Way off topic here...know of any good cookbooks (or even recipes) that kids are likely to enjoy. Mine are almost 3 and 5, and are getting fussy about food. I need some new ideas. Also, being the only adult with them makes it less feasible to make certain dishes.<P>Any ideas appreciated. I'd also like to figure out some things to make when I'm alone and freeze for busy days.<P>Thanks.

Rick,<P>The best cookbooks with "kid friendly" food are your church cookbooks - those ladies know how to whip up good, freezable casseroles! My church just published a really good one that has plenty of simple but healthy recipes. If you're interested, give me a shout at belldandy112@yahoo.com<P>belld

Rick,<P>I may be a total failure at this marriage thing (the jury is still out), but now you have asked a question I actually know something about!<P>A classic cookbook that has stood me in good stead is "Feed Me I'm Yours", by Vicki Lansky. She makes clear that it is not so much what you feed them sometimes, but how it looks, how it is presented etc. (A carrot curl is a lot more fun to eat than a carrot stick.) After reading her book, you'll probably be able to extrapolate on your own being the engineer that you are.<P>As for casseroles, my kids still won't eat anything mixed together so I haven't been able to use them much yet. If your kids aren't that fussy, casseroles are a good thing because you can hide the veggies so easily. Soup can serve the same purpose to.<P>Good Luck and Good Eating!

Exhausted,<P>Great ideas! Imagination always helps - when I was little, my mom pretended that broccoli spears were trees, and that mashed potatoes and gravy was a castle with a moat, lol! I was the "big giant" who had come to eat the peaceful kingdom. Worked!<P>belld

Rick, here's a couple of ideas for you. I also agree about it being hard to cook for just yourself & two kids.<P>I buy the crossiant rolls in the dairy section (they come in little tubes), cut a slice down the middle of a hot dog, put some cheddar cheese in the slice and then wrap the whole thing up in a crossiant roll. Cook them on a cookie sheet for as long & at the temp the tube tells you to. My kids love them & they're much better than plain old hot dogs!<P>I also buy the pizza crust (again in the little tube-I do sometimes cook things that don't come in a tube!) buy some ham & mozzarella cheese & pizza sauce (add whatever they like) & make it into a stromboli, fill half of it and fold it over. Again cook for the time & temp it tells you on the tube.<P>Just a few ideas that are fairly easy & fast. <P>At my house we've been having pancakes & "dippy" eggs a lot lately, my OD (they're 9 & 8) just learned how to make them & she's EXTREMELY proud of herself! I guess you've got a while to go before then.<P>Good luck, if I think of anymore I'll re-post.

Make those 'quick & easy' pigs in a blanket (hotdogs with cheese in a croisant) and serve them with frozen green berries (frozen peas)<P>Broccoli trees - go good with melted cheese on them. Add some peperoni or ham slices to build a mountain and kids love them. <P>Anything with a face on it - make your own with some pieces of fruit a peach slice makes a smile, black olives make great eyes and cheese makes hair. A piece of chicken breast or ham makes a good base for this. add some carrot strips or apple slices for clothing...<P>Recipes on the back of the Campbells soup cans make great easy casseroles, and they all freeze well. Bake them right in a casserole dish - let it cool before you put it in the freezer - let it defrost before you heat it. Or freeze it then bake it later. <P>BEST advice - use lots of color, creativity, fresh veggies and fruits, and encourage your kids to explore... my kids take apart their veggies and touch their food, it's part of learning to LIKE it... If it feels good - looks good - it will taste good - RIGHT!<P>Good luck!<P>

Rick, here's just a general hint -<P>When I was a kid, I hated vegetables! Couldn't stand them, except for potatoes and corn. The reason for this was that my mother served the canned stuff. Anything, and I mean *anything* is better than canned!<P>I eventually discovered what fresh veggies taste like, and since then, I've never gone back to canned, or even frozen. Had I been introduced to fresh vegetables as a child, I would have eaten them all of the time - goes to show you that maybe children have a better intuition that all of that stuff in tinned cans ain't good for you!<P>belld

