Fried rice is one of our quick favorites and is good reheated. Stir fry some vegetables, remove from pan. Fry a couple cups of rice. Scramble some eggs and add to the pan to cook with the rice. Add back in the vegetables. Toss with soy sauce. When my kids were younger/pickier, I'd serve the vegetables on the side of the rice/egg mixture.

My toddler daughter loved fritters that I made with Spinach and zucchini (shredded) and bound with an egg/cheese mixture, and then pan fried in olive oil. Loved them. They had a savory quality to them and packed with fiber and nutrients.

Spaghetti

Vegetarian yaki soba. It's quick if you buy pre-cut veggies and make your own sauce (I use Just One Cookbook recipes from YouTube).

I make ratatouille in the Instant Pot. It keeps for a few days in the fridge, and then you can serve it with pasta, couscous, or a baked potato. If I make a lot, I use it to make vegetarian lasagna.

Veggie chili is popular in our house. Again, can be served with whatever you want.

Tortilla or French bread pizza.

Orecchiette and broccoli.

Fajitas - everyone adds what they want - different veggies, cheese, avocado, beans, rice.

Egg sandwiches with a big fruit salad (it's my answer to "breakfast for dinner" when pancakes made them lose their minds)

Quiche.

Salad bar - hard boiled eggs, beans, cheese, whatever veggies everyone likes. DD will eat raw veggies but not if I mix it in a bowl and call it salad.

Tofu stir fry - deconstructed by sauteing the veggies, baking the tofu, and serving the sauce on the side.

Falafel - sort of like tacos where everyone puts together their own - hummus, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant salad, feta, pita....even if the kid just eats pita and hummus I call it a win.

Quinoa patties - sometimes a veggie on the side, sometimes runny eggs, avocado, a light salad, a spicy sauce.

Sandwiches. Meats if you want, cheeses, veggies , spreads

Black bean burgers - everyone chooses their own toppings, or none at all

Make your own pizza - naan as the crust, pick your own toppings.

Quick dinner is baked potato bar with toppings - broccoli, black beans, avocado, tomato, cheese, sautéed onion/mushroom/peppers if I have time

Anonymous wrote:Minestrone soup with lentil pasta

https://cookieandkate.com/classic-minestrone-soup-recipe/

Rajma with Quinoa (use canned kidney beans)

https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/rajma-masala-recipe-restaurant-style/#wprm-recipe-container-139551

Veggie Lentil Loaf

https://tasty.co/recipe/veggie-packed-lentil-loaf

OP again. This Rajma was an immediate hit with both kids. Minestrone was rejected the first day (probably because I put a bit too much spaghetti squash in) but was accepted the next day when served with fresh bread.

Given my success rate, please feel free to keep offering recipes. Love having new things to try!

Anonymous wrote:Keep serving them meat - they are toddlers, their appetites and tastes are changing a lot. They are experimenting with new things, including trying out rejecting things. That doesn't mean they will never want to eat meat. For the majority of people, a diet with meat is healthier than the alternative.

Also give them egg dishes, scrambled and fried, hard-boiled, quiche, etc. They don't need a lot of protein but they need some.

Example one of why you shouldn't ask random on the internet for advice

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My whole family really enjoys this recipe. I suppose you could fry up the tofu in advance to save time.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/mango-coconut-tofu-bowls/

OP reporting back: we made this today and everyone LOVED it. Definitely going in the regular rotation. Budget bytes has so many great options.

OP look at protein over the course of a day or week, don’t worry so much about it at every single meal. Buy the soy based/plant beef crumbles. I get the ones from Trader Joe’s but I think Gardein brand had some too. You can put in any spaghetti sauce for pasta dishes. Once a week we have black bean quesadillas. I use WG tortillas and serve with Avocado and tomatoes on the side. No reason you can’t do different veggies though. Lentil Soup, either by itself or over rice. Cheese/crackers/nuts/fruit if you want super easy.

My kids like this saag paneer and it’s quick in the instant pot.

https://pipingpotcurry.com/palak-paneer-instant-pot/

Anonymous wrote:My whole family really enjoys this recipe. I suppose you could fry up the tofu in advance to save time.

https://www.budgetbytes.com/mango-coconut-tofu-bowls/

My whole family really enjoys this recipe. I suppose you could fry up the tofu in advance to save time.

I found that my kids would any kind of pureed vegetable soup: butternut squash, "green" soup, tomato soup, corn chowder (pureed), etc. They love dipping bread in it too.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Minestrone soup with lentil pasta

https://cookieandkate.com/classic-minestrone-soup-recipe/

Rajma with Quinoa (use canned kidney beans)

https://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/rajma-masala-recipe-restaurant-style/#wprm-recipe-container-139551

Veggie Lentil Loaf

https://tasty.co/recipe/veggie-packed-lentil-loaf

Thank you so much; these are just the kinds of recipes I was looking for! And the rajma looks like it will be a huge hit around here. Going to make that this weekend.

You're welcome! I have two kids and we are all vegetarian so I focus a lot on making sure they get enough protein and fiber. I also include alot of whole grain breads. Sometimes when I need a quick dinner I defrost some butternut squash soup and serve it with whole grain bread with cheese or peanut butter. I've also pureed red lentils and added it to tomato sauces and butternut squash soup for added protein.