well, it happened.

my girls have become picky eaters, UGH!!

we have fallen victim to mac n' cheese and chicken nuggets. Something I said I would NEVER feed my kids.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am not a stickler on organic, free-range, perfect, idealistic food, BUT I do have expectations for what we are teaching our kids is healthy and I want them to make good choices as they get older.

 

I am also realistic....they are 2 and 5, they are NOT going to down a plate of broccolli and smile about it, but for goodness sake could they just choke down a veggie every now and again??

 

THE MAJOR PROBLEMS....

 

Bridget (age 2): She only likes cheese...aka...mac 'n cheese, cheese and crackers, grilled cheese, cheese sticks, cottage cheese, she also loves yogurt, almond milk and any kind of fruit. OH and crackers or chips or rice. Sometimes rotisserie chicken.

 

Alaina (age 5): same deal as above.

 

Me: I am not willing to spend 80 hours per week hiding healthy things in their food just so they get proper nutrients.

 

One of these days meat and veggies will taste good without 1/2C. of ranch dressing.

 

THE GOAL: Compile a list of fast, easy, kid friendly, healthy, sometimes meatless meals and snacks that we can ALL eat and enjoy. I have pinned 80 billion things on pinterest, but I am wondering....

 

WHAT DO YOU GUYS DO??? Please Share!!!

I did make these pancakes for breakfast with bananas and blueberries and EVERYONE ate it, WOW!!!

Off to wipe some noses and snuggle with my "sick-ish" kiddos:)

Best, Kristina

Comments

[Tina B]

We have always had a rule at our house for our son ( now 13 ) that he is not allowed to say that he ' hates' any foods unless he has tried it at least 3 times ( and by trying it that means eating at least 3 bites of it each time it is served 3 bites = 1 try ) after 3 tries if he still ' hates ' it, he no longer has to eat it for a year. After 12 months it comes off the ' hate' list again because taste buds change all the time, even into adulthood. I remember growing up despising mayonnaise. Now, I can not eat a sandwich without it ! If they like cheese, this could work to your advantage, lots of veggies taste good with cheese sauce !

[Rebecca]

Mu girls are not really picky- well, E has some picky tendencies, but A will eat anything. I'm not sure how much of that is anything I did, but I will share my few "rules" around food.

1. (perhaps the most important) "It is my job to provide healthy food options, it is their job to eat it." This is what my pediatrician told me the first time he talked to me about A eating solid food, and I have chanted it to myself through any difficult meal situation since. :)

2. They have to try everything. If they don't like it, they don't have to eat it. For us, 1 bite= a try. But they have to try it every time I serve it. Even if it is leftovers the next night.

3. I always serve them something I know they do like. Now, since they aren't super picky and do eat veggies, this isn't very hard for me. But I keep frozen veggies on hand (usually a mix of peas, corn, and carrots) and I serve that if I am serving something that I don't expect them to like. I also serve fresh fruit with dinner a lot. I haven't found a fruit they won't eat yet.

4. Since I have prepared a meal that they should like at least part of, I do not prepare anything else for them. So if they do decide that they don't want to eat it, they don't get anything else until breakfast the next morning. A went to bed one time without eating dinner and her belly hurt the next morning. She hasn't done it again.

5. Neither Will nor I are picky eaters either. We both eat pretty much anything and like to try new things. We talk about how we like to try new foods and even if we don't like something we never say so in front of the kids. We also have a rule that they aren't allowed to say any food is yuck or gross. They can say they don't like it, but they have to say it nicely. Someone took time to prepare the food and we will be respectful of that.

I don't envy your situation. Like I said, I'm not sure that it is anything that I did, or just luck of the draw on non-picky eaters. But those are my food policies. And I have kept to them since A started eating food and it works for us, at least for now. My mom said that my 15 yr old brother was like that when he was 5 and now he is irritatingly picky. So I hope that is not what I am in for. :)

Good luck!

(very long response, I know....)