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SeaStar
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| Posted: Sept 08 2014 at 4:32pm | IP Logged
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I know we have probably talked about this before, but I need help.
I am frequently asked to bring a dish to a family for a variety of reasons (new baby, illness, etc), and often the family requests a "kid-friendly" meal.
Recently I was completely stumped by a family needing a kid-friendly meal.
I know these kids pretty well, and I have never seen them eat anything but boiled hot dogs, frozen pizza, bread and fruit. On a different occasion, I made them a spaghetti dish that was supposed to be a sure-fire kid pleaser, but helping to clean up the kitchen afterwards, I saw that none of them really ate it. Most of it went into the trash. 
So, what exactly is a kid friendly meal?? If you have picky eaters and needed meals brought to your house, what would work best for your family?
I am ashamed to say that this kid-friendly meal thing is starting to stress me out- just because the time to shop, prepare a meal and deliver it is sometimes hard to come by, and I hate to think that the meal will probably end up being thrown out. Maybe that is just my pride.
Still, I want to be helpful, but I am starting to cringe every time I get a request to deliver a kid-friendly meal.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Sept 08 2014 at 5:18pm | IP Logged
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Well, cheese pizza is often "kid friendly".
But one of *my* favorites that someone has brought to us, that I think is picky eater friendly...
chili and plain pasta and corn bread and shredded cheese and a bag of baby carrots
You can eat any of the items plain.. you can combine them in a myriad of ways. (pasta with cheese, chili over corn bread with cheese on top, chili on pasta, cheese on corn bread etc) and if they don't eat the baby carrots because they haven't been cooked they can be saved and have more uses than a cooked veggie.
Same with spaghetti.. if you take the sauce and pasta separate with shredded cheese.. then you can have sauce and pasta and cheese or just pasta and cheese etc.
The problem for us is always the single dish meals.. very few of those suit everyone and it takes a lot of trial and error to find one.
Another thought is breakfast foods.. those, at least here, are more universally accepted.. a breakfast egg and potato casserole with sausage or bacon and some juice or fruit..
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Sept 08 2014 at 5:23pm | IP Logged
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 Melinda. I don't know. Things you would find on the kids menu in a restaurant? My children actually don't like those things and usually order from the main menu, often two of them splitting something they find interesting that we don't eat at home, like the lake trout or baby back ribs. But it seems those are pretty safe bets for children other than mine 
Usually you see macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, etc... But frankly, those are not meals that seem worthy of delivering. I could make a really good macaroni, but my guess is that kids who only eat that prefer the box kind anyway.
One meal I know my kids love and is popular with many of my friends' children (because they have told me later) is shepherd's pie (made with corn, instead of peas, for the pea adverse kiddoes). But then, some children don't like their food mixed up! As one dish meals go, it is less mixed than other casseroles.
I've also delivered taco meat and sides, though it is always hard to know how spicy you can make it. I make it pretty mild for guests or when taking it as a meal.
We have been enjoying The World's Best Chicken this summer, and it would be a simple dish to take with a side of rice and a salad. I would consider taking it with heating instructions rather than made already.
Also, something like a pot roast or roast chicken might work just because it keeps all the dishes "separate", and the seasoning is pretty basic.
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Lindsay
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Sept 08 2014 at 5:28pm | IP Logged
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I just reread my post, and I really hope no one thinks I would be ungrateful if they brought me hotdogs or hamburgers or anything! I'm not sure there is a graceful way to get out of this one except to say that on the giving end, I wouldn't normally choose those meals to send and have never received, just because they feel so normal. But maybe they really would be the child friendly thing to do!
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Lindsay
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Sept 08 2014 at 5:56pm | IP Logged
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I know. When you take something you want it to be a bit special and show a bit of skill..
And I agree.. I'll take homemade pizza. And our homemade mac and cheese is generally liked by anyone.. it's simply pasta and cheese with a bit of milk and butter and then cooked to gooey.
