Fun makes it easier

I was talking with a client this morning, and she's struggling with getting her kids to try new foods. Her solution has been to cook what she knows won't cause arguments, because who wants to sit down to dinner and have fights about the food. No good bonding there. The flip-side of that is that she and her husband are bored with the same few meals that her kids will eat.

My suggestion is to make minor modifications in what you know works, and whereever possible, make the food fun for your kids.

To make burgers that make you happier: Put them on whole wheat rolls, add some new flavors to the burgers (barbecue sauce, Italian seasonings, Cajun spices), try different cheeses on your cheeseburgers, use ground turkey instead of ground beef (ground turkey breast is too dry and burgers will fall apart, but ground turkey works well)

To make burgers that make your kids happier: Turn them into mini-burgers and put them on mini-rolls (sliders are all the rage as apps in restaurants these days) and kids love food that's right-sized for them. Try wrapping them in butcher paper and have pretend take-out.

Fries for you: Make your own and bake them, rather than deep-frying, leave the skins on -- that's where all the vitamins are. Experiment with different flavors and spices. Try a combination of sweet potatoes and white potatoes to introduce your kids to something new in a relatively painless way.

Fries for your kids: Let's face it, any fries make kids happy. You can serve them in brown paper bags (like take-out) to make it a fun event.

Meatloaf for you: Like hamburgers, you can try a variety of flavors and spices. Meatloaf is a perfect place to hide veggies too. First find a flavor combination that your family likes, then add veggies in ways they can't identify them (finely shredded or pureed works well).

Meatloaf for your kids: If kids balk at the idea of meatloaf, try to make it more fun for them. Bake it in mini-loaf pans or cupcake tins for individual mini-meatloaves.

Macaroni and cheese for you: Whether you make your own or use the box, experiment a little. Add frozen broccoli and diced chicken, or make Steakhouse Mac & Cheese with frozen peas and crumbled bacon, or hide veggies in it by adding pureed baby carrots or sweet potatoes to orange cheese or pureed cauliflower or white beans to white cheese.

Macaroni and cheese for your kids: Like fries, most kids are really happy if their choice for dinner includes macaroni and cheese. Do your kids love steak? Add some leftover steak from last night's dinner, they'll think they hit the jackpot. Then you can add a veggie to make you happy and they can try one bite, they might just like it (if they don't they can always pick it out.

Spaghetti and meatballs for you: Using whole wheat pasta is now a great, flavorful option, and once the sauce is on it, most people would be hard-pressed to tell the difference. Like meatloaf, meatballs hide a multitude of veggies. Feel like you're having pasta every night? Try meatball subs on whole wheat buns with reduced fat cheese.

Spaghetti and meatballs for your kids: Meatballs are a fun food, and they might think you're the coolest mom in town for serving subs for dinner!