I'm not a mommy yet but I know that by watching their parents eat healthy foods is the best/easiest way. I ate what my parents ate and what they had in the house (for better or worse). Now if I was over at a friend's house or at school that was a different story, but at least I had healthy options at home. And like you said, Kristen, kids end up making good decisions for themselves. Which is really what parenting is all about right!? ps - I <3 guacamole! more for me when I come over to your house!

I have two VERY finicky eaters. They feel that eating is something they have to do to live, not something they enjoy doing. I guess I should be thankful that they will never be over-eaters, but it makes for very stressful meal times. My son's ADHD medication makes his already pathetic appetite even worse, so I have him drinking Pediasure "shakes" to help boost his calories and vitamins. We limit the amount of sweets they eat, but do not forbid them. My husband and I believe that if children are forbidden to eat certain foods, they are at a higher risk to abuse them when they get older and are no longer under mom and dad's watchful eye. I think it all boils down to offering healthy choices and keeping the menu balanced.

Well said Kristen. I try and offer good choices, but sometimes my daughter is so finicky I have to sweeten the deal. She loves apples with peanut butter, celery and carrots with a little dip, and tomatoes plain. She will eat tomatoes like an apple if I let her, but I usually need the rest of it for dinner. Those are for her snacks. Dinner? Well, she fights with me about the little side of veggies I give her, but she will usually eat the main course. I try and not substitute something for dinner, but I do want her to eat. She can't stand chili, which is understandable. For that meal, I make her pasta salad, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, spaghettios, or leftovers. Usually, she does make healthy choices. Instead of chips, she wants an apple with peanut butter, but the girl does love her chocolate. Everything in moderation, right?

I would love to find some kid friendly healthy recipes though. I have a few kid's cookbooks, but many of them are either really time consuming, or just plain unhealthy. Any suggestions ladies?

My kids are basically typical kids when it comes to dinner. They often compliment on how attractive a meal is, then demand mac and cheese AFTER the meal is on the table. The oldest one, a teen, eats what she is served. The middle one, a 9 yr old, eats most and rejects some, the next one, a kindergartener, lives on mac and cheese, PBJs and "spicy pickle" (cheap, generic, pickles.) The youngest, 4, follows the pattern of his brother. I have found that having the kids prepare the meals with me encourages them to at least try the dishes. I also make sure they get plenty of fresh fruits and raw veggies with low cal dip. Then to ensure proper nutrients and minerals, I add the magic ingredient....Gummie Bear multi-vitamins and Oreos with milk!

Russ, This sounds like my house. We try to have the kids eat what we eat at least a couple of times a week, otherwise it's mac and cheese, chicken nuggets and pizza. My wife operates under the "choose your battles" philosophy, and I tend to agree with her most of the time. However, I will bake the food I serve them in the oven. Somehow, that makes me feel better??!?

I googled some kid friendly recipes, and alot came back to me. here is one link that I thought would be helpful.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/kid-friendly-salmon-recipe/index.html

Also, there is an author Missy Chase Lapine, who writes the sneaky chef. Here is her link, I reserved these at the library, but on amazon they are pretty inexpensive.

http://www.thesneakychef.com

Hello everyone!
I'm sorry for the delayed response but we are all sick at my house right now! ;-(
Our household is very similar to Kristen's. I very rarely allow alternate meals. What I used to do with my son if he refused to eat dinner was to put it on the stove and wait until eight o'clock. By that time he was starving and he ended up eating everything off the plate! The incentive was a snack that followed after dinner. It always worked and still does. My son loves snacks, so we always make sure he eats his main dish first. As far as kid friendly and nutritious recipes - I have a ton!
For example, I hide shredded carrots in the spaghetti. I make the spaghetti from scratch using fresh ripe tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, garlic....and I add one shredded carrot. It makes the sauce sweeter for the kids and they have no idea it's there! The good thing about cooking from scratch is that my kids end up snacking on carrots, celery sticks, mushroom, and even onions! My older son loves raw onion! Strange, but I guess it's good for him. I also put shredded carrots and cauliflower into my turkey meatloaf along with peas and onion, garlic....Since I shred the carrots and cauliflower, the kids don't know it's there. For my little guy, I shred apple and a little bit of carrot and mix it with crushed villa wafers. He loves it!
But yes, I am a strong believer of having the kids eat what is offered and not giving them an alternate choice. They have so many choices already!

Wow, I never thought to put shredded cauliflower in meatloaf. That with peas sounds pretty good! I have tasted the apple, carrot, Nilla wafer mixture and I can say that it is GOOD! You mostly taste the wafers :) Thanks for the tips, Fran!

Alissa, thanks for doing some research- that salmon recipe sounds yummy!

I also wanted to mention Jessica Seinfeld's website and numerous cook books that tell you how to sneak pureed veggies into any meal without anyone noticing! I want to try that tactic for some extra vitamins in our meals. It might also help me try making homemade baby food, which so far I am afraid of!
http://www.doitdelicious.com/

Bridget, Russ and Steven- thanks for your honesty! The truth is you don't win all of your battles with children, so as long as you are trying to feed them healthy and they are eating, that is all that matters. I like Bridget's idea to start the day with Pediasure to make sure that vitamins are part of the mix. And Russ, gummy bear vitamins are my favorite! I like to think that everyone deserves a nice cookie and milk after dinner. Like Fran and Alissa said, it's all about the snacks. If you can bribe kids to eat something healthy in order to get their cookie, it's not all bad. Just make sure to be careful not to use food in an unhealthy way. You don't want your kids to have negative associations with food and eating disorders later on. Never say they are "bad" or "fat" because of what they eat or like- emphasize the benefits of food.

I am officially in love with doitdelicious.com! Jessica posts videos of how to make her recipes, and they literally only take minutes! Really creative stuff, too :)

I love doitdelicous.com. I went to the library and checked out her book as well. I love it. I too never would have thought about putting cauliflower in meatloaf. Weird, but in a good way. She gives great tips on food, but also in the book there are some other tips as well. I haven't read through the whole thing yet, but I love it so far. Thanks Kristen for the website.

I have talked with my cousin who also plans on making her own baby food. She says it's pretty simple. I have read up on it as well, but I also found some great websites on it. This one below is my favorite.

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/

Also, a friend has made baby food for her daughter, and a portion for baby food is one ice cube slot in an ice cube tray. She makes about a weeks worth of baby food in one shot, then freezes them in ice cube trays. It seems to work very well for her. I found a great website on that too.
What can I say, I love to research things. I hope these links help. I wish I would have thought of these when my daughter was on baby food. Oh well, hopefully I will remember for the next one:)

http://www.rookiemoms.com/make-food/

Steven, my husband and I do the same thing. Instead of microwaving spaghettios, I cook them on the stovetop. Somehow it makes me feel as if I am a better mommy for doing it that way. :)