But the flip side is.. a neighbor once happened upon some roasted chickens at the store clearanced (end of the day) and she grabbed an extra for us and brought it over with some rice and canned fruit (I think it was.. it was a while) but what I remember was that she thought of us when she saw that, and that I love having leftover chicken that can be made into chicken salad sandwiches.. so that even if we'd had dinner already it would have been welcome.
And generally, especially when I need a break, I'll just let the picky kids make a pb&j and save the yummy food for those that will eat it. 
Maybe you should take whatever you want and a small jar of peanut butter, a small jar of jam and a loaf of bread 
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Sept 08 2014 at 6:28pm | IP Logged
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Yeah... something like that 
Mac and cheese is yummy, definitely... but then I also worry that everyone else is making mac and cheese for the family, and, as Lindsay said.... probably the kids like the boxed kind.
I have delivered bagels, sandwich meat and a large box of clementines before, but somehow that does not seem like preparing a meal
But Jody's suggestion of items that mix and match is probably my best bet for this type of situation.
My kids are not picky eaters. They have their likes and dislikes, but they will try new dishes and eat most things, so I guess I have lost touch with the has-to-be-kid-friendly world
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: Sept 08 2014 at 7:29pm | IP Logged
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Yk, when my latest was born, we had a party a month earlier where we got the big trays of cold cuts and cheese from BJs. It was SO nice! We had leftovers that were awesome during the next week or so (of being hugely pregnant in summer, blech), so much so, dh got another one after the baby came. It was yummy, and we decided that it would be a good meal to drop off with trimmings. It is so pretty laid out in the tray, and I think it is actually cheaper than buying them by the pound.
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Lindsay
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Sept 08 2014 at 8:45pm | IP Logged
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That does sound like a nice idea, Lindsay, and you could make the trays up yourself if you wanted to. Toss in some rolls and a salad and you're good to go.
I usually deliver pasta and homemade sauce (generally separately), or a baked ziti casserole on Fridays or for friends who don't eat meat.
I have, on occasion, baked a chicken (this can also be done in a crockpot) and made rice and a veggie as sides.
I figure if you keep all the dishes separate and prepare a healthy meal that your own family and friends would eat, that's really the best you can do. Parents with truly picky children tend to keep those few food items their little ones will eat on hand all the time. Something like pasta or chicken heats up well the next day, so the parents at least will have a lunch or future dinner.
PS - There are a couple of online take-a-meal signup websites out there...this would be a good way for the recipient family to tell the organizer of the meal schedule exactly what their children will and won't eat, without sounding, well, pushy. Our homeschool groups have used these signups with great success, and the ability to pass along specific info (not just about food preferences and allergies, but also about where to put the food, when they normally eat, etc.) is super-helpful.
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Pilgrim
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| Posted: Sept 08 2014 at 9:03pm | IP Logged
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One casserole that everyone, even the pickier ones enjoyed recently that dh threw together was a "tater-tot type" casserole. For meat he used ground beef, then he mixed cream of mushroom soup(in the 9x13 pan) with part of the recommended amount of milk, and added canned green beans, carrots, and corn (or maybe it was cream corn, I think), and instead of the tater tots on top he mixed in frozen hash browns, mixed in some cheddar cheese, sprinkled some cheddar cheese and garlic Mrs. Dash on top, threw it in the oven at 350F for 30 min or so.
It was so yummy(and I didn't have to make it!). Usually someone out of the 7 kids is less than thrilled with a meal, but everyone loved it. So I would consider it kid friendly, and it's special enough to seem like a meal to take to someone. Another one they all will eat is lasagna. I think the other ideas with pasta and cheese along with something like chili are great as at least the kiddos who didn't want the chili could eat pasta and cheese, oh and a veggie would be good.
