These easy family meals will solve your dinner time rut!

If you’re like me, you probably have a lot of different food preferences and styles of eating within your family. Someone is adventurous. Someone more selective. One kid likes sauces. The other only plain food. One person won’t touch a vegetable. Another asks for more broccoli.

It can be really hard, and frustrating, trying to make a meal that suits everyone. And it can be really easy to get into the pattern of being a short-order cook.

Mac n Cheese for you. Chicken nuggets for you. Chicken and broccoli for me. Quesadilla for you.

I get it! You want everyone to eat. You don’t want to hear complaining. You don’t want to waste food. You just want to get through the meal.

Me too!

The solution for easy family meals –> serve food deconstructed and family-style.

What exactly does that mean?

Deconstructed meals are meals separated into individual components but served together. I think of it as make-your-own… [tacos, potatoes, pasta]

Family-style meals are meals where food is served in containers and each person can serve themselves. In other words, your child decides what goes on their plate.

I love doing this with most of our meals. There are times when we have a more pre-assembled dinner, such as enchiladas or soup, but overall, I try to serve meals in their individual components so each person can get what they need and we all still have the same meal.

Another plus in serving this way is kids are exposed to more foods, with the option to eat them. Even when you eat something different and your child is sitting there with you (i.e. exposed to it) it doesn’t provide the same opportunity for them to feel like that food could also be their food.

Exposure, without pressure, lends itself to eventually trying new foods over time.

For instance, you might serve taco bowls and everyone can eat them however they want. In fact, my kids usually eat bean and cheese tacos with nothing else on them along with chips and guac. My hubby and I either make tacos with more “stuff” or taco salad with all the things… chips, beans, meat, veggies, etc. However, sometimes my kids do want a separate bowl of salad with dressing, something they used to never eat.

So, HERE are your easy family meal ideas for everyone! Remember, when following the Division of Responsibility, your child can choose to only eat one thing, or everything, from the following lists. Just be sure to offer at least one thing you know they like.

I recommend serving at least 1-2 things from each of the lines below, that way you are serving a variety of food groups and nutrients.

You can have parts of the meal homemade and buy additional sauces or ingredients in a jar so that you’re able to offer another option if needed.

For instance, you might make a homemade pesto but also buy a jar of marinara if you know someone prefers that…

Taco (Salad) Bar:

  • flour tortillas, corn tortillas, hard shells, chips
  • ground meat, chicken, fish, shrimp, cheese, beans
  • lettuce, tomatoes, onion, cilantro, bell peppers
  • avocado, guacamole, sour cream

(Your kid might only eat chips and guacamole)

Potato Bar:

  • baking potatoes, sweet potatoes
  • beans, ground meat, chili, shredded chicken, eggs, bacon, cheese
  • broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, peppers
  • butter, sour cream, pesto, avocado, curry sauce, cheese sauce, salsa, BBQ sauce

(Your kid might only eat cheese and bacon)

Pasta Bar:

  • any kind of pasta you enjoy, bread or rolls
  • ground meat, meatballs, sausage, chicken, shrimp, cheese
  • broccoli, tomatoes, green beans, lettuce/salad
  • marinara, red sauce, pesto, alfredo, olive oil, butter

(Your kid might only eat pasta with butter)

Burger Bar:

  • bread, buns, chips, fries, tater tots
  • meat patties, pulled pork/chicken, veggie patties, cheese
  • lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, crudite platter (carrots, cucumbers, etc)
  • mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, avocado, thousand island

(Your kid might only eat bun, cheese, pickles)

Pizza Bar:

  • dough, English muffins, bagels, flat breads
  • BBQ sauce, pizza sauce, alfredo sauce, pesto, cream cheese
  • cheese, chicken, pepperoni, ham, sausage
  • tomatoes, peppers, spinach, mushrooms, olives, avocado, pineapple

(Your kid might only eat plain bagel, cream cheese, and pineapple)

Salad Bar:

  • bread, rolls, chips, croutons, pasta, quinoa, couscous
  • steak, chicken, lunch meat, tuna, white beans, garbanzo beans, cheese
  • lettuce, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, beets, olives
  • salad dressings, avocado, nuts, seeds

(Your kid might only eat salami, croutons, and cucumber)

Noodle Bar:

  • rice noodles, udon noodles, glass noodles, egg noodles, spaghetti
  • chicken, fish, shrimp, eggs, tofu, nuts, seeds
  • broccoli/cabbage slaw, peppers, steamed broccoli, peppers
  • peanut sauce, sesame oil, butter, coconut oil, soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, curry sauce

(Your kid might only eat noodles and soy sauce)

Chili Bar:

  • chips, hot dog/hamburger buns, tater tots, roasted potatoes
  • chili, ground meat, beans, cheese
  • lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, onions
  • sour cream, hot sauce, salsa, ketchup

(Your kid might only tater tots and ketchup)

Grain Bowl Bar:

  • rice, quinoa, pasta, couscous
  • ground meat, steak, chicken, shrimp, tofu, tempeh, eggs, beans, cheese
  • steamed veggies, slaw, lettuce/salad, peas, corn
  • salad dressing, avocado, cheese, peanut sauce, teriyaki sauce, curry sauce, hot sauce, pesto

(Your kid might only eat pasta with butter)

Breakfast bar:

  • pancakes, waffles, hash browns, tater tots, tortillas
  • eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese
  • sauteed spinach, tomatoes, broccoli
  • butter, coconut oil, avocado
  • ketchup, salsa, syrup
  • fruit

(Your kid might only eat waffles with syrup and berries) 

Rice Bowls/ Lettuce Wraps Bar:

  • brown rice, white rice
  • ground meat, shredded chicken, shrimp, tofu, tempeh, eggs, edamame
  • lettuce, shredded cabbage/carrot/broccoli slaw, frozen peas, cauliflower rice
  • teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, peanut sauce, avocado

(Your kid might only eat rice with soy sauce)

This last one is near and dear to my heart because my oldest loves making his “World Famous Lettuce Wraps”. He constructs them very precisely and with lots of ingredients that he normally does not eat. He then asks everyone to try his. My middle kiddo will eat a lettuce wrap or two and my daughter usually just eats rice with soy sauce and maybe some eggs if I make them.

The above are simply suggestions to get you started, but adjust and get creative. Make these easy family meals your own.

Thank you for joining me and letting me be a part of your journey in creating joyful eating for your family, and if you’re looking for more tips on feeding your family, grab my online workshop: Stress-Free Family Eating