Family dinner philosophy: Getting kids to eat with 1-2-1

I often hear “your kids eat so well” or “I can’t believe what your kids eat” or “I can’t get my kids to eat what your kids eat”. Although my kids do eat pretty well, I thought a little clarification is in order.

My rule of thumb for dinner is to create a menu that includes at least 4 items, with a 1-2-1 combination: one of these items, I expect my kids will love; two of the dishes are new recipes or foods that I am not sure my kids know or like; and for the final item, I am almost positive my kids won’t like it at all. Take a look at this photo:

Family dinner

Grass-fed beef steaks – this is what I expect my kids will like
Roasted sweet potatoes and broccoli – the 2 dishes I am not sure about
Sauteed spinach – the one I am sure they won’t like

All of these items go on their plates, and they need to take at least a bite of everything. My son inhaled his steak and sweet potatoes, but did not like the broccoli and spinach. My daughter ate her steak (slowly), but loved the broccoli and ate half of this bowl. She did not like the sweet potatoes and avoided the spinach.

This seems pretty normal to me. I will serve a similar meal again, and the next time, I am sure they will enjoy different parts of the dinner.

The menu plans I post on Mondays are indicative of what we eat 99% of the time. However, if we have a crappy day or an unexpected activity arises and our plans change, then my menu plan slips, sometimes completely, and sometimes until later in the week.

Often times, we will have leftovers, and sometimes I will have those for lunch, but if there is a lot, I pack up a container for the freezer. This week, we are having leftover Chicken and Hominy Stew, and Carrot Soup, both from the freezer stash.

I love to try new recipes – I subscribe to loads of different cooking magazines and find great enjoyment from curling up with a new cookbook. Most weeks I try at least one new recipe, something I hope will be successful for our family. However, if I find my husband is going to miss dinner, I often will shuffle things around, as I don’t have much success with new recipes on nights he is away. Takes two of us to provide positive role modeling about a new recipe. And I will often serve a new food 10-15 times before I see any interest from my kids.

Now that my kids are older, cooking with them has become much more interesting. My daughter enjoys being in the kitchen, and has found fun ways to contribute to our family dinner. A fruit salad with honey, or fresh cookies are what she is interested in now, but I like to sit and read cooking magazines with her and see what she is inspired by.

What works in your family? Do you have family dinner? Do your kids eat well, what tricks do you use to introduce new foods?