Dinners Your Kids Like

Updated on April 24, 2012
T.K. asks from Grand Prairie, TX
27 answers

I need a little inspiration before grocery shopping. What are your kids favorite dinners that you make? I think my son loves polish sausage, steak, fried chicken. He's my meat eater. My girl likes pasta and a few select veggies. SO each end up eating parts of a dinner, neither eats all. What are your kids favorite dinners.

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answers from Albany on

Hi T., I make chicken stock about once a month, there's always a freezer full of it. We eat a large amount of soup, teehehe.

Well you can kinda please everyone that way, you know?

Toss in whatever leftover meat, pasta or rice or potatoes, veggies, etc.

Everybody likes SOME kind of soup, right?

Cheap and easy.


3 moms found this helpful


answers from Dallas on

My son's favorites are shepherd's pie and my homemade egg rolls served with egg drop soup and fried rice. My daughter likes tacos and any time I fix asparagus.

2 moms found this helpful


answers from Pittsburgh on

DS (6) LOVES beans and greens - kale with white beans. And if the child could eat nothing but bacon he would.

1 mom found this helpful

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answers from San Antonio on

I could make both of my kiddos ham, mashed potatoes, and green beans every night and they would be thrilled. It makes Easter dinners go over very well at our house.

My son loves salad. As long as he gets salad and veggies he is happy.
My daughter loves meat and pasta.

We try to cook with the whole family in mind, but make sure there is at least one component each will be happy with.

3 moms found this helpful


answers from Des Moines on

Spaghetti and meatballs, lasagna, turkey burgers are her favorite! Tacos. Pizza...we make our own and she loves helping!

I think that's the main thing with her...the more she helps make dinner, the more she wants to eat it. And she loves to help me with the shopping! She reads me the list.

Not sure how old your kids are, but my daughter was a very picky eater! She's now 7 and she eats almost anything we put in front of her. She doesn't have to like everything, bu she has to try everything!

2 moms found this helpful


answers from Washington DC on

Everyone at my house loves "taco night". I brown a couple of pounds of ground beef with onions, garlic, cumin and chili powder, make some lime cilantro rice (like at Chipotle - lots of recipes on web), make some guacamole and open a can of black beans and a bag of Mexican mix cheese. Some in the house like it as a burrito, others in taco shells or over a bed of romaine as a taco salad kind of thing. The next night I use the leftovers to make nachos for "nacho night." For both nights it's nice to have chopped tomatoes, green onions, black olives, sour cream, salsa and fresh cilantro, but sometimes we just got with what's in the fridge.

2 moms found this helpful


answers from Phoenix on

Our kids eat the same as us, all the usual, chicken, steak, burgers, chili, tacos, pastas, etc. They are also really great salad eaters and we have salad almost every night with dinner. They LOVE chili mac (mac n cheese mixed with canned chili) and tostadas. In fact, we just had a large freezer delivered today for the garage and we are going to be trying new freezer meals so I don't have to cook every day. In fact, I think I will post my question about OAMC. =) Good luck!

2 moms found this helpful


answers from Chicago on

I like to make a half n half lasagna - one half is white or veggie and the other half is italian sausage or ground turkey with italian seasonings.

Make your favorite Meatloaf recipe (mine is a turkey spinach meat loaft) and wrap the meatloaf around two asparagus spears (lightly boiled). Get the BIG Idaho potatoes - HUGE ones and slice them in 4 long ways as if to make bread slices. Heat up in a skillet some oil and lightly brown ONE side of the poatoe slices. Then put together like a sandwich (meat still not cooked) with the browned sides of potato on the outside and the mini meatloaf wrapped around asparagus on the inside and bake according to YOUR meatloaf's temp and adjust the time down for size of meat loaves. Add a tangy sauce on top of 3tbsp katsup, 1tbsp warchestershire sauce 1tsp hot sauce (or less/mild etc but it is needed).

