kids' favorite "real" meals

[Anonymous]

Outside of standard kid-fare (mac & cheese, burgers, etc) what foods have you found your kids really enjoy? We eat mostly home-cooked meals, and my kids are pretty adventerous eaters, but I've definitely found that some things are bigger kid-pleasers than others (and not always the things I might have guessed!). Help me come up with some new ideas my little guys might enjoy - and which might be good to serve when we have other families over.

Here are a few of the things that have been big hits in our house (some to my complete surprise!):
- Rice and beans or huevos ranchers
- Fish: grilled salmon, fish tacos, shrimp
- Peanut noodles (as long as I don't make them too tangy)

[Anonymous]

You hit most of our non kid meals in your list. The other thing that my kids love are lamb chops and rack of lamb.


My parents taught me to teach my children to like one non kid meal that I knew I could get at any restaurant. No matter where we go, I can always order a grilled piece of salmon with rice and broccoli. It makes going out to eat so much easier.

[Anonymous]

My kids (ages 3 and 6) love fish, particularly sushi or roasted salmon.

Raw veggies - bell peppers, cherry tomatoes.

Broccoli, lightly steamed and then sautéed with a bit of garlic and lemon.

Meatloaf.

More "normal" kid-friendly items- soft bread rolls, pasta, meatballs.

Interestingly, they absolutely hate mashed potatoes. I always thought that would be a kid staple, but they won't touch them. They do like mashed sweet potatoes, though.

Mine also don't really like casseroles or mixed-up foods. They like things that can separated on their plates. I really hope they grow out of this soon.

[Anonymous]

Tacos, burritos, quesadillas, taco salad, meatloaf, spaghetti

[Anonymous]

A favorite meal at our house is sashimi salmon (from H Mart), avocado, and short grain sushi rice with roe (small orange roe from H Mart) and bits of seaweed (cut with scissors). My 2 year old will only eat the rice with roe and seaweed (not the fish and avocado), so I sautee some egg whites with rice and cover it with roe and seaweed, and he can't tell the egg is there. Our friends came over, and their kids loved it on the first try.

[Anonymous]

Rice and beans. A can of Goya beans with the sauce already made over rice. Yum for them and packed with fiber. I add a little salt and more sofrito to the beans. Just heat and serve.

My daughters also love fried plantains of which I have them dip in mayo/ketchup sauce or I make a shrimp creole sauce that they eat it with. They love shrimp. Delicious!

Again in the Goya frozen foods section you can buy the plantains. Called tostones.

[Anonymous]

Salmon is a favorite with my kids as well!

Hummus
Baked chicken breast
Shrimp with red roasted bell pepper sauce
Matzo ball soup
Scallops
Steak

We stick to the veggies they like - steamed broccoli, peas.

[Anonymous]

Pineapple meatballs on rice
Chicken piccata
Beef tacos
Stromboli (using up whatever leftover meat we have on hand, including extra beef from taco night)

[Anonymous]

Stir fry
Grilled salmon

[Anonymous]

Spaghetti & meatballs
Meatloaf
Quesadillas
Pulled pork BBQ
BBQ ribs
Most seafood, but especially mussels and calamari

[Anonymous]

Steak is our kids' big favorite. Also like steamed fish.

[Anonymous]

Chicken pot pie
Grilled flank steak with roasted potatoes and steamed green beans
Pork roast
Pulled pork (done in the slow cooker)
Black beans and rice
Salmon teriyaki

[Anonymous]

Anything chicken: roast chicken, stir fried chicken, BBQ chix, etc.

We have this one tomato-chick pea recipe we make with couscous.

Breaded white fish

Shrimp-- we can make whatever recipe and he eats the shrimp with ketchup.

[Anonymous]

Wow I thought my kids were adventurous but your kids win!

Mine:
Meatloaf
Chicken satay (they love this)
Salmon and scallops
Steak, also Korean bbq
Curry

[Anonymous]

Oysters
Shrimps
Caviar
Sirloin
Sautéed spinach
Mushrooms
Dulce de leche
Quiche Lorraine
Green beans