Quick and easy kid-friendly meals

I adopted my son at age 10. Which means that he had 10 years of developing food preferences before he ever met me. Ten years of not-so-great habits that he developed. When he first moved home our family dinners were accompanied by the sound of him gagging and pretending to throw up. Suffice it to say, his reactions weren't terribly motivating for me.

In time, I learned that he was completely unfamiliar with a home-cooked meal. Thankfully, he enjoys many healthy snacks like fruit, vegetables, and yogurt. But when it came time to actually eat a meal, if it didn't come out of a box he didn't want anything to do with it.

Both he and I have had to give a little bit, but we've finally found our groove. He eats home-cooked meals without complaint (and without gagging noises) now and I've learned to make healthy foods that are more kid friendly. Some of the winning meals at our house include:

• Healthier mac & cheese. Take your basic whole-grain pasta with cheese sauce (sometimes I wimp out and make the instant kind, other days I'm more ambitious) and mix in cubed, grilled chicken. I usually serve steamed broccoli and cauliflower on the side.
• Shrimp salad. My son is a big fan of shrimp so I'll serve a big salad with grilled shrimp on top. I add extra veggies like cucumber and red pepper to the salad and serve a whole-wheat roll on the side. For the salad, I toss spinach with romaine -- I'd prefer just spinach, but my son won't eat that. When I go 50/50 with romaine he doesn't protest.
• Lettuce wraps. Cook ground turkey and add just enough teriyaki sauce to coat it. Spoon the mixture into romaine leaves and top with shredded carrot.
  
• Baked chicken strips. I coat strips of chicken breast in honey mustard and then roll them in crushed whole-wheat pretzels before baking. Serve with a side of steamed green beans.
• Breakfast for dinner. There's something about making breakfast for dinner that just makes my son's eyes light up. I don't do it often (for fear that the fun would wear out), but once in a great while I'll make an omelet with mushrooms, green pepper, onion, and a little cheese. I serve whole-wheat toast and melon on the side.
  

Want more kid-friendly food ideas? Check out Cooking Light's Kids in the Kitchen series. How about you? Do you have any kid-friendly meals that are real winners at your house?