The easiest way to get them to eat is to get THEM to prepare it.
Get some basics -- like a jar of "Better than Boullion" (chicken, beef, chili -- it's a great "base" for soups). Real noodles (NOT CANNED SOUP) like ... Muellers ??? In the BAG. Either get carrots frozen that are cut up or the matchstick pieces in the produce dept.
Get some chicken pieces -- maybe a cup (either already cooked or raw you might have to cut this up in advance -- small pieces - boneless thighs are nutrient rich and tasty and cheap). Put on a pot (quart or quart and a half) of water. Let them each add half teas. of Better than Boullion (or ONE boullion cube) and show them how to rinse off the chicken (nitrile glove time -- you can teach them to be careful here too) in a collancer and then put the chicken pieces in the pot.
TEach them here that they can't tip the pan off the stove -- for now that's a Mommy thing. Just watch when it comes to a boil, use a slotted spoon and take off the white foam that comes to the top. Set it off the heat and stress not to touch the pan (but supervise here). Let them each add some carrots (if you want to put in a cup, let each of them "measure" half a cup in a plastic measuring cup).
Doesn't take long -- maybe 20 minutes and you've got cooked carrots and cooked chicken. Again, take it off the heat. Wash hands -- Mom opens the noodle bag carefully -- and everybuddy gets to put in a handful or two of dry noodles.
There are TONS of kinds of noodles you know? There are spaghetti noodles that you can break up (and little hands LOVE doing that), there are big honking FAT noodles, there are alphabet noodles? They are ALL FUN because THEY made it. Just bring back to a boil until the noodles are tender.
While that's going THEY set the table (so let them draw on paper towels with crayon to 'decorate' their own placemats!) and make some toast (yep -- blunt butter knife -- buttered toast on paper towels - not hard but THEY can do it).
You've got totally nutritious chicken noodle soup that is awesome. Trust me -- YOU will think you've never had better. Sure you can add just a tiny bit of parsley iF you want -- but it's sure not necessary.
Chili? THIS IS SOOOOOOOO EASY!!!
Get a pound or two of ground beef, a can of diced tomato (or sauce -- make that a BIG can) and a can of red beans, or pinto beans or whatever you can). Some shredded cheese in a zip bag (cheddar -- don't get exotic).
Mom has to saute the ground beef. You hold the can and little hands can, with supervision, press the level to "open" a can of beans and a big can of diced tomatoes (or tomato sauce). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the ground beef into a pan. Then they dump in the tomato, they dump in the beans, again -- maybe half teas. Better Than Boullion Chili paste for each one to measure in. THEY stir it ... (careful -- that burger is a bit hot but with canned tomato and beans on it, it won't be dangerous).
Put it back on the stove and heat for 15 - 20 minutes. It does NOT have to be chili-cookoff blazing hot spicey (which makes most kids not like it). But again -- it's simple, nutritious.
Serve with crackers or toast or whatever works for you.
AGain -- they helped make it -- YUM.
VEGGIE soup that is EASY and fun:
A package of stew beef from the meat dept. (You may want to cut that up some more in advance - I like smaller pieces of meat in mine)
Go to the ethnic department and get a cellophane tube of Manichewitz Minnestrone Soup if you can. It has a little packet of spice in one end and dried veggies and beans in the rest of the tube.
Big pot -- couple of quarts of water.
Big can of tomatoes (diced)
A frozen package of mixed veggies (probably without limas -- they're in the soup mix)
Use a crock pot for this and it's completely kid safe.
Fill 1/2 full with cold water. Somebuddy gets to add in the stew beef pieces. Then kid scissors again open the package of mixed veggies and add those.
Somebuddy gets to open (carefully -- kid's scissors) the tube of soup stuff -- dump that in -- let the older of the two open the little spice packet and dump THAT in.
Put the lid on and turn the crock pot on -- and tomorrow at lunch you have awesome soup! THEY MADE IT.
Go to the market for some fresh italian bread and let them TEAR off pieces (it's more authentic anyway) at the table to eat.
These are FUN things to do. If they get to help, they'll be more motivated to eat. Even such a thing as letting them set and decorate the table invests their effort into it. Otherwise all they get to do is sit down and complain about it.
If you are a baker, email me -- I have two cookie recipes that will knock your socks off. One is a recipe for Molasses cookies -- but you add a teas. of baking soda (not powder, but SODA) to the molasses and STIR -- and it **GROWS** (it's a chemical reaction). Then it requires a cup of sour cream -- and you add a teas. of soda to that -- and stir -- and AGAIN it ***GROWS***.
It is SO much fun to make with kids. You mix up the dough and drop by spoonfuls on the cookies sheet, and then you use a wet glass to mush them flat. Sprinkle some sugar on the top and then Raisen Faces in the middle of the cookies.
The best thing is -- they are actually GOOD for them. Molasses is iron-rich, and the spices (cinnamon, cloves) are good anti-oxidants. Raisins are good fiber and iron.
I have another similar recipe that is just plain "white" sugar cookies -- it uses the sour cream and soda mechanism above and is again SO much fun to make. AGain you flatten the cookies with a wet glass and sprinkle sugar (again raisen faces) before baking
See -- I never HAD spaghettios growing up -- my mother was a stay at home Mom -- and canned stuff was pricey.
Honeslty? I've made all these things with kids when I was teaching. (especially the cookies - and NEVER EVER did I have a kid turn up their nose at one!! by the time they bake they smell SO good!!)