The 9 Kids Meals That Won Over Chicagoland's Pickiest Eaters
Every parent of a picky eater knows the look. The plate goes out, the kid sits down, and within thirty seconds you can tell whether dinner is going to get eaten or whether you've just lost another twenty minutes of your evening.
If you've raised a kid who only eats five things, and you're not sure how it got down to five, you already know the question that runs through your head every time you order something new: will my kid actually eat this?
That's the question this list answers. We deliver kids meals to families across Chicagoland every weekday, and over time I've come to notice which ones come back ordered week after week, and which ones get tried once and quietly disappear. The 9 below are the ones that keep coming back. Every meal on this list earned its spot the same way, because a kid ate it and the parents reordered.
If you've been burned before by a meal kit your kid wouldn't touch, or a takeout night that ended in cereal, start here.
1. Cheese Ravioli with Broccoli, the most-ordered kids meal on our menu
This is the kids meal we deliver more often than any other. We make it with cheese-filled ravioli in marinara sauce, and we serve it with fresh broccoli florets on the side. Every part of the plate is something a five-year-old already recognizes from a hundred other dinners.
If your kid has been stuck on a pasta-and-cheese loop and you want one new item that's a near-guaranteed yes on the first try, this is where most parents start.
2. Two ground beef tacos on flour tortillas with salsa and buttered corn
This one runs second on the list, and the name on the menu tells you most of what's on the plate already. We send out two ground beef tacos on flour tortillas with salsa and a portion of buttered corn alongside.
A lot of why this works for picky eaters has nothing to do with the food and everything to do with the format. When the kid gets to assemble the tacos themselves at the table, the resistance drops by half.
3. Turkey Cranberry Roll ups with Trail Mix & Apples
Third on the list, and the highest-ranked no-heat item we make for kids. We roll sliced deli turkey with cream cheese and dried cranberries inside a flour tortilla, and we serve it with sliced apples and our own trail mix on the side.
This is the kids meal most parents grab when there's no microwave at school or daycare. The whole plate works cold, the rollup is a handheld, and the sweet-and-savory mix of cream cheese and cranberries is what tips picky eaters from "I'll try one bite" to finishing the wrap.
4. Grilled Chicken Breast with Pasta Marinara and Mozzarella
Fourth on the list is one of the simplest plates we make for kids. We serve grilled chicken breast with pasta, marinara, and mozzarella. There's nothing on the plate a kid hasn't seen before.
Pasta and cheese is the safest entry point for almost any picky eater, and the chicken on top means you don't have to chase a second protein later in the day. Parents who want one meal that covers the whole plate without a negotiation reach for this one a lot.
5. BBQ Chicken Breast with Bacon Macaroni & Cheese
Number five is the meal that proves bacon and mac and cheese work as kid currency. We grill BBQ chicken breast, slice it, and serve it with our own macaroni and cheese with smoky bacon.
A lot of kids who say no to plain chicken say yes to BBQ chicken, and the smoky bacon in the mac and cheese tends to do the rest of the convincing. This is the meal parents order when they want their kid to eat protein without the dinner-table debate.
6. Mini Meatballs with Curly Pasta Marinara
Sixth on the list is three fresh mini meatballs on curly cavatappi pasta, with marinara sauce and melted mozzarella. I think three is the right number of meatballs for a kid's plate, and the curly pasta shape does more work than you'd think.
Cavatappi catches sauce in a way that smoother pasta shapes don't, so each bite has marinara already on it. Most parents tell us their kid finishes all three meatballs and goes after the pasta after.
7. Sloppy Joe Slider with Roasted Potatoes
Seventh is our sloppy joe slider, served on a mini bun with roasted Yukon potatoes on the side. We make the sloppy joe with ground beef.
Sloppy joes have done well in our kitchen for years because they're messy in the way kids are willing to put up with. The bun gets soft, the beef stays on the plate, and most kids will eat both at the same time. The roasted potatoes are the kind of side picky eaters will eat without much complaint.
8. Mini Ham Sandwich with Pretzels and Cinnamon Apples
Eighth on the list is a sliced ham and cheese sandwich on a mini bun, with pretzels, raisins, and cinnamon apples alongside. Every element on this plate is a familiar kid food, and none of it requires a microwave.
This is one of the no-heat plates that parents order specifically for school lunches, sitter days, and the activity-night car rides where reheating isn't an option. The pretzels and cinnamon apples take care of the snack instinct, and the mini bun makes the sandwich the right size for a small mouth.
9. Mini Cheeseburger Slider with Goldfish Crackers
Ninth on the list closes us out with a mini grilled cheeseburger on a slider bun, served with goldfish crackers and cherry tomatoes. Cheeseburger plus goldfish is kid currency in the most literal sense.
The slider format keeps the burger in proportion to a five-year-old's hands, and the cherry tomatoes are the only vegetable on the plate that almost every picky eater will eat without complaint. If your kid has only ever eaten the chicken nuggets at a restaurant, this is the meal that quietly expands the menu by one.
What this list actually tells you
You'll notice the list isn't full of surprises. The 9 meals are pasta, tacos, sliders, sandwiches, and macaroni and cheese, all staples of American kid eating that have been on dinner tables for forty years. What we do is make them well enough that families keep coming back, and the picky eaters in the house keep finishing their plates.
If you've been trying to feed a kid who only eats five things, the list above is the shortest path to a sixth. You can order any of them and have the dinner sorted.
One thing you should know before you order: our menu changes daily, so a few of the meals on this list may not be available on the day you place your order. The list above reflects what our customers come back to most often, and the live menu is always the place to check what we're cooking right now.
