Ok I need some help!! My kids are picky eaters and I need some ideas for dinner. It is just myself and two kids (7/5) so the servings don't have to be huge. Our staple foods are chicken nuggets, turkey burgers, turkey hot dogs, pork bbq, macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes, corn on the cob, any fruit.
Oh and my 5 year old has ADHD so he is very picky about how food looks and the texture. I am at a loss on what else we can do!! Any help would be appreciated :)
I love the cook book deceptively delicious... It a great cook book that shows you how to hide veggies into foods kids actually like.... It is great (and you can get it very cheap on half.com)
Keep giving them a serving of something they do not like every night. Encourage them to touch it, touch it with their tongue, taste it, take a "mouse bite", etc. We have a rule you have to take one "no thank you bite". One of our kids is very picky and the other one is not. This year at age 7 after being served cauliflower his entire life he finally decided he likes it! So, keep serving foods you know they will not eat no matter what! lima beans, sweet peppers, spinach, zucchini, etc. As for meal ideas, my picky eater loves potatoes sauteed with small onion pieces till soft. I used to have to make sure there was not a single onion on his potatoes but now he eats it all up onions and all. He loves a plain burger (no bun), minute steak with ketchup to dip in, pork chops, roast (as long as it is not the stringy kind of meat), roast chicken, sauteed chicken, chicken baked with bbq sauce, pork loin (cut in small pieces with salt sprinkled on), soft steak, plain pasta or pasta w spag sauce. I will have to tell you most of his life he has hated spaghetti sauce. He loves pasta with parmesan cheese though. I started putting on a teeny amount of spag sauce on his noodles (no chunks) and I put lots of parmesan over it. Over time I increased the amount of spag sauce. Now he just loves spaghetti sauce and asks for lots. From having to take a bite he now likes brocolli...with butter and salt on it. He only likes raw carrots. He loves chicken noodle soup...I make it homemade quite frequently. Good luck. Picky eaters are so frustrating to mamas. Also - have your picky eaters use a vibrating toothbrush every day. Make sure they rub it all around the inside of their mouth daily...this is an OT thing that will help desensitize their mouth a bit. I hear it works but who knows! Also - our son is a kid who is always begging for money for toys. My aunt gave him a food challenge where she would give him $15 if he found 3 new healthy foods within the month. To him this is a TON of money. He was psyched and suddenly wanted to try all kinds of new things. We were amazed. He did not like most foods but he did find 3 new foods and got his $15!
I have the same issues with my 7 and 5 year old, so I was really interested in reading the responses you received. One (C.) responder suggested, "have your picky eaters use a vibrating toothbrush every day. Make sure they rub it all around the inside of their mouth daily...this is an OT thing that will help desensitize their mouth a bit."
Well, about 4 - 6 months ago, we bought vibrating tooth brushes having no idea about the OT thing. Our 7 year old, who has always been in the 30% for body mass is now in the 55%, and has, indeed, been willing to try new things. Maybe that toothbrush idea has been the ticket!?! Otherwise, I simply keep offering what my husband and I are having, along with an item I know they will feel comfortable seeing on the plate, and require at least one bite. Good luck; I can relate!!!
don't really have a good answer but wanted to let you know the Gardenburger brand of soy "chicken" nuggest taste really good and taste like real chicken nuggets.
It sounds like most of the foods you mentioned are in the yellow category. I have a cousin who ate only yellow foods until he was about 15 years old. He's now 27 & is one of the most adventurous eaters I've ever known so don't fret, change is possible!!
You haven't said what your kids won't eat, only that there are textural issues. I'm assuming nothing particularly crunchy or chewy. I would advise that you try 1 of 2 things: either start introducing different colored foods that also fit into the mushy category, or try to introduce other yellow foods that fit into the crunchy category. For instance, opt for sliced tomatoes instead of corn on the cob to change up the colors of the veggies or try lightly sauteed summer squash to give some yellow crunch.
If neither of those look like they're happening, you can always go with fettucini alfredo (good both in color & texture), chicken & rice or noodles, mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes, spaghetti squash might work also.
our son is 4 and pretty picky when it comes to vegetables or anything with chunks in it such as casseroles. One thing he does like is sliced up squash and zucchini. We place slices in a pan with a little dab of olive oil and sprinkle them with seasoning salt. Surprisingly he was willing to try them and liked the taste.
Also, not that this is healthy but it's another option....I sometimes take a corn tortilla and place a couple of slices of velveeta cheese on it with a few pieces of lunch meat. Microwave for 25-30 seconds and he has a cheesy roll up. he likes those. Every child is different so keep trying little things here and there and I bet you find more they like!
do not become a short-order cook! One meal, your choice (but I always try to rotate each family member's fav on a regular basis). Nobody gets to be King/Queen.....Mom is in charge.
Our rule has been "you have to take one bite for each year of age".....your 5 yo has to take 5 bites, your 7yo has to take 7 bites.
I also involve the kids in the meal prep. By allowing them to take ownership of their meal, they're usually more willing to eat ...or at least try it. & at 5/7, they're well into food prep years!
Meal ideas: tacos, pasta - both spaghetti & white sauce...or even fresh-sauced, soups & stews, meatloaf, ......you know, really, any & every meal is kid-friendly if you approach it as a "norm" - a standard fare. Get them involved & life should be easier.
Home made pizza! I swear people will eat anything if it's got a crust under it, cheese over it and you call it pizza!
In fact if you're already doing pork BBQ, make a big batch and then you can do home made BBQ pizza. What about Sloppy Joe's? or Shepherd's pie-- it seems like most of the ingredients for that are already on the list of stuff they'll eat?
My kids always loved pasta. I make it with red veggie sauce, white sauce, pesto, veggies. They love it. It's easy and fast. Perogies, Tortellini or Ravioli are usually also popular with kids. My kids also like rice. I usually make rice with stir fried veggies.
