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I maintain one rule in the kitchen: "If you want to add it in, go ahead. Otherwise, you eat what I make you." End of story. I typically cook for my roommate and my boyfriend. My roommate is an omnivore and will occasionally add in chicken to his meal, but most of the time he eats my cooking and has no problem. My boyfriend was an omni when I met him, but didn't want to "burden" me by having me cook him separate meals, and my food was so delicious he didn't care. He began to notice how meat and cheese were affecting him, so he became vegetarian and skirts the line of veganism now and again, if one can do such a thing.
Basically, you're making the food, you make the rules.
As for "kid friendly," I don't quite know what that is other than "something nutritionally lacking that children like to eat." I didn't get that option as a kid. What mom made, I had to eat. I didn't have the option to go hungry, it was "sit at the table until you're done eating." Didn't matter what it was. Liver, chop suey (I hated it), onions, garlic, leftovers, whatever. I had to eat it, as did my siblings. There were no "kid friendly" meals. Mom made one meal, we all ate it.
Maybe this approach is a little harsh for you...I don't know. What I do know is that, as the main meal maker in your household, your time is better spent making one meal that everyone sits to eat instead of trying to appease three different palates.
You have two choices for meals.
The Easy Switch
This is the "vegan replacement for [insert food]" approach. Something like, say, a salad, vegan mac & cheese, and vegan chicken nuggets would fit the "kid friendly" bill and you and your partner wouldn't hate it, either. Vegan grilled cheese with hot tomato soup would also be a fun choice, and you can certainly jazz up the soup with a number of seasonings, or do that thing in the Campbell's commercial where everyone gets a bowl of tomato soup and adds their own stuff to it when they get to the table. With these vegan replacements, you'll find it's easy to make things like "meat"loaf with mashed potatoes and veggies, shepherd's pie, vegan sausage/bacon with tofu scramble and hashbrowns and pancakes (a "breakfast for dinner" thing), pasta with "chicken" or "shrimp," things of that nature. The downside is that these tend to be expensive and, depending on what you buy, come with preservatives and stuff your bodies don't need.
The Hearty Meal
This is built around the "fill 'em up and they'll be happy" approach. Staples will be things like potatoes, bread/pita, beans, and lentils, with everything else thrown in. Instead of using meat, use potatoes and/or beans in pretty much any dish. I've even made pizzas with potatoes! If you dice potatoes and saute them, then add them to a chili loaded with beans, diced onion, diced tomato, and diced bell pepper (along with whatever else you like...try cooking diced polenta with the potatoes and adding that in there), no one's going to complain (and if they do, tell 'em to shush or make their own next time!). One thing I made was lentil soup with chopped udon noodles added in. Holy crap, was it ever filling and AWESOME! And, to throw it for a loop, I took those ingredients and seasoned Mexican style. Strange idea, great main dish. Other ideas would include:
-Casseroles with mashed potatoes as the base
-Tacos, burritos, nachos, or enchiladas using beans or tofu instead of meat
-Lentil soup served with pita bread + veggies and hummus
-Large, gourmet sandwiches served with potato soup
-Build-A-Potato (bake potatoes and then offer a variety of toppings) + salad and/or sides of veggies
-Stir Fry with potatoes
-Mexican-style pizza using vegan (aka fat-free) refried beans instead of pasta sauce
Can't think tonight, those were all I could come up with. Anyway, give it a shot.
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"Society places too great a gap between its warriors and philosophers." -Unknown
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