Need healthy meals for picky eaters

KrissBallard

I am a step-mom of some picky eating teenagers. I am also trying to lose weight for some health reasons (hoping to continue to build the family with my husband and fighting some health problems). My step-kids don't eat vegetables and are in general very picky eaters. I also need to cook on a budget. These two things combined make healthy cooking difficult to say the least. I try to cook vegetables separate, but as long as the veggies can be picked out the kids will survive. Also if you have any sneaky vegetable recipes that would be great, too, as I would love to get incorporate some veggies into their diet. All healthy recipes accepted, especially the creative ones. Thank you.

k8eekins

Will you please list what your teen children favour eating? It'll help.

acpgee

A sneaky vegetable dish is vegetable lasagna. Cheap to make too.

Grate or chop any veg you have lying around. Chop spinach, cabbage or other leafy greens. Grate harder veg such as carrots or zucchini. Sautee with a vegetable oil and minced garlic. Mix with a tub or two of cottage cheese. Layer in lasagna dishes, starting with the veg/cottage cheese mix followed by uncooked lasagna sheets. Be careful not to overlap the sheets as those bits will stay hard. Finish with some grated cheddar on top. Make sure to prep several hours in advance so that the pasta sheets can soften while standing. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes covered in foil , then test with a skewer or knife to check if pasta is soft. Finish another 15 minutes uncovered to melt the cheese topping.

If you are going to the trouble, make several to freeze for quick week night meals. Wrap up in cling film or foil before freezing. Take them out in the morning to defrost in the fridge and cook the defrosted lasagna's as normal.

Another way of sneaking in veg is classic bolognese sauce, for spaghetti. Marcella Hazan's recipe contains onion, carrots, celery which are quite imperceptible as well as tomato. The bolognese sauce freezes and is budget friendly too.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/marcella-hazans-bolognese-sauce-50063585

Hamsibian

I am in the "hide the vegetables" camp. Meatballs, meat loafs, burgers, sauces, soups, chili. Also see if you can get the kids involved in the cooking. They are more likely to eat the food they help make. You can make a game out of it, like picking a new vegetable at the store/farmers market, and then researching recipes online.

I don't know how old your kids are, but I saw a woman on Shark Tank who created bowls that helps food look fun. It makes sense since kids like to eat cartoon shaped mac n cheese and other products. You don't need to buy her stuff, but you can shape dishes like funky characters (cats, aliens, clowns, etc).

kd_mazur

check out Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. She basically hides the veggies in the foods her family already likes.

acpgee

My dutch hubby says the local trick for getting kids to eat vegetables is to cover them in apple sauce or cheese sauce. I am not convinced, but worth a shot. Your step children might be too old for this to work.