VERY picky eater! NEED RECIPE HELP!

alrose5

PLEASE HELP ME.
I AM AN EXTREMELY PICKY EATER!! I have such a hard time eating healthy because I wasn't fed many different options as a kid. Also, my mom told me that everything I did eat was chicken so that I wouldn't complain.
I would love to hire a personal trainer or order healthy meals from one of those websites, but I am a 22 yr old single mom and I am BROKE. So I need a kind stranger or 2 to help me.

My diet mainly consists of some of the worst things for you. when I say I could live off of Chicken, Cheese, and Bread- I mean it. The problem is, I don't know if I could live WITHOUT the bread and cheese. Bagels are my absolute favorite. Add some sauce and cheese to make a pizza bagel and I'm in heaven!
Chicken I know can be made many different ways- I'm just scared of new ingredients.

I DO LIKE MOST FRUIT.
strawberries, bananas, oranges, grapes, apples, watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple.
Mangos are okay.
I never really tried peaches, grapefruit, kiwi or pears. I don't know what it is about them. I think the texture or seeds. I couldn't tell you. THATS MY PROBLEM. I'm turned off by these foods and have no idea why.

Then, we have VEGETABLES. LOL, I'm pathetic when it comes to these.
I will eat broccoli, carrots, sometimes green beans or kale. And I probably eat them in the least healthy ways. That's about all I can think of because I haaaaate vegetables.
I like when my food is crunchy. I'm a fried food type of girl, hence the 207 lbs!
I do not like when my food is all mushy and leaking in my mouth. Tomatoes are a big NO for me. (I love ketchup though!)

I need ANY easy recipe ideas that can make me eat vegetables- aka make them less mushy and gooey, for lack of a better term. PLEASE?

zyxst

I don't have any recipes, but I have some advice. Eat what you like, just less of it. I'm pretty picky, eat what I like, and have lost a lot of weight. This doesn't have to be hard or torture or forcing yourself to eat food you hate.

mcash66

Start trying a new food each week. I have found I like several things I didn't think I would like.

Lounmoun

Eat the food you do like. Stop labeling food as good or bad. All those foods you say you will eat are not bad for you. They have nutrients. You don't have to give up any of those foods to lose weight or be healthy.

If you want to expand your vegetable choices try raw vegetables, stir fries, roasted or grilled vegetables. Try sweet potatoes, fresh spinach, cabbage, cauliflower, peppers. Combine vegetables with other foods. Put vegetables on pizza. Add vegetables to sauces or soups. My veggie hating dd eats vegetables in soup or pasta sauces. She likes minestrone.
You might like to try making vegetable noodles. You can eat them raw or cook them just 2-3 minutes so they are not mushy.
http://www.budgetbytes.com/
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2015/03/quick-spiralized-zucchini-and-grape.html
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2014/08/kung-pao-chicken-zoodles-for-two.html
http://www.aspicyperspective.com/beet-and-sweet-potato-salad/
http://sussle.org/c/Kung_Pao_chicken/1428289929.3111?bversion=1&utm_expid=60654875-7.4WAovxGgR-ma4tVPSXRxEQ.1&utm_referrer=https://www.pinterest.com
http://www.pipandebby.com/pip-ebby/2015/4/7/sauteed-cabbage.html

MsJulesRenee

I never liked veggies either. I started eating them with cream cheese and slowly cut back on the cream cheese every time I had them. Eventually you might appreciate the subtle taste.

Try roasted veggie sandwitch: take some red peppers (not green), portobello mushrooms, onion, zucchini, yellow squash, coat all with a little olive oil (and some seasonings if you want) throw in oven on a baking sheet around 400 degrees, and take them out when they are all droopy and kind of burnt on the edges. You can put your bread in there too for a little bit to toast, put it directly on the grill part. Now make a veggies sandwich with some feta cheese. Roasting makes the flavors come out and makes everything sweet.

melimomTARDIS

Dear OP- why cook at all? Why not just eat the foods you like, and count the calories?

