I really struggle with standard weeknight suppers. No one here likes fish of any type, and we’re getting tired of chicken — I make it almost every night in every form, shape, and size. As a last resort, I’ll make pasta, but I’m not fond of such a starch-heavy supper.

It must be kid-friendly, and if it has vegetables, they have to be either invisible (pureed) or big enough to pick out, if necessary.

We like soup. I’m open to all types of soup, besides sweet or weird ones. In general, my kids like salty foods rather than sweet or cinnamon kind of things.

And I’m totally not going out to buy snazzy ingredients every day.

Can you help me out here? Thanks!

I put together three supper menus for you to try out; I’d love to hear how they went over! I’m a mom of picky eaters too, so if even one idea pans out (pun intended), I’d consider your request successfully answered!

Menu 1

PUREED VEGETABLE SOUP

Yeah, this is a no-brainer based on what you wrote. Here are some suggestions you may want to try.

Prep any veggies you have in the house. (I always start with the basic four: onions, celery, carrots, and zucchini, plus some others that are hanging around, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, parsnip, etc.) You can sauté the onion first, or you can just skip that part. Cut the veggies into large chunks and toss them into a large pot; fill the pot with water to cover and bring to a boil.

Pour in ¹⁄₂–³⁄₄ cup red lentils, which is a great protein booster. They disintegrate, so you get added health and flavor, with no one being the wiser! If you don’t have lentils, use some chickpeas instead. They’re also protein and will get pureed along with the rest of the veggies. Cook for at least 1 hour.

Puree using an immersion blender and season with salt and pepper to taste. I sometimes remove some carrots, slice them, and then return them to the pot after pureeing the rest. Pick the vegetable that’s the least offensive to your family, and maybe you’ll slowly be able to get them to try it in the soup.

CHEESE LATKES

I make a cheese latke recipe that’s really no-fail.

OMELETS

If they don’t do the sweet stuff, like you mentioned, you can always make flat egg omelets with cucumber-and-pepper smiley faces on them if they eat raw veggies. If they don’t, try bits of pretzels, crackers, or pickles. My daughter loves omelets with enchilada chips (the orange bag from Golden Fluff). I tried it — they go great together!

BAKED POTATOES

I recommend scrubbing your potatoes and baking them covered. (I like to wrap each one in foil individually.) Slice them in half when done and place a bit of butter on each half. You can also sprinkle them with shredded cheese and return them to the oven until it melts. Season with salt to taste.