Challenged by picky eaters while on a budget

NDelmas

Hi. My name is Nancy and I am new to My Fitness Pal. Well.... new this time around. You see, I joined roughly 8 months ago, but never really started, that is until now. I have a husband and a daughter that happen to be picky eaters (My husband more-so than my daughter). While in the past, we were not on such a strict budget and it was acceptable to be the "short order cook of the household" and make separate meals for each person, but money is painfully tight and very stressful now. We shop as a family and plan meals together. You can now see the difficult road of which I am taking, right? I cater to them and their picky palates and I am left with food choices that border on terrible. I have attempted to make all the selections healthier, but it obviously has not been working. Does anyone have some sure-fire ideas that can help me achieve my intended goals while feeding my family on a strict grocery budget? Or is this a challenge that will never be one that I can finally win at? All suggestions are appreciated

ninavdd

A few questions. Where do you live? What do they absolutely don't like?

Things that are cheap are rice/potatoes/local and seasonal veggies, so what I would make today in my country is:

- chicken thighs (cheaper than breast) with some pepper/salt/paprika/Mediterranean herbs cooked in the oven with coleslaw (carrots, white cabbage, an apple, yogurt, parsley) and mash for them (you can pass on the mash if it's too many calories).

- Flavoured rice: add some onion and garlic to a little oil, fry for a few minutes. Add the rice. After another minute add water and add a (light) chicken stock cube. It gives the rice a nice flavor, and you don't need a lot of heave sauces to make it more tasty. You can add to this whatever you want: almond slices, raisins, herbs... and eat it with whatever meat and a simple salad.

- Things that are also quite cheap are lentils/chickpeas and stuff, but I know that's not for everybody.

If you let me know more about your family's tastes I can try to think of some more dishes.

MysteriousMerlin

I feel ya, I honestly do. My husband has the palate of a stubborn 2 year old. However, were I on a strict budget, he'd be eating whatever I put in front of him, or he can have it for breakfast the next day.

There are certain things I won't make him eat, such as mayo, mustard (he's allergic), yogurt and a few types of cheese. Other than those few exceptions, he will eat what I cook, or he can make a bowl of oatmeal for his dinner.

I work full-time, and I'll be damned if I'm taking the time to make 2 separate dinners for a grown man because he won't eat broccoli or black beans. My rule is: You have to try it at least 5 times before you can say you don't like it. And by try it I don't mean just a bite, I mean the whole serving.

It's ridiculous, I know, but it works. He now will ASK for broccoli with dinner, and likes the taste of it.

Basically, what I'm saying is, you're the cook. You make the rules :drinker:

Chilis, soups, and bean pots are cheap, easy, and make large portions. Last week, I stretched a pound of lean ground beef into spaghetti sauce, taco fillings, and chili. Items like dry beans, brown rice can stretch a meal, also veggies like bell peppers, celery, onions, zucchini, eggplant, corn, green beans, carrots can also help stretch a soup or chowder too.

NDelmas

I happen to live in the grand old U S of A, and in the state of Illinois. His picky nature is easier to explain as to what he will eat compared to the lengthily list of what he would not touch. Fortunately, I have been able to trick him a few times, but it is quite hard to do just that. When it comes down to vegetables and fruits.... he chooses to avoid at all costs, but I have found a few that he will eat. It is all those darn carbs and processed stuff that we end up getting and that is what is most likely my downfall. My daughter, on the other hand, is less picky and is quite interested in healthier fare items, but is known to turn her nose up on a fair amount of things because of my other half's choices.

I kind-of have a plan in mind, but I am truly running out of ideas.

Since tomorrow is shopping day, I am looking into trying to find new ideas that are filling and tasty. All that fat free stuff is processed so much... it makes me wonder about the true nutritional value. I figured that getting a good multi-vitamin is a good start. I do wonder, though, if Crystal Light drink mix is acceptable to help me down that much water in a day. Not sure if beans are gonna cut it here, but I am willing to give it a go, but your idea regarding rice sounds like something that I can pull off, as well as your chicken idea. I wonder if you have any ideas for other meats since my family is a group of meat-eaters, and maybe something of a more interesting side than salad or plain veggies.

I really appreciate your help in this matter. Thanks for replying :happy: javascript:add_smiley('happy','post_body')

NDelmas

Thank you so much for the laugh and the reassurance that I am truly not alone when it comes to dealing with picky eaters. It seems like your husband and mine have a similar thought process. He also does not like mayo and mustard.... well, basically any condiment other than butter or salsa.

While I would just love to tell him to drink a can of "suck it up" and deal with what is there for dinner or cook something for himself... he does not cook. And if by chance your husband is anything like mine.... the whining and guilt trips that follow would push me to start drinking.

If you happen to have some ideas that can hide the healthy stuff in ordinary comfort foods... I am all ears. I think it has come to the point I need to treat my husband like I would a child.

