, but the rule here is that if you try a bite and don't like it, you can get yourself yogurt or a peanut butter sandwich instead. (That only applies to new foods and foods they consistently don't eat, like when I serve a roast to the kiddo that won't eat red meat. No substitutes for "I don't feel like having that" allowed.) I'm a vegetarian and rarely eat what I serve the kids since my dinner is usually a big salad. I expect people to honor my refusal to eat meat, so I honor my kids' preferences within reason. For a while I drove myself nuts trying to make only dinners that all 4 of them (kids and DH) liked, but it was just too limiting. Allowing those 2 substitutes lets me make things like red meat or cheese dishes.

[Stacey42]

My kids are picky but I don't make special meals just for them. I do let them each pick one meal a week & what they usually pick are

homemade pizza (only with cheese, god help you if there is anything on it, or even non-mozzarella cheese)
goldfish chicken fingers - chicken strips breaded with crushed goldfish crackers
tacos
triangle sandwiches - buffalo chicken or chicken, mozzarella & spinach inside two crescent rolls pressed together
steak & pierogis
shrimp scampi over spaghetti
pancakes
cheesy noodle casserole
mac & cheese

they will eat without complaint but won't choose
potato & zucchini frittata
chicken & shrimp stir fry
chicken fried steak
meatloaf

everything else I make they eat, usually with some complaints . They have texture issues that figure into their pickiness & try to that into account & only serve veggies either raw or pureed.

[nesser1981]

He doesn't like ground beef, casseroles, sauce of any kind. Lol! I think a lot of it is texture issues. He will eat veggies & fruit. He is very stubborn too. He doesn't really like pizza. If we have tacos he only wants cheese & lettuce on it. No meat. Lol!

[Milmomma]

My daughter doesn't eat meat, and my husband doesn't eat pasta. So I'm always making a couple versions of food around here. None of us like onions, and my husband is the only that likes eggs.
Our favorite is grilled chicken over rice. I add veggies to mine and the kids do applesauce. My dh doesn't eat veggies.
My kids and I love spaghetti but my husband won't eat it. I want to try the spaghetti bread again on a night my husband won't be home.
We also do breakfast for dinner, once a week or every other week.

[mummytothree]

tacos are my kids favorite meal!! :D

My 3 older kids aren't really picky at all!!! My youngest 2 kind of are, but they are both at the age (4 & 3) that I can say "This is what I fixed, eat it or don't. It doesn't much matter to me!!!" :p

But I cook very basic things: a meat, a veggie and a starch. So there is almost always something they like and my kids can have fresh fruit or fresh veggies anytime they want!!!

Some of the things my kids love are:

Spaghetti
Mac & Cheese (I leave off the bread crumbs...yuck!!!) (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/05/lighter-baked-macaroni-and-cheese.html)
Turkey Stuffed Peppers (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/turkey-stuffed-peppers-45-pts.html)
Homemade Pizza
Crock Pot ravioli (http://becomingbetty.blogspot.com/2011/03/crock-potavioli-casserole.html)
Tomato Soup
Baked Potato Soup (http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/02/baked-potato-soup.html)
Potato, Broccoli and Sausage Skillet (http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/potato-broccoli-and-sausage-skillet/608b3324-c346-4ee9-b4fe-29243d174825)
White Cheddar Chicken Pasta (http://homeiswheretheholmansare.blogspot.com/2010/05/white-cheddar-chicken-pasta.html)
Pigs In Poncho (http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachaelay-magazineecipe-search/rachaelay-30-minute-meals/pigs-in-ponchos--tortilla-wrapped-franks-and-beans-)

[abm234]

Umm, we just had Lucky Charms. Not even kidding! Doesn't this thread make me feel like a total BLEEP!

[kscwgirl]

Abby will eat almost anything. The only thing she really won't eat is broccoli. JJ is my picky one.. and it's 95% texture issues. He doesn't like any thicker cut of meat like steak or pork chops and he doesn't eat most lunch meats. He won't touch anything mixed together like casseroles except for lasagna. His food can't touch, basically.

They will eat pigs in a blanket, sloppy joe rolls which is just a flattened biscuit with sloppy joe mix in the center and formed around the meat/sauce. J eats this , i just cook plain biscuits for him and then he eats both. I usually have to do some adaptation of the recipe for J but he generally eats the same thing we do, just slightly modified.

[kristijoy]

All 3 of us are vegetarians here. My kid's favorite meals are:

Ravioli with butter on it

Mexican Food (black beans with Lime-Cilantro Rice & Quesadilla)

Chinese Food (either stir fry noodles with Tofu or noodle bowls (with broth) and tofu

Noodle soup with a rich homemade vegetable broth

Favorite Veggies: steamed broccoli, steamed green beans, steamed asparagus, raw carrots

He also loved a variety of baked goods: carrot spice muffins, cheddar corn bread muffins, (he loves muffins as long as there are not any chunky things in them!) and any fresh bread (challah, dinner rolls, hoagies)

My son is picky too, in that he doesn't want things touching or mixed up. When I cook, I usually make something for my DH & I to eat and then I tweak it a bit for my kid. Like the Chinese Food I usually do a big stir fry for the grown-ups to go with the noodles and tofu. Then I serve my son the tofu, noodles, & broccoli (from the stir fry) in separate little piles on his plate.

I'm hopeful (he is only 5) that with exposure to Mommy and Daddy eating lots of different foods that he'll someday get brave to try a few other things!

[Sherri Tierney]

Mine are a picky in a way but I can usually modify our meal so that they like it. For example, when my husband makes homemade salisbury steak he makes one pan with mushrooms and onions and another pan without. When we have tilapia for dinner I usually toss some fish sticks in the oven for my 6 year old who doesn't like it (funny he will eat cat fish, escargot, lobster and crab legs but not tilapia!).