Food issues

Tonight Ella wouldn't eat supper. This has been an ongoing problem, and even more so since her mother decided not to cook special meals for her. Jen realised that her children should eat what the family eats and is making the effort to get them to eat more than chicken nuggets and hotdogs. All she asks is that they take one bite of whatever the family is eating. Then they can have the rest of the things that they already like. Ella loves garlic bread, and had a nice chunk of it on her plate. Her mother told her that she had to eat a bite of the stuffed shells before she could have the bread. Well, Ella just sat there, fiddling around, and asking every possible question about what the shells were made of, what was in them, etc. Finally, and this has happened before, Ella was told to go to her room for the rest of the evening. No story, no TV, no one to play with her.
It breaks my heart not to spend the rest of the evening with her, but I understand the importance of my daughter's firmness. Jen is extremely stubborn, and Ella inherited that trait!
I just wish I had an answer to the problem. I don't want Ella to have food issues to the point of either being anorexic or obese!