Getting your kids to eat

Logan is a very picky eater. He would eat cereal all day if I let him and sometimes I do. He loves snacking during the day and by dinner he is either not hungry or else he doesn't want anything on his plate. He's left the dinner table before not having eaten anything and I am sure lots of kids are that way as well. One of the rules I started when my kids were little was that if they are hungry for dinner they eat what I make or they don't eat anything. I love it because eventually they will be hungry enough to try things on their plate and that has often led to the boys learning they actually do like something they thought was yucky. Recently, Colin (who was pickier than Logan) has been trying more and more foods and eating more at dinner each night. Last night I made cranberry chicken for dinner, green beans and rice. When everyone was finished eating Logan had yet to start. He ate a few green beans (a real shocker) but had not touched anything else. So I looked at him and said, "Did you know that chicken gives you big, strong muscles? And rice makes you run super fast?" Logan immediately put chicken in his mouth and proceeded to flex for me showing me his muscles were getting bigger with each bite! He ate all of his chicken and then tried his rice. By the time he was done he's eaten almost all of his dinner! This incident reminded me of the time I told Colin that Batman's favorite food was green beans to get him to eat his veggies (and he did). I sure felt like one smart mom last night. I wonder if I can work my magic on Logan again tonight.