Dinner Challenge

I've watched those cooking shows where celebrity chefs have 30 minutes to prepare food for hundreds or there's a steamy battle in a close-quartered kitchen. Sometimes, chefs are given a mis-matched lot of ingredients and they have to come up with something creative using everything.
I've often wondered how fast these professionals would wither in defeat if they had to cook for a child with food issues. This is my challenge every week and I don't get paid, receive notoriety or accolades or even thanks most days. It's never ending. I cannot walk off the set though I'd secretly love to one day.

Today is Sunday. For me, this means that I have to plan the meals for the week. I do this because I've found that arriving home at 5:45pm and having absolutely no clue as to what to prepare for dinner can quickly turn into a beast of a nightmare. I have to plan it out. There's no time to think on my feet when I really would just love to get off them for a few minutes.
Planning meals used to be something I loved. Now - I still enjoy it, but it's a challenge to say the least. There simply aren't that many foods that my oldest will eat. He could live on the same five meals every day, all day and think nothing of it. The rest of us would keel over with boredom and disgust.
My weekly challenge is how to create just enough variety within an adequate amount of familiarity so that he's interested enough to eat on safe footing that he's willing to try something new (once in a while) and the rest of us don't wither from culinary boredom. Cheese and pasta are always good. Pizza (cheese only) is usually okay. He likes broccoli, rice and chicken. Easy, right? No. I can't mix any of these together to form a new food with items that I know he likes. Trust me, I've tried.
As well, nothing with artificial dye in it. Nothing with multiple textures in one forkful of food. No onions in anything. Only rarely will he eat meat of any kind. Are you beginning to see why this is so hard?
Some days I feel as though I have to make special meals within meals so that my oldest will have something he likes. When he gets hungry, he's extremely crabby. I can understand this, I'm the same way. So 'full' is much better for everyone.
So today is 'menu day' and I feel a headache coming on. Let's see . . . bread and butter, Hummus and pita chips, applesauce and cheese. Does this constitute "dinner"? Today - it just might.