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Sept 08 2014 at 9:43pm | IP Logged
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I have a real hard time with one dish meals here. A tater tot type casserole is a no go. The one that only one or two aren't thrilled with is a browned hamburger with a brown gravy mix and green beans and corn with a biscuit top (I mix up biscuit dough and then thin it down just enough to pour). It's probably closer to a pot pie than a casserole. But I have one child that doesn't find gravy that appealing.. she's moved forward.. now she likes both sausage gravy and chicken gravy (both cream gravies).. and the chicken gravy is both plain gravy served with chicken and the gravy with the chicken diced up into it. Hmmmmm I don't think I've tried the biscuit top on chicken.. but I'm getting an order of chicken in about 6 weeks that will mean I have reasonably priced chicken to use again.
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guitarnan
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| Posted: Sept 08 2014 at 9:57pm | IP Logged
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I have had this casserole, or at least a version of it. It's quite good, as long as no one has mushroom allergies.
Tater tots are about as kid-friendly as you can get, BTW. I have known kids who refused hot dogs, hamburgers, cake, cupcakes and even pizza. But tater tots? Everyone seems to like them.
More ideas:
Sloppy Joe meat and hamburger buns
Baked potatoes with fixings (chili, cheese, etc.)
Macaroni and cheese (the homemade kind) baked with slices of kielbasa or smoked sausage on top (need to slice and briefly pan-fry the sausage slices first)
And my go-to dessert for all potlucks...Rice Krispy treats. Super-easy and everyone loves them. (I use generic everything, cereal, marshmallows and margarine. They still taste good.)
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JennGM
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| Posted: Sept 08 2014 at 10:12pm | IP Logged
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My children aren't the pickiest, but nothing is the same as Mom's cooking. So there will be initial rejection or pickiness when people. Ring meals. It's not what they are used to eating. They will be hungry enough to realize that's what is for dinner and eat it.
Having had many meals after my heart surgery, I know this from experience.
I agree preparing separate foods that aren't touching each other is probably the best. That's how most of our meals are, but that became by default since we have food allergies.
My main go to meal that I make is baked chicken, rice and veggies and a salad. I have also fixed Pot roast with simple sides.
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Servant2theKing
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Great ideas ladies! You can't always predict what will go over well with someone else's family. Recently, we cared for two of our grandkids, who tend to be pickier eaters. I made chicken rice soup loaded with garlic and ginger for the rest of the family ~ assuming the grandkids wouldn't eat the soup, I planned to serve them something different. Dh served them the soup while I was doing some last minute dishes, and to our utter surprise they ate every last bite and wanted more! Who knew? Luckily, we had enough to send home two quart jars for their family.
Kid friendly favorites here are PBJ Roll-Ups (dubbed Baba Specials by our grandkids). Flatten slices of storebought bread with a rolling pin, spread a thin layer of peanut butter (and/or Nutella), add a very thin layer of jelly, and roll them up. If you prefer less messy fare, don't spread the filling on the outer 1/4 inch of bread. These store well in a bread bag and travel nicely.
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Sept 09 2014 at 8:52am | IP Logged
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I really like the PBJ roll up idea  , and I forget about tater tots since I rarely buy them. Rice Krispy treats- going on the list as well.
I might try to do something like a main dish for grown-ups/regular eaters and a side platter of the PBJ roll ups... kind of like Jodie suggested. I think that would go over very well. Also, the cold cut platter idea is good. Costco here also has cheese platters- that might work as well.
Jenn- what were your favorite meals of the ones you had delivered?
I think Servant has an excellent point that some kids will eat things that surprise you.
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CrunchyMom
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It is hard, too, because even kids who aren't picky in the traditional sense have their particular likes and dislikes. My oldest is my pickiest eater because he doesn't like tomatoes or scrambled eggs. However, for the most part, he is not picky at all! But if someone happened to bring a quiche...well The rest of us would love it.
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Misty
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I didn't read the above just wanted to mention for me if someone brings a meal (my kids are to eat like it or not) it doesn't have to be fancy or anything crazy.
