Cooking Healthy with P I C K Y Kids (and I hate to cook)

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  • purplegoboom
    purplegoboom Posts: 400 Member
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    I see a lot of this sort of question and it always perplexes me.

    Maybe I had unusually strict parents, but my mother made our meals and you ate them or you went hungry. Those were the options. We kids usually decided to eat. I'm starting to think I was perhaps raised in an alternate universe. :huh:

    My mom was the same way. If you didn't like what she made, too bad. And guess what? We didn't go hungry. Once we got it in our heads mom wasn't making anything else, we ate the offending food in question. And *gasp* sometimes we liked it and cleaned our plate.
  • steph0924
    steph0924 Posts: 78 Member
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    100daysofrealfood.com is so far my favorite site/blog. I've used a couple of her recipes so far that were successful, though the kids have really had them before, they were just a bit healthier. I have extremely picky kids as well, so its an awful fight each meal time. its going to be a long process, just like it is for you.


    That is a great website. Just make slow changes and let them see you eat healthy. Also, with my oldest (10), I really had to dig to see what she liked that was healthy. She likes hominy, beans, broccoli, salad, pears, strawberries. I think I always just thought she would like what I liked, but once I found out what she like that was healthy, I've slowly started getting her to try other stuff. I know it sounds bad, but we are always on the go. I work full time, my DH works the 24 hr firefighter schedule and has 2 additional part time jobs, so sitting down around the dinner table is, unfortunately, not the norm. But, it is our reality, and we visit family a lot on weekends, so I don't have control of what is served there. It's hard, but really check out that website for new ideas.
  • historygirldd
    historygirldd Posts: 209 Member
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    I see a lot of this sort of question and it always perplexes me.

    Maybe I had unusually strict parents, but my mother made our meals and you ate them or you went hungry. Those were the options. We kids usually decided to eat. I'm starting to think I was perhaps raised in an alternate universe. :huh:

    My mom did too. I sat one night in front of a hamburger for 2 hours.

    My children are used to the idea of eating what I fix, but my 14 year old daughter just reminded me tonight of how I got her to eat broccoli. I fixed steamed broccoli for dinner tonight and as she sat down to eat she said, "tiny trees!! and I am a giant! nom! nom! nom!" Make them at least try it, sometimes they will decide they like it.
  • historygirldd
    historygirldd Posts: 209 Member
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    just another thought... My sister has teens also, but they ate a lot of chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese when they were small. She got her kids to eat healthy by getting them involved in planning and cooking the meals with her.
  • Melampus
    Melampus Posts: 95 Member
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    I see a lot of this sort of question and it always perplexes me.

    Maybe I had unusually strict parents, but my mother made our meals and you ate them or you went hungry. Those were the options. We kids usually decided to eat. I'm starting to think I was perhaps raised in an alternate universe. :huh:

    That was the line my parents took with me. My parents also lived through the second world war and food rationing so in their case this approach was of necessity. Times have changed and food is more plentiful now but that doesn't mean I should spend my money buying it and my time preparing it for my children to tell me they won't eat it and to bring them something else and indeed I won't. We involve our 4 y/o in discussions about what to eat and, when she is interested and the meal is suitable, we let her help prepare it but we also have rules such as no snacking immediately before a meal and once the meal is ready if the child does not eat in it there is no alternative meal and no snacks until the next meal.
  • MinMin97
    MinMin97 Posts: 2,676 Member
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    Hello,
    I just basically answered this same question here:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/720960-grrrrrrrr-my-child-is-a-nutella-monster

    Just do basics,
    not fancy casseroles, soups etc.
    Even my kids don't like that, as much as they like just basics.
    See the post linked above:)
  • steph0924
    steph0924 Posts: 78 Member
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    Also, just keep at it. Don't think that one meal makes them picky. They will go along with it eventually and they may even thank you in the future. I also hate cooking, but I have been searching for crock pot meals with 4-5 real food ingredients, so I'm not just loading my family up with processed foods. Then, the crock pot will be doing it's job while I am working.

    As they grow up and get in school, it will be a great teaching opportunity for you all to learn together how to cook and eat healthy.
  • Melampus
    Melampus Posts: 95 Member
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    I kinda took the mindset that forcing or threatening your kids in to eating food leaves a foundation for a poor relationship with food. On the other hand my rule is if you don't eat you don't eat and if you get hungry...oh well *L*

    Further to my previous message I should say that we don't levy any punishment for failing to eat. I don't want meal times to become a stressful battle and I also don't want to encourage forcing food in even when not hungry. What I am keen to avoid is one or both of our children learning they can reject a meal they don't particularly care for and expect to receive an alternative meal or snack food instead. With our rule if the child is genuinely not hungry the lack of a replacement for the meal not eaten is not going to be an issue and if the child is hungry but holding out for something she prefers remaining hungry until the next meal will be its own punishment.
  • neurochamp
    neurochamp Posts: 261 Member
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    I'm not a parent or a picky eater, and I LOVE to cook...but these are fairly easy and freaking DELICIOUS (I mean, they're chicken fingers, so...):

    http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/almond_crusted_chicken_fingers.html

    I remember them being really easy to make, as are homemade sweet potato "fries":

    http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/oven_sweet_potato_fries.html

    Seriously, give me a plate of these two foods (and some ketchup/bbq sauce) and I am one happy camper.

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