Here are some links that may help. <A HREF="http://www.inmotion-pcs.com/amass/theboss/recipe.htm" TARGET=_blank>http://www.inmotion-pcs.com/amass/theboss/recipe.htm</A> <BR> <A HREF="http://www.tamaraskitchen.com/recipes/rec_group.asp?Kids" TARGET=_blank>http://www.tamaraskitchen.com/recipes/rec_group.asp?Kids</A> <BR> <A HREF="http://www.kraftmilitary.com/" TARGET=_blank>http://www.kraftmilitary.com/</A> <BR> <A HREF="http://directory.google.com/Top/Home/Cooking/Kids'_Recipes/" TARGET=_blank>http://directory.google.com/Top/Home/Cooking/Kids'_Recipes/</A> <P>And I did a search on google for recipes kids like and got this.<BR> <A HREF="http://www.google.com/search?q=recipes+kids+like&btnG=Google+Search" TARGET=_blank>http://www.google.com/search?q=recipes+kids+like&btnG=Google+Search</A> <P>Hope that helps. <P>------------------<BR>Deb<P>Hepatitis C, Please educate yourself ! <A HREF="http://www.hepatitis-central.com/<P>In" TARGET=_blank>http://www.hepatitis-central.com/<P>In</A> memory of a very dear friend <A HREF="http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/wally.adp" TARGET=_blank>http://fathom.org/teemingmillions/wally.adp</A>

Rick, here are some of the recipes I use when we have company who bring their kids (well, I don't usually make the chili pie!). It's hard to cook when kids come to dinner, because you're right, they can be very picky eaters. But I've had success with the below. The casseroles freeze very nicely. Good luck! BTW, the shepherd's pie won in a cooking contest. <P><BR>Truck Stop Chili Pie<P>Warm up one can chili, with or without beans, over med. heat. Add one medium package of Velveeta (cubed), and stir until melted. Place a couple of handfuls of Fritos (small size) on a plate, and ladle chili mixture on top. This is for desperate "rushed" dinner hours - fix sparingly! Note: this is really has little nutritional value, but kids seem to like it.<P><BR>Shepherd’s Pie Topped with Rice<P>2 tsp. oil<BR>1 medium onion, chopped<BR>1 lb. ground beef<BR>2/3 beef broth<BR>1 Tblsp. tomato paste<BR>1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce<BR>salt and pepper<BR>1 1/2 cups frozen green peas & carrots<BR>3 cups cooked, long grain rice (Uncle Ben’s)<BR>1 beaten egg<BR>1 cup grated cheddar cheese<BR>1/2 cup sour cream<P>Preheat oven to broil. In a heavy skillet, saute onion in oil for 3-5 minutes. Add the ground beef and continue cooking until beef is browned. Add broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Add green peas & carrots. Cook one minute. In a bowl, combine the rice, cheese, egg and sour cream. Place beef mixture in an oven-proof casserole dish; cover evenly with rice mixture. Broil in oven 7-10 minutes until the rice topping is lightly browned and hot. Serve. <P><BR>Country-Style Chicken Casserole<P>2 onions, chopped<BR>2 cloves garlic, put through a garlic press or minced thoroughly<BR>3 Tablespoons butter<BR>1/2 sliced, fresh mushrooms<BR>1 cup packaged yellow “saffron” rice<BR>2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped<BR>1 10 1/2-ounce can chicken broth<BR>1 2-ounce jar pimento strips<BR>salt and pepper to taste<BR>3 cups cooked chicken breast, cubed <BR>1 10-ounce package frozen green peas<P>In a large skillet, saute onions and garlic in the butter until the onions are transparent. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until mushrooms are tender. Add more butter if necessary. Add rice and saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the remaining ingredients and stir unti blended. Simmer until the rice is cooked and liquid absorbed. Stir and serve hot. Serves 4. <P><BR>Dump Cake <P>Grease and flour a 13 X 9-inch pan.<BR>Line the pan with one can cherry pie filling.<BR>Spread one large can drained, crushed pineapple on top of the filling.<BR>Sprinkle one package dry yellow cake mix on top of this. Spoon two sticks melted margarine or butter on top of this, evenly.<BR>Sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts work best) on top. Bake about one hour at 350 degrees, or until lightly browned.<P>The cake will firm up as it cools. I’ve found it tastes best served slightly warm with vanilla ice cream - a company favorite.<P><BR>Banana Pudding Supreme<P>1 8-oz. package cream cheese, softened<BR>1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk<BR>2 cups milk<BR>1 6-oz. package instant vanilla pudding mix<BR>1 8-oz. carton nondairy whipped topping<BR>4 bananas, thinly sliced<BR>1 12-oz. box vanilla wafers<P>Beat the cream cheese until smooth with an electric beater. Stir in the sweetened condensed milk and pudding mix, and beat until thickened, following the directions on the side of the pudding mix. Fold in half of the whipped topping and blend well. Layer the pudding, cookies, and banana slices in a large dish. Top with remaining whipped topping and sprinkle with some crushed vanilla wafer crumbs. Chill. <P>