Ideas: taco's, pancakes, breakfast foods in general for kids usually work, what about some home made banana bread, butter and fruit, or nacho's makings. Things that you can put what you'd like on it usually works cause dad can load up and kids can add cheese. Well you know what I mean.
In cases I'm not sure I feel gift cards can be a good option if I can afford to be sure it's enough to feel the family be it from local delivery for pizza, Chinese, or like a Subway dad can just pick up on the way home. You get the idea. I know it's always the thought that counts even if you don't make it yourself. Good luck, and a servants heart is never to be worried.
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JennGM
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SeaStar wrote:
Jenn- what were your favorite meals of the ones you had delivered?. |
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I missed some of the meals since I was in Cleveland for my surgery, but the boys talks about some chicken meals, London broil, and Pot roast they liked. I think their favorites was a store bought rotisserie chicken. We had a few of those, by my suggestion. People were panicked in figuring out allergy-free for us (no dairy, no egg, no wheat). So no casseroles or pasta dishes, which is the majority of meals given.
My ultimate favorite was a simple dish of beef and veggies. It could have been on kebabs but the mom just had bite size beef, and bite size veggies like peppers and zucchini and grape tomatoes. All was seasoned with garlic and salt and organic, a little olive oil and I thin she broiled it just like that. The kids could just have some of the veggies and meat they liked. Simple but delicious!
We also had a simple tilapia meal for Friday that they loved.
My husband made the sides usually -- frozen rice, simple potatoes, rice noodles.
I will comment that their least favorite were the "spicy" foods....either black pepper or the hot spicy.
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MarilynW
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Rice salad - rice with chicken, corn, beans and a lime dressing.
Maple chicken - chicken with a maple syrup/olive oil/apple cider vinegar marinade. Roasted red potatoes and a green salad
Teriyaki noodles - linguini, chicken, peppers, carrots, pineapple, stirfry with a soy sauce/honey mix.
Taco salad - ground beef cooked and seasoned. Take all items separately - tortilla chips, crispy salad, grated cheese and beef. Plus a carton of sour cream and a jar of salsa
Fixings for taco bar all in separate containers - tacos, salad, cheese, sour cream, beef or chicken, black beans, peppers, olives etc
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Becky Parker
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JennGM wrote:
My children aren't the pickiest, but nothing is the same as Mom's cooking.
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I agree Jenn! Whenever anyone in our homeschool group has a baby the other moms each prepare a meal for the family so the new mom has a couple of weeks of prepared meals coming, nice and hot at meal time. It's so nice! But, I know that even the foods that my kids would normally like, for example a meal with baked chicken, rice, a vegetable, etc. will get some negative reactions simply because I didn't cook it. Maybe that mom uses more or less seasoning, or something that an adult wouldn't care about. My children, in these situations, usually get the "be thankful and eat it" lecture.
I once took a huge pot of vegetable soup over to a friend with many children. She had told me that her kids loved vegetable soup. She invited me to stay for lunch and I noticed that none of the kids ate more than a bit or two then filled up on bread. My kids love this particular soup so I was sure her kids would too. Wrong.
I agree with the no foods touching rule when trying to please kids. Once we took a taco bar over to a family and that was a big hit simply because the kids could choose what they wanted. It meant using a lot of little containers but the mom went on and on about how fun the kids thought it was. I made sure to include several protein options and a couple of choices for the "shell" as well. (taco shells, tortillas, etc.)
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CrunchyMom
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I did tacos once and it was a hit, but I was so nervous about how spicy to make it! It is another of those things that will inevitably be different from how mom makes it. However, we sometimes will send a fancy beverage and/or our favorite ice cream, and that is usually a hit. We sent a six pack of the Mexican bottled coke, and even though they had to share and pour into cups, the kids loved the novelty of it!
Doesn't get you much closer to a nourishing meal they will love, but maybe the coke distracts them enough to sneak some soup in
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Lindsay
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Topic: I need a go-to kid-friendly meal