Thanks for replying to my post! I truly appreciate your help...javascript:add_smiley('happy','post_body')

ninavdd

Oh no!!! Fruit and veggies! That is indeed a pity! My friend's husband doesn't like ANY veggies at all, unless they are hidden. So when she makes spaghetti sauce. She cooked the minced meat in one pan, and the veggies + tomatoes in another. When cooked, she blends all the veggies together before adding the beef. He knows the vegetables are in there, but they don't bother him anymore

Another thing I like to do is roughly mashing my potatoes with a number of other veggies (50-50). That way, you eat less starchy potatoes than you normally would and you have a nice serving of veggies. It goes really well with broccoli, herbs, peas, carrots, beets, spinach, leek ... Maybe some of the few veggies your husband likes?

I also really like to roast broccoli and cauliflower. I'm not really that found of them steamed or cooked, but roasting takes them to a whole different level. Add some chili to them or some shredded almonds, a tiny bit of olive oil and they taste great! I also love tomatoes in the oven. I eat them about 5 times a week. Just put them in the oven, small ones whole or bigger one in two. Add some pepper, salt, olive oil and herbs if you like (maybe some garlic?). They are great to use as a sauce, in which case you don't need any extra mayo or something. Roasting veggies actually makes all the difference for me. Totally worth (half a) tablespoon of oil

Meats, then.
- a roasted whole chicken, which you can eat without the skin (sadly, I know ). Any leftovers can be added to some yellow bell pepper and yogurt and parsley to have a healthy chicken salad on your sandwich.

- buy chicken fillets, slice them across in two, and beat them with a rolling pin or a bottle until they are thinner. It seems like you have much more meat (cheaper) and it's a lot softer. Coat it with some flour, egg and breadcrumbs (easy and cheaper if you pulse your own leftover stale bread). It's soaks quite a lot of oil while cooking, but you can also bake it in the oven. Just put a little bit of oil on top. You can add herbs and Parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs for a different taste. This is way healthier than any chicken nugget! This is also really good with veal, lamb, pork chops.

- Sausages, buy veal sausages for fewer calories. Make a sauce of onion, garlic and tomato (I really hope they like tomatoes, I would die ). Maybe some bell pepper if in season. Add some herbs (basil, thyme, oregano, whatever is in your garden or cupboard) and put it in an ovenproof dish. Put some sausages in there and cook in the oven. That way you don't add any extra oil for frying the sausages and you can use the sauce instead of mayo. Great with rice or couscous or just some bread.

- Maybe some homemade pizza with the tomato sauce I mentioned above (mixed with veggies). You can add a little bit of meats and cheese on yours (and extra veggies?) and a lot on theirs.

For other American-style comfort foods, I would browse skinnytaste.com. It seems that they make a lot of light versions of classic American dishes. That might be a good place to get some ideas!

Good luck!!!

NDelmas

Thank you SO MUCH! I will definitely check out skinnytaste.com before I make the shopping list today.

He will allow SOME vegetables, but the healthier ones like broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini and spinach are definite deal breakers. He likes the starchy ones too much (potatoes, corn, and such). I did trick him a time or two with mushrooms, but he wised up to it rather quickly. He might eat a salad, of which I am attempting to add this week to the meal planning. I just wished he was more adventurous with foods. It would make this journey THAT much easier.

Thanks again!!

Vorpal_Sword

When they can't agree, everyone gets french fries.

mamabanana

I totally understand what you are going through. My husband and 2 kids are picky eaters and are each picky with different foods. Example: broccoli, one kid will eat raw, other raw just florlet, hubby steamed only until mushy. Chicken, one only grilled with lemon, other with homemade bbq sauce and hubby with nothing. Even spag sauce,I make for kids with pureed veggies and chickpeas but if they see the slight piece of veggie, they will not eat, and all picky with what kind of pasta shape. I have had enough, so I make one thing for a meal eat or not. It is very frustrating. Myself, I love all the flavors and textures of food and I love having a variety everyday.

geebusuk

He will allow SOME vegetables, but the healthier ones like broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant, zucchini and spinach are definite deal breakers. He likes the starchy ones too much (potatoes, corn, and such). I did trick him a time or two with mushrooms, but he wised up to it rather quickly. He might eat a salad, of which I am attempting to add this week to the meal planning. I just wished he was more adventurous with foods. It would make this journey THAT much easier.

What makes any of those 'healthier'?

I don't like and don't eat pretty much everything in your list - I just ate a whole tub of low calorie ice cream style desert. Had it with a 'value' swiss roll mashed up in there. "Processed".
Yet, I'm certainly stronger than average (not saying much, but can squat 1.5x bodyweight on shoulders - hopefully go up quite a bit when I reach goal weight), my cardio health is better than average (again not saying much; I completed a 32 mile trail ultramarathon the other day), my blood pressure and resting heart rate are excellent and others tests are good too.

Being healthy is not just about eating the sort of 'greens' kids like me love to hate .

Why do you need to force him to have this food?
If you want this specific veg, why don't you cook some for yourself and half less of the starchy carbs you don't want, replacing with some of said veg?

edisonsbulb

Have your husband make dinner for himself and your daughter. Maybe help him out by making whatever course of your meal that they will share.