I'm also one for not fighting at dinner time, I just don't see that it is worth it. We are just winding him up at a time of night we want everyone to be calm & my DH & I like to enjoy our meal also.
At that age they seem to want to push things a bit more also, our DS has been doing so in the past couple weeks as he's understanding so much more now.
I keep up the good foods during the day, I make lots of things so they are preservative free etc & offer only water etc...then at dinner time if he's hungry he will eat, if he's not he wont. But it's all about timing also, I know when he's most hungry. If it looks like DH will not be home in time I will serve DS dinner up early & then he's welcome to sit with us when we eat or go off & play.
I always make a point of serving a plate up for him so he know's we'd like him to eat what we are eating, but then I don't force it. Sometime's he'll try, sometimes not at all & in the even he wants something else its a sandwich or banana......that's it. As he still has milk at bed I know he's not going hungry & if I give too many choices he'll play on that.

If we are having a nice meal & he hasn't eaten anything & gets down from the table we let that go also, as it's a massive war otherwise & we just want to keep things calm at that time of night. We don't have the telly on so he usually just wanders around us playing with some toys or books. As long as he sits up when we do & see's that he's got a plate of food. To make it fun he has a place mat with the alphabet & animals on it & he get's his own cup with ice & water in it like Mummy & Daddy.

I think at the end of the day if your child is not flat out refusing to eat all day or not just choosing really crappy foods then don't stress. We all have to adapt to different things, I think we push dinner as we are used to sitting to have that main meal we expect them to also. But they often have smaller appetites or snack more during the day. So don't stress.