To ask for your "All kids love it" meals?

[HennyPennyHorror]

One of DD's friends (both 11) coming for a sleepover in a couple of days. It's not one of her regular friends so I don't know her well. With her other mates, I know what they like to eat etc.....I've asked DD who doesn't know. (or care)

I just wanted to ask what I might give them for dinner? We're on school hols here in Oz by the way. It's midwinter.

DD has limited taste in foods...she likes my homemade pizza but that's such a faff! I make the dough and it's messy...I wanted something easier but nothing like sausages or burgers please...I hate the smell!

Also...any nice recipes for a chocolatey bake of some sort please? Not muffins...mine ALWAYS fail.

Mac and cheese with crushed peas mixed in if you want veg. Works with others too but peas are easiest and most kids like them.

Check out this www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/kids-cooking

Mine love chilli (we do black bean as I’m veggie but minced beef equally good) in tortillas or on nachos with all the bits (cheese, guacamole, rice, salad etc) or fish tacos - fish strips (we like salmon with a spice crust but you could do any other fish or shop bought goujons) with loads of salad and guacamole.

And homemade pizza dough will last happily overnight in the fridge in a tub. Just leave it to rise in the fridge rather than out! I make mine on my mixer with the dough hook - a revelation!!

East I don';t want to make dough. I do it by hand (no mixer or anything here) so it's a bother.

Fajitas. Kids love to choose what's going into it and wrap it up. I just put out lots of ingredients and they take what they like. You can offer a spicy item but they can give it a miss if they dislike spicy food. Likewise with allergies and intolerances people can suit themselves - though obviously guests with a gluten intolerance need special wraps and you can usually only get those in the big supermarkets.

Lasagna...I can send you my recipe. It's from scratch and very good.

Here wraps with a selection of stuff to put in with potato wedges and corn on the cobs

Pesto pasta always a winner

Nigellas meatzza

Mexican lasagna

I was going to post homemade pizza as that's the only thing I've found all kids like!
It's quick too 10 mins to do the dough and sauce and the kids do the rest.

Otherwise something like wraps with various fillings, salad stuff, dips, tortillas or possibly potato wedges.

"Boats" are always a hit here.

The stand and stuff soft tacos. We serve a variety of things, sometimes panko chicken strips, grilled chicken, tuna, meatballs, roast veg etc. Then have a selection of veg, salad, rice and sauces with cheese etc.

Everyone makes their own boats up just how they like them. We normally serve with wedges or new potatoes.

Fajitas and the other go to, tacos.

Spaghetti bolognese, good quality chicken nuggets and a bowl of fruit, sausages wrapped in pastry to make home made sausage rolls, served with cucumber and carrot sticks..essentially anything they can eat with their fingers.

If you make your pizza dough they can top their own pizzas and you have the benefit of an activity as well, making you the playdate queen!

You can buy ready made pizza bases, or use a tortilla as a base and go from there.

Pasta bolognese
Pasta bake with tomato and mozzarella
Risotto with bacon and peas
Noodles or rice with chunks of chicken and veg, bit of soy sauce ginger and garlic.
Fish fingers (home made if you feel the need) or chicken goujons with veg and sweet potato

You dont let your kids eat sausages or burgers because you don't like the smell? Can't you open a window or get a clothes peg for your nose? Weirdest thing I've read on Mumsnet today.

Fish goujons and home made potato wedges, side dish of peas or sweetcorn. Easy peasy

Or filled wraps as several PP Have suggested.

For an easy chocolate pudding you could crush chocolate biscuits (get girls to do this) mix with melted butter and put in ramekin dishes. Then top with ice cream or whipped cream and some chopped bananas or strawberries.

Marinade chicken drumsticks and wings in equal parts of honey or maple syrup, tomato ketchup and soy sauce. Grill or oven bake. Serve with pasta, rice, chips, whatever starch they might like. And a salad on the side to pretend to be healthy. Never fails for kids (of any age).
Nigella's cream cheese brownies are easy and delicious.

Stew with dumplings (we make them on a baking tray so they are crispy, not soggy like the ones you cook in the stew)

Yorkshire puddings with stew, or bolognese or sausages and gravy in.

Shepherds pie

Meatballs in tomato sauce and pasta or couscous

Have started sneaking quorn into anything that would normally have mince and my children don't usually notice.

Spaghetti and meatballs
Curry and rice - mild one if you’re not sure

On of our faves at the moment is roast chicken pieces (normally in a homemade bbq sauce) shredded and in wraps. Also with roast sweet potatoes.

How about homemade pizza but use a wrap instead of faffing about with dough. My mum used to make me and my friends a little buffet type dinner, nuggets, sausages, garlic bread, salad type foods and it felt like a real treat as I wasn’t usually allowed that type of food, the girls can pick what they like and don’t like that way.

Pretty much any pasta/risotto.

I know you don't want to faff about with pizza dough, but naan bread pizza is dead easy and virtually no mess unless they're in charge of the toppings. At a pinch, I've done it on normal sliced bread too.

Fish fingers, chips, and peas/beans

Potato salad with peas, sweetcorn, and chopped hot dogs (you don't even have to cook the hot dogs, just tip the boiling water over them in the colander)

Donna Hay has a fantastic "storecupboard brownie" recipe that is an absolute winner. My kids and their friends all love it. It is made with cocoa rather than chocolate but I often add white chocolate melts and frozen raspberries to make it super yum.

Spag bol, garlic bread and salad is my fallback for feeding kids.

I just checked, if you google Donna Hay standby brownies you get the recipe online.

Fajitas. With lots of different fillings so they can choose what they like. This works a treat for my DS1 and every friend he's ever brought home, including veggies. I fry up red peppers and onion, then do some chicken strips, also sweetcorn, refried beans, plain yoghurt/sour cream, salsa, shredded lettuce.

Off to google the brownies!!

Ciabatta pizzas good too. No faffing but all the yumminess!!

Wraps, breaded chicken breast mini fillets, bowls of cucumber, tomato, lettuce, peppers, grated cheese and any sauces.

My kids are now at an age where they want takeout when friends come over
Before I used to do pitta pizza where you use pitta bread as the base or nugget wraps this means you can just put out the ingredients and let them create their own
they always wanted something that wasn't normally classed as a normal meal when there were friends round