V - lamb cutlets are great for kids to chew on. Not the cheap lamb chops, as they're pretty fatty and the bone's not a good shape, the more expensive version which is leaner & comes with a nice baby holding bone. I usually just get mine from Safeway, cut most of the meat bit off the bone,dice it finely & stir through his vegies, then at the end of the meal I give him the bone to play with. You don't want them too fatty, because by the time they get through the meal things have cooled down & fat tends to congeal in a not nice way.

Maybe you could try some vegie soup for avaleigh - if you cut up your vegies finely enough & cook it for long enough they go really soft but still retain some texture. & you can add things like beans & barley which are also very good for them. And pasta, so it's a kind of minestrone. And don't let a couple of objections scare you off - kids will reject food for all sorts of reasons, but if it's consistently offered in a relaxed way they'll usually come round (except for brussels sprouts - blergh..)