Buy a bag of chicken nuggets/tenders/breaded chicken patties and use that to meet your protien goals. serve it with the veggies you like to eat.

You like fruit, thats cool, have some fruit for breakfast, maybe with a glass of milk/cup of yogurt/slice of cheese if you like that. Maybe have it for dessert too.

Can you do bread? quite a few of the "light" breads on the market have the same taste and texture as white bread, with less calories, more fiber, and more protien than the regular breads on the market. The mission brand lo-carb tortillas are also a great source of fiber if veggies just are not happening.

I have a kid with sensory processing disorder (possible autism spectrum disorder) and he eats an extremely limited diet. You are hardly alone in being unable to eat a wide variety.

My son doesnt even eat half the variety you do, and my son eats more variety than other people do. Just eat what you can eat, and try not to stress.

melimomTARDIS

Also (random) if you like mac and cheese, I can recommend the michelena's frozen mac and cheese and wheels and cheese entrees. they have 290 calories and 10g of protien, and taste really really good. there are no veggies or chunks of green stuff to freak out a picky eater.

mpat81

There are lots of crunchy mild veggies that you could eat- celery, carrots, snap peas, cauliflower etc. Try them raw with dip as a side dish. If you like chicken make a stirfry and throw in a few unfamiliar veggies with the ones you do like, that way you can try them without committing your whole meal to it. If that goes well, use a different protein next time like shrimp or pork.

noclady1995

I wouldn't necessarily cut out the bread and cheese. Maybe try less fat cheeses. There are light versions. Also at Walmart they have these pita breads called Joseph that are low carb and low fat. I
Eat those a lot. For veggies you can try roasting them. I eat a lot of green beans and I like to make them with chicken broth to give them flavor.

MKEgal

alrose wrote:

I AM AN EXTREMELY PICKY EATER!! I have such a hard time eating healthy
because I wasn't fed many different options as a kid.

You, as an ADULT, can change your tastes.
Or you can power through it, do what you know you need to do because it's best for your health.
A widely varied colorful diet has the best chance of getting you the nutrients you need to be healthy.
And what example are you setting for your children?

Try one new thing, in a small amount. I like the idea of throwing it in a stir-fry. Or have some with nonfat
salad dressing as a dip (I like ranch), or hummus, or heck - cover it with melted cheese & decrease the
amount every time you have it. Even kids like cauliflower if it's swimming in cheese sauce!

(Speaking of cauliflower, you can cook it well & smash it up, mix it into mashed potatos.)

For those fruits you don't like or aren't sure about, try _a_ bite. (Though if you don't like mushy & gooey, you're
probably not going to like peaches, which is a crying shame 'cause they taste REALLY good. One of my little
pleasures of summer is biting into a soft, ripe peach & having the juice run down my chin. Maybe try some
that aren't quite completely ripe, so they're still firm?)
Or whirl some frozen fruit with skim milk for a smoothie. Removes all the texture problems, and you're still
getting the nutrition, fiber, etc.

.

I would love to hire a personal trainer or order healthy meals from one of those websites

Personal trainers have _nothing_ to do with nutrition.
If one tells you he does, demand to see his educational credentials relating to nutrition or find someone else.
If he's telling you anything other than the basic USDA-recommended things, steering you toward reputable
websites and information, drop him like a hot potato.
And those websites? Expensive, not necessarily healthy. You can make the meals yourself.

.

I need ANY easy recipe ideas that can make me eat vegetables, make them less mushy and gooey,
for lack of a better term. PLEASE?

In the top bar is the word "recipes". Hover over that (or click on it).
You can also search by ingredient, meal, and I think method of cooking.
http://www.tasteofhome.com/

.

I like when my food is crunchy

So eat veggies raw. Or just lightly steam them, so they're still nicely crunchy & colorful but easier to eat.
My ex-boyfriend's family cooked veggies to mush. I discovered this one night when they announced they
were having asparagus with dinner.
I was _so_ looking forward to it... then I saw a pan full of wilted, almost brown, slimy soft sticks.
I didn't have any.

