7 Easy Dinner Ideas Your Kids Will Actually Eat
The secret to getting your kids to eat their dinner is knowing what to make and we have you covered with easy dinner recipes for feeding picky eaters.
Dinner can be tricky, especially when your trying to please the palates of children.
Let's make it easy with simple kid recipe ideas your kids will actually eat.
How To Guide Your Child Towards Eating A Variety Of Foods
If you want your child to enjoy a variety of foods your best off doing it from an early start.
Many times we aid our children in eating convenient meals our kids love that may not be the most nutritional because busy moms need easy go to meals that are quick.
Our list of meals are just that.
Easy to make, budget friendly, and offer the nutrition your child needs.
When Your Older Child Is A Picky Eater Use These Tips To Build Healthier Eating Habits
If you have an older child that is a picky eater understand that over time you can improve their mindset towards eating healthier meals.
1. Begin slowly by adding in a new ingredient to meals they already enjoy.
2. Limit the purchasing of convenient foods you are trying to eliminate.
3. Involve your child with the cooking process or even better begin a small garden so they can learn more about the process of growing food.
4. Know meltdowns will happen and have a game plan for handling these moments calmly.
5. Each day work towards the goal of building healthy eating habits and understand it does take time.
Here Are Our 7 Top Busy Weeknight Dinner Ideas For Feeding Kids
These recipe ideas are perfect for creating delicious meals your family will love on busy weeknights.
Many of these recipes are super versatile allowing you to make any necessary accommodations for feeding your kids, especially picky eaters.
#1 Classic Homemade Soup
Soup is at the top of our list because it is wholesome, convenient, and budget friendly.
With soup there are so many choices to choose from and it is easy to sneak in healthy ingredients.
If you have a picky eater on your hands consider blending your soup into a puree.
A smooth texture can make your child more open to eating it.
Our favorite soup choices are Chicken Noodle, Caldo with beef short ribs, Tomato, and Butternut Squash soup.
Check Out This Recipe Below A Simple Soup With All The Comfort Of Home:
#2 Tacos With Refried Beans and Fresh Avocado
It doesn't get easier than Tacos.
Whether it is ground beef, shrimp, turkey, or pork tacos this meal is the way to go!
Just look at the versatility.
And when it comes to feeding kids versatility is the secret.
The best part about serving kids tacos is they a customizable and their are a variety of delicious toppings to choose from.
My kids love tacos completely deconstructed, basically, a little serving of meat, a side of cheese, lettuce, avocado, sour cream, salsa, and flour tortillas that are served as a roll up.
One of the best tips for feeding picky kids is to serve their meals deconstructed that way they can pick and choose the ingredients they like best.
#3 Rice With Vegetables and Baked Fish
Rice is a go to ingredient for creating a variety of healthy meals.
By adding some vegetables and a protein like fish you are able to create a nutritious meal in no time.
Go to vegetables to go with rice include green peas, steamed broccoli, roasted carrots, yellow squash, mushrooms, Brussel sprouts, and zucchini.
You can also serve rice with a variety of beans including kidney, black, and garbanzo.
Stir fry rice is another great option for introducing your kid to new vegetables.
Simply steam rice and prepare cooked vegetables on the side then simply combine.
Add a splash of soy sauce to complete this classic stir fry rice recipe.
If your child is picky maybe starting off with Fish Sticks or Cod Fillets then graduating to Salmon.
Fish sticks are a great choice for introducing your child to the flavor of fish, especially if they already enjoy chicken nuggets.
#4 Rotisserie Chicken With Baked Potatoes and Broccoli
Rotisserie chicken is a staple for busy moms.
This simple ingredient can be served with a variety of ingredients to create quick dinners.
You can even use leftovers to make a delicious Chicken Salad recipe by added mayo, grapes, and minced onion to cold shredded chicken.
One of our favorite sides for easy dinners is a loaded baked potato with steamed broccoli.
Baked potatoes are one ingredient children tend to enjoy and you can make it more fun by adding yummy toppings like shredded cheese and bacon bits plus don't forget the sour cream and butter.
#5 Spaghetti With Garlic Bread and Salad
Spaghetti has to be in our top dinners ideas for feeding a family with kids.
Spaghetti only requires 3 main ingredients (pasta, ground beef, tomato sauce) making it a super budget friendly not to mention a pot of spaghetti is typically enough to enjoy next day left overs.
Served with crunchy garlic bread and a salad this dinner idea is a winner.
To add a twist to spaghetti try serving it with a fried egg and avocado slices trust me it is delish.
#6 Sheet Pan Fajitas
On busy weeknights you need recipes that can be simply thrown in the oven.
Sheet pan fajitas is just the thing for creating meals your family will love with little effort.
Sheet pan fajitas are super simple to make simply throw raw chicken tenders seasoned in fajitas mix with onions and peppers onto a sheet pan with a little olive oil and cooked for 25 minutes or until meat is cooked through at 375 degree F with an aluminum foil cover.
Boom dinner is done.
Serve with warm tortillas and nacho chips for an easy dinner idea.
Or you can even go gourmet by adding fresh cilantro, a little lime, avocado, lettuce, rice, and refried beans or substitute the chicken for beef strips to give it a twist.
Did I mention you could even add shrimp yum!
We love recipes you can tweak and play around with to create new and exciting meals your family will love.
#7 Grilled Chicken With Homemade Mashed Potatoes and Corn on the Cob
Nothing beats grilled chicken with a side of taters and fresh corn on the cob.
This is a great kid recipe because children tend to be receptive to eating chicken.
You can also add different sauces if your child is hesitant like BBQ, Ketchup, or Honey Mustard.
Mashed potatoes tend to be a favorite of kids and you can even add in steamed cauliflower to sneak in some more nutrition.
This is also a great side for children that need to gain weight because you can deliver a higher fat content by adding ingredients like cream cheese, butter, cheese, sour cream, and even peanut butter.
Corn on the cob is a classic vegetable side that is easy to make, quick, and delicious.
You can even go gourmet with fun toppings like garlic butter or parmesan cheese.
For More Vegetable Side Item Ideas Check Out:
To make dinner planning even easier consider creating a simple weekly meal list of recipes your family enjoys.
Once you have a few go to recipes you will easily be able to rotate the dinners you prepare each week.
It is ok to go slow if your new to preparing meals for a family.
Have the confidence to continue and know you are doing a wonderful thing by preparing homecooked meals for your family.