I also like to make personal meatloaves and make them into shapes with large cookie cutters and roasted veggies cut them in smaller shapes OR cut them like fries and give same dip as above for veggies or light 1000 isl or ranch dressing.

Basically mix the meat/veggies so they must have some of each and can not take it apart is my trick.

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Los Angeles on

I didn't read over the other responses so forgive me if I repeat anything =)

My 18 month old LOVES meatballs. ground beef (and other reds) are good for iron, so I try to make something like that once a week. It is easy- diced onion, diced garlic, olives and sundried tomatoes. If not meatballs, he loves spaghetti and lasagna. He likes broccoli sometimes, sometimes i melt mozzarella or Parmesan cheese on top. Baked potatoes with bell peppers is great and so easy. He really loves it when we make homemade pizza because he can help make it (throwing the pepperonis or olives on it and "helping" to spread the sauce!). There are a ton of things you can do homemade that they can help with might be fun and more exciting to eat

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Minneapolis on

My kids like taco's... we mix up the meat (sometimes pulled pork, sometimes chicken, sometimes ground beef) add different beans, vegi's (peppers/onions for my husband and I), sometimes we use the Fronterna pouches of seasonings (very tasty - all natural).

I like that we can de-construct the meal into parts that all 3 of my kids would eat.

We also grill a ton in the summer... grill the meat - and the vegi's.

1 mom found this helpful


answers from St. Louis on

honest answer here: doesn't matter what they like.....I try to incorporate a little bit for everyone, & everyone has to eat ALL. A few bites of each & every food. I'm a mom....a busy mom at that....& I don't run a restaurant.

We use chicken breast with pasta, Cajun dishes, in soups/stews, & in salads.

We use hamburger for many dishes, including taco salad.

We use ham in all of the above.

Any type of pasta is the fav for my family. Meat in it or on the side....+ a salad.

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Orlando on

chicken enchiladas, brautwurst on hot dog buns, chicken nuggets (of course), she will eat any vegetable I put in front of her so that is a good thing.

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Boca Raton on

My son LOVES turkey bacon ( he would eat that all the time if I let him, I dont)!!!!! Raw carrots, cauliflower, peas, pasta, and all fruit!

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Portland on

We do a lot of nitrite free hot dogs. Oscar Meyer makes them now, and the angus ones are great. They run about $5 a pack, but our Safeway puts them on sale pretty often bogo free, so they are $2.50. I have 12 month old who will try most anything, but he is allergic to dairy and soy so we have to be careful, and I have a 2.5 yo who won't eat any sauces, dips, sandwiches, or mixed foods so we make our dinner and then pull hers out before it gets "flavored" with sauces,etc.. No foods can touch unless she does it herself, and oh, my, those are just yucky!! I don't have a better answer for you, as we only cook one meal, but we do divy it out differently for kids and adults. Maybe try that? good luck!

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Chicago on

my daughter loves "rio grande pork roast" it's basically just a pork roast with a garlic and chili pepper rub (as spicy or mild as you like it) and then a sauce with apple jelly / chili powder, vinegar and ketchup.

BUT THE BEST PART is the crushed frito's on top.

Since she was little, she has always gotten to "stomp" the frito's into crushed crumbles that are sprinkled on top of the roast.

It's delicious.

I haven't made it in a while..... but I think I just decided what's for dinner Saturday :-)

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Dallas on

My kids love taco when I fry up the corn tortilla's, spagettie, and pizza.

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Spokane on

My boys love anything bbq'd ~ steak, pork chops, pork loin, burgers, chicken, salmon, corn on the cobb, veggies. Seriously ~ anything!
I don't know if it's the bbq taste or the marinades we use, but whatever it is it works :)
They also love spaghetti, baked ziti, lasagna, eggs, bacon, sausage (we love having bfast for dinner), homemade chicken nuggets, soft tacos, taco salad, english muffin pizza, grilled cheese and soup, french dip sandwiches and turkey wraps.