RodaRose

alrose5 wrote: »

PLEASE HELP ME.
I AM AN EXTREMELY PICKY EATER!! I have such a hard time eating healthy because I wasn't fed many different options as a kid. Also, my mom told me that everything I did eat was chicken so that I wouldn't complain.
I would love to hire a personal trainer or order healthy meals from one of those websites, but I am a 22 yr old single mom and I am BROKE. So I need a kind stranger or 2 to help me.

My diet mainly consists of some of the worst things for you. when I say I could live off of Chicken, Cheese, and Bread- I mean it. The problem is, I don't know if I could live WITHOUT the bread and cheese. Bagels are my absolute favorite. Add some sauce and cheese to make a pizza bagel and I'm in heaven!
Chicken I know can be made many different ways- I'm just scared of new ingredients.

I DO LIKE MOST FRUIT.
strawberries, bananas, oranges, grapes, apples, watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple.
Mangos are okay.
I never really tried peaches, grapefruit, kiwi or pears. I don't know what it is about them. I think the texture or seeds. I couldn't tell you. THATS MY PROBLEM. I'm turned off by these foods and have no idea why.

Then, we have VEGETABLES. LOL, I'm pathetic when it comes to these.
I will eat broccoli, carrots, sometimes green beans or kale. And I probably eat them in the least healthy ways. That's about all I can think of because I haaaaate vegetables.
I like when my food is crunchy. I'm a fried food type of girl, hence the 207 lbs!
I do not like when my food is all mushy and leaking in my mouth. Tomatoes are a big NO for me. (I love ketchup though!)

I need ANY easy recipe ideas that can make me eat vegetables- aka make them less mushy and gooey, for lack of a better term. PLEASE?

Chicken, Cheese, and Bread, Bagels, sauce and cheese to make a pizza bagel, strawberries, bananas, oranges, grapes, apples, watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple, Mangos

Here is a Chicken and Pineapple recipe. You will find others after you a do a Google or Pinterest search
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/chicken-and-pineapple-skewers-recipe.html

Here is Banana Chicken Salad
http://www.cooks.com/recipe/8t0sf1mi/banana-chicken-salad.html
If you do not like mayo use butter or cream cheese.

Once you feel comfortable cooking with ingredients you already like, at some point in the future you can add more ingredients if you choose.

savarnabanana

Try making pizzas on wraps a little pasta sauce/tomato purée with some veg that u do like and then a small sprinkling of cheese on top this is a very low carb and fat pizza with lots of vitamins from the veg but still feels nice and substantial and tasty! Hope this helps ☺️ x

ninerbuff

Picky eaters can be healthy if they just pay attention to overall macros and calories and not entirely where they get them from.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

MzCara148

Also - keep in mind the less you cook a veggie, the crunchier it is. So you could try them raw, then steam them for just a couple of minutes, then steam for a little longer, until you can find a way that is palatable for you. Good luck!

amusedmonkey

Here is a recipe for a snack you may enjoy: roasted chickpeas. They are crunchy and full of flavor without having to be deep fried.

http://www.chow.com/recipes/30368-spicy-oven-roasted-chickpeas

pixeystyx5

I agree with another poster...put those fruits and veggies in a shake! Honestly, texture is not a factor and as long as you put some banana in there, you won't even taste anything else.

Also, load you spaghetti sauce or meatloaf with shredded carrots and zucchini. It cooks away into the meat to where you can barely see it, but keeps the meat very moist.

Lastly, everything in moderation.

krystleLD25

I experimented beets one time. Peeled them and sliced them tossed them in EVOO with a little bit of salt and a VERY little bit of cayenne. I then spread them in a thin layer on a baking sheet and baked them. They are sweet and not very mushy when made that way. I made them as an experimental side and now I'm addicted.