Parents, let’s face it: when it comes to food, our kids are running the show. Sure, we try to sneak in a vegetable here and there, but if our little ones had their way, every meal would be a carb-loaded, cheese-covered, ketchup-drenched masterpiece. Since I am starting to actually miss those days (young kids), I’ve compiled a list of the top 25 foods that I think kids would vote for if they were in charge of the kitchen. Spoiler alert: kale didn’t make the cut. Discuss amongst yourselves.

1. Chicken Nuggets
If chicken nuggets had a fan club, your kid would be president. These crispy little bites are basically chicken disguised as fun. And don’t even try to serve them without ketchup. That’s nugget blasphemy. I would really like to blame McDonalds, but it’s the parents who took their kids there in the first place right? Our boys are both teens now and we still eat chicken nuggets a few times per month.
2. Mac & cheese
Ah, the holy grail of kid cuisine. It doesn’t matter if it’s gourmet or straight from a blue box—if it’s cheesy and noodle-y, they’re in love. Bonus points if it’s shaped like dinosaurs. Interesting fact, our youngest used to like mac & cheese but he grew out of it.
2. Pizza
Pizza is basically bread covered in cheese and happiness. And let’s be real: kids will eat pizza in any form—cold, hot, upside down—just as long as there are no weird toppings like gasp vegetables. It’s why it’s the international dish of every birthday party ever.
4. Hot dogs
Hot dogs: because what’s more appealing than a tube of mystery meat? But hey, slap some ketchup on it (because apparently that’s the only condiment that exists) and it’s a gourmet meal in their eyes.
5. Spaghetti & meatballs
It’s pasta… with balls of meat. What more could a kid ask for? Just be prepared for sauce everywhere—on their face, the table, and somehow even the ceiling.
6. Hamburgers
Plain burger with ketchup only? Check. No lettuce, no tomato—just meat and bread because apparently anything green is offensive to their delicate taste buds.
7. French fries
French fries are basically vegetables that have reached their full potential. They’ll eat these by the fistful with zero complaints… unless you try to make them “baked.” Good news, we have moved our kids to many other types of potatoes.
8. Grilled cheese sandwich
Bread + cheese + heat = pure joy. It’s like a hug in sandwich form. And don’t even think about adding anything fancy like tomatoes or avocado—you monster. As a kid I lived on grilled cheese. I maybe ate five million.
9. PB&J sandwich
The original power couple: peanut butter and jelly (or jam for you fancy folks). It’s quick, easy, and guaranteed to be eaten without a single complaint… unless you cut it wrong. Plus it’s a treat to have since it means you are most likely not at school.
10. Tacos
Tacos are fun because they’re basically food LEGOs—you can build them however you want. But let’s be honest: your kid is just going to fill them with cheese and maybe some meat if you’re lucky.
11. Chicken fingers
Chicken nuggets’ larger cousin who went to college and got a degree in being slightly fancier but still dunked in ketchup like its less-educated sibling.
12. Fish sticks
Fish sticks are like chicken nuggets from the sea. Just don’t mention that they’re fish… or from the sea… or anything remotely educational about them.
13. Pancakes/waffles
Breakfast? Dessert? Who cares! Pancakes and waffles are just vehicles for syrup delivery at this point anyway.
14. Sugary cereal
If your kid had their way, breakfast would be nothing but bowls of sugar masquerading as cereal with names like “Frosted Chocolate Marshmallow Explosion.” And yes, they’ll ask for seconds.
15. Yogurt (especially Go-Gurt)
Yogurt is healthy-ish but only when it comes in a tube that can be squeezed directly into their mouths like some kind of dairy-based toothpaste.
16. Fruit snacks/gummies
These aren’t fruit; they’re candy pretending to be fruit so we don’t feel guilty about giving them to our kids at 9 AM on a Saturday morning while we sip coffee in peace.
17. Chocolate chip cookies
Cookies are always an acceptable food group in the eyes of children—breakfast cookie? Sure! Post-dinner cookie? Absolutely! Mid-meltdown cookie? You bet!
18. Apples (especially sliced)
Apples are one of the few fruits kids actually like because they can dip them in caramel or peanut butter and pretend they’re eating something unhealthy.
19. Popcorn
Popcorn is basically air covered in butter… which means it doesn’t count as food, right? Perfect for movie nights or random Tuesday afternoons when you just need five minutes of quiet.
20. Smoothies/yogurt drinks
Smoothies make kids feel like they’re drinking something from a tropical island while you feel smug about sneaking in spinach without them noticing (until they find out and declare war).
21. Ice cream
Ice cream is the ultimate bribe—I mean dessert—that can turn any bad day around… or at least buy you 10 minutes of silence while they devour it before asking for seconds.
22. String cheese
String cheese is fun because you can peel it apart into tiny strings before eating it—or just shove the whole thing into your mouth at once while staring blankly at your parents.
23. Chicken noodle soup
It’s warm, comforting, and makes your kid feel all grown up when they slurp it from a spoon like an adult… until they spill half of it on the floor.
24. Bologna sandwiches
Bologna is basically hot dog slices pretending to be deli meat—and somehow kids love it more than any other sandwich filling on earth (except maybe peanut butter). One of my favourite sandwiches as a kid was bologna and cheese.
25. Fruit (especially berries)
Berries are nature’s candy—and one of the few healthy things kids will eat without bribery or threats of no screen time.
So there you have it—the definitive list of foods that would dominate every meal if our kids were left to their own devices (and let’s be honest, sometimes they are).
What do you think? Am I way off in my rankings? What would be first in your house?
P.S. Are you an adult and thinking to yourself – this list is exactly how I still eat? Don’t worry about it, you do you.