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Dallas on

Chicken Pot Pie - I make my own but I'm sure they would like frozen as well.
Homemade chicken nuggets with sweet potato fries
Taco Night!
Make your own pizza night
Breakfast for dinner - I make scrambled eggs, pan fry some lunch ham, fresh fruit and toast with jam.

1 mom found this helpful


answers from New York on

We almost always eat the same dinners, but sometimes I'll make fish which my son and I like, and Dh and daughter don't, or sometimes son will have a sandwich if we're having a bean dish. My son's favorite meals (he's 12) are hamburgers, roast chicken, breakfast for dinner and quesadillas. My daughter's favorites (she's 16) are stuffed shells, pasta with alfredo sauce, homemade soups and lamb chops.
Good luck in finding meals for your family.

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Washington DC on

chicken enchiladas
ham and cheesy potatoes
"Fritos" pasta of any sort with Alfredo sauce and usually chicken or shrimp

I always serve a potato or pasta and a veggie or salad. Oh they love a Greek salad, no lettuce, cukes, parsley, tomatoes, red onion, feta, olives, Greek vinaigrette

1 mom found this helpful


answers from New York on

DS is a bit young for this, but he loves stuffed peppers, zucchini casserole, lentil soup, steak, pasta with goat cheese and broccoli, lamb and roasted vegetables, all fruit, and he's crazy about nuts.

how about you try making some asian inspired dishes which might be a hit with both kids. I am thinking of things like chinese beef and broccoli over lo mein. Its pasta and meat and vegetables. Everything is cut up pretty small so it doesn't lend itself to being picked at.

Good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Seattle on

My daughter loves when I make chicken fettuccine alfredo, chili, tostadas, sweet potato fries, sloppy joes, avocado egg salad, any type of spaghetti, pasta salad or breakfast for dinner.

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Denver on

if asked to pick a meal my son loves french dip sandwhiches or chicken wings. My daughter will ask for either macaroni or steak if asked what she wants for dinner.

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Savannah on

I try to do things that are meaty but also heavy on the veggies. Lobster ravioli, meatballs, or spinach and sausage gnocchi in a spaghetti sauce that has anything from yellow squash, tomatoes, mushrooms, onions, bellpeppers, roma tomatoes, green onions, etc all just cut up enough that the kids don't pay it any mind? Or casseroles that have it all together? My kids are gumbo fanatics (the cajun, not the creole)...but I add stewed tomatoes or rotels, okra, onions, bellpepper, celery, garlic, etc along with sausage and plenty of chicken, over brown rice. It's not bad for you, and the kids will tear that up. When one of my son went through a picky no meat phase, he loved king ranch casserole (cheese and corn chips make it just fine, whatever it is, so I'd shred the chicken so he'd eat it even if he thought he didn't like chicken that day....and just added a few more veggies than the standard recipe usually called for). You live in TX, so for your son who loves meat: how about carne asada (or at least steak) and making fajitas to get his veggies in? A standard fajita would include onion, tomato, cilantro, guacamole (avocados are GREAT for you), as well as cheese and salsa (a homemade salsa is great for you too). If he doesn't like beans along with it, do some bean/cheese nachos as a compromise. That's all I can think of at this time....good luck!

1 mom found this helpful


answers from San Diego on

One of the best ways to get everything into my kids is to make it all together. Sheppards pie which is ground beef, gravy and veggies all mixed together with a layer of mashed potatoes on top then backed until it's crispy on top. Chicken Pot pie. Lasagna with spinach mixed in the sauce.
Thankfully my kids aren't really picky and will eat everything for the most part, but it goes in them faster if it's all in one dish for some reason.

1 mom found this helpful


answers from New York on

My 4 year old loves cheese burgers (no bun), grilled sausage, fried chicken cutlets, tortellini, meatballs with penne (sauce has chopped spinach in it), she also will eat sausage with brocolli rabe (mostly sausage) and salmon, and tilapia (especially if they have crab meat stuffing).

Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful


answers from Bellingham on

Salmon patties, spaghetti, bean nachos, sausages, fish sticks. They're hopeless eaters.

1 mom found this helpful
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