Dinners that are a hit for 1 and 3 y/o

[Anonymous]

Please share some ideas for meals that are a hit with your babies and preschoolers?

My daughters are 13 months and 3 years. I could use some new ideas for dinnertime. I try to do the same dinner for both of them.
They don't have any allergies and are generally open-minded about food, though the preschooler is averse to most meats (deli meats are sometimes okay).
DH and I have dinner on our own (we like a late dinner and the girls eat at 5:30pm) so it doesn't need to work for us, too.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Salmon or sea bass, broccoli or peas, rice
Mac and cheese with peas and carrots
Chicken, orzo, salad, asparagus

[Anonymous]

Chicken parm

[Anonymous]

When our kids were that young they ate on Tuesday for dinner what DH and I had for dinner Monday night. They basically ate our leftovers each night.

[Anonymous]

When my kids were that age I did a lot of hummus plates with pita, chicken cubes, cucumber, carrots, fruit, etc. they could both find something to eat from that and it was pretty easy to have on hand.

[Anonymous]

Why can't they eat whatever you're eating ?

If you're having burgers, use sliders/mini buns instead. If having chicken, cut up into square pieces, etc.

[Anonymous]

I posted this in 2014 when my twins were 3 years old. Although they are thoroughly omnivorous now and eat plenty of meat, they didn't like a lot of meat back then, so this was a good way to get them protein that they liked. It's a lentil barley stew. And now that it's getting into cool weather, it's about time to make a batch up.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/preList/360688/4673557.page

[Anonymous]

Scrambled egg quesadillas, red lentil dal and rice, chicken soup with added broccoli, panko crusted chicken tenders or fish fillets, rice bowls with sauteed chicken, greens, chopped/marinated carrots etc.

But we also eat all together so there is no "kid dinner" and adult dinner.

[Anonymous]

Ravioli and peas, with butter and parmesan

[Anonymous]

My kids are similar ages. Carrot "chips" with a healthy amount of dip; quesadillas; homemade chicken pot pie; zucchini lasagna with hidden veggies. Oh, and we are keeping the dairy farms of America in business with the amount of cheese my kids eat.

[Anonymous]

Check the kid-friendly recipes at Skinnytaste:

https://www.skinnytaste.com/recipes/kid-friendly/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When our kids were that young they ate on Tuesday for dinner what DH and I had for dinner Monday night. They basically ate our leftovers each night.

The solution...right there.

[Anonymous]

Depends on what I have in the fridge. Popular proteins for my similar aged kids are chickpeas, lentils, eggs, shrimp, fish (sometimes), tofu. Veg is whatever’s seasonal. Starch is bread, rice, couscous, pasta. Preparations style determined by mood and what seems right for the mix of things I have (eg shrimp, rice, carrots -> pan fry shrimp, make to rice bowls with peanut sauce and veg slices; eggs, bread, tomatoes -> breakfast sandwiches; chickpeas, couscous, zucchini -> chickpea curry over couscous). Although I don’t prepare separate food for them either; this is fine with me too.

[Anonymous]

Rice and red kidney beans with ground beef
Red lentil soup
Green peas, mashed potatoes, tilapia (milder than salmon so picky kids may like it)
Sweet potatoes and broccoli sautéed together (only way I could make them eat greens)
Celery sticks and hummus.
Buy a Rotisserie chicken from the supermarket . Use it for chicken soup, chicken and pasta Parmesan, or chicken salad sandwiches

[Anonymous]

My kids are grown now, but I remember a favorite when they were young was scrambled eggs and chopped broccoli (microwaved from frozen)