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You can transform this perfect crisp side salad into a main-course salad by slicing up any meat you like and tossing it on top. Or try it alongside Grilled Caesar Pork Tenderloin (page 89) or Down-Home Pinto Beans and Ham Hocks (page 127).

This sweet, kid-friendly recipe (one of Jack’s all-time favorites) is like a cross between candied yams and steak fries—and it’s healthier than both! It’s also terrific with Balsamic-Glazed London Broil (page 15) and The Ultimate Spice-Rubbed Rib Steak (page 81).

Unless you’re Jamie Deen, you probably need to have a kid around to make yourself one of these melty, divine sandwiches. Add banana instead of jam and you’ve got yourself Elvis’s favorite sandwich.

So many kids only want to eat mac and cheese right from the box. We decided to come up with an alternative dish for Jack—one where Mom and Dad are in charge of quality control. Jack always cleans his plate, so we have to be quick if we want to sneak a few pieces for ourselves!

Brooke is a huge Mexican food fan. In fact, when Jack was one week old, Brooke had such a mean craving that we took him out to a Mexican spot near us. So it’s no surprise that Jack has become a big fan, too. And since quesadillas are pretty much Mexican grilled cheese, we make them just to give him a little variety, and use them as an opportunity to get a little avocado (which is chock-full of vitamins and has more potassium than a banana) into his diet.

We’ve never met a kid who doesn’t love grilled cheese—with extra-gooey cheese, please! We like to slip in some tomato, too, which some kids won’t eat otherwise. And let’s be honest here: You may as well make yourself one of these while you’re at it; otherwise your kid’s sandwich doesn’t have a chance.

Chicken nuggets are so yummy and fun to eat—what kid doesn’t beg for them for dinner? We make our own using white meat chicken coated in cornflakes with a little honey-lemon sauce for dipping—it’s a healthier alternative to what you get handed to you through your car window.

The nutty crunch of these fish sticks harkens back to that cafeteria offering in name only. So fun and easy to eat, they’re a great way to introduce younger generations to eating fish. We got Jack to eat fish by adding pecans to it. Catfish is a real staple here in the South, but if it’s not readily available in your area, try using flounder or cod.

When we were kids, we would go on camping trips and eat beanie-wienies out of the pull-top can and pretend to be cowboys. We thought that was just the best thing in the world to eat. When your kids try these, they will, too. Nowadays it’s easy to find healthier versions of traditional hot dogs (nitrate-free or turkey, chicken, or soy dogs) and lower-sodium baked beans in most supermarkets. Try a few different varieties and see which ones your kids like most.

Finger food is a great way to get kids eating real food. These little strips of beef are juicy and tender, with a crunchy panko bread crumb crust—delicious served with the slightly sweet orange dip. Just add a colorful vegetable (carrot sticks, broccoli spears, cherry tomatoes, or bell peppers), and you’ve got a great kid’s meal.

The sweet and spicy dressing on this simple salad is a real winner (and one of Brooke’s favorites). You can buy canned chipotle chiles in the Mexican section of most supermarkets. They add the smokiness we usually get from bacon to this healthy spinach salad.