My YS hates veggies, I have found V8-Splash a good way to sneak some into him.

Rick, <P>I have only second now, but here is a link I think you might like, not only for recipes.<BR> <A HREF="http://jas.family.go.com/Family/cookbook.app?page=RecipeFinder" TARGET=_blank>http://jas.family.go.com/Family/cookbook.app?page=RecipeFinder</A> <P>I'll check later on for some more. Fancy some of our national dishes my D likes? <P>Adrian<P>

Rick - I wish I could contribute, being in a comparable "single father" situation, but my son it the pickiest eater on the planet. Pizza with only cheese, tacos, plain pasta with a little butter, breads and rolls, and hot dogs. Oh yes, the hot dog MUST be boiled - not grilled or microwaved. The only way I can get veggies into him is to hide them in a taco and let him watch TV so he won't notice.<P>Dave

Rick,<P>If you search the read only posts, I had a thread like this one last year. I think I titled it Recipes?<P>All My la petite eats is chicken nuggets and eggos...LOL<P>I still need help!!<P>Bill

This is funny. I could use some of these. My kids will only eat: bacon, egss, tacos with no garden on them, plain chicken, plain steak, corn out of a can, bread with peanutbutter only, baby carrots. They wont even eat flinstone vitamins! How unamerican! <BR>

My Son is picky. Here is what I get away with.<P>Protein: Home made chicken nuggets: roll chicken chunks in egg, roll in Italian style bread crumbs. Saute(istead of deep frying)until chicken is cooked.(3-5 min a side.)<P>I buy frozen mini quiches, they like those.<P>Hot pockets: Buy the premade crust, any kind of pillsbury, and fill with Ham and cheese. Get tricky and grind eggplant or yellow squash(hides well.) Cook as directed for the dough and cool thoroughly. Make as many as you want with variations of cooked meat:Salami, Turkey, Chicken and Cheese: Mozz, cheddar, feta. If they like some green, add those. Once cooked they can be frozen in freezer bags for 6 months. My Daughter eats them all the time after school.<P>Vegees: butter sauteed mushrooms, add 75% fresh spinich to salads instead of lettuce. They don't know the difference. Tomato half with slightly oiled Italian bread crumbs and parmesan(mixed together--broiled 10 minutes.)<P>Grilled cheese, add other meat to it. Tuna melt for example.<P>Fruits: cinamin sugar apples slices sauteed in butter.(until apples are soft.) <P>Lasagna, preecooked and cut into serving portions prior to freezing.<P>Muffins made with fruit and a scoop of vanilla protein powder.<P>If all else fails plenty of yogurt and nutritional drinks(slimfast, ensure) for snacks with vitamins and nutrition.

Everyone,<P>Thanks for all the great ideas and information. That opens up many new avenues for me to pursue with my rather fussy kids (aren't they all). I'll print this thread at some point, and check out the other one.<P>At least I know that I'm not the only one with a rather rigid diet for the kids. We all seem to have these limited lists of stuff that they will eat.<P>Thanks again.