Healthy recipes for a family of picky eaters

wow that's a handful. Tough to please everyone in my family of 4 much less a family of 8.

All of the above items can be healthy when made properly. there are more pastas out there now many of which are partially made from vegetables and other types of grains which can still make pasta a healthy choice instead of just plain wheat pasta.

Pizza can be super healthy and delicious too with the right ingredients. doesn't have to all be pepperoni and cheese.

With so many people have you sat down with everyone together to try to come up with some ideas? How about challenging your kids to make a healthy meal and/or making cooking a family event one or twice a week where everyone gets involved.

I have to agree with the previous posters:
trying to limit the different meals but varying them so you can have healthier aspects.

And (as another poster said) those meals can definitely be made healthier...hopefully so everyone can still enjoy them. We make our own pizzas at home. We use dough mix just because it soooo much quicker but we make it really thin and only use enough cheese to coat (i use reduced fat cheese as well) and use healthy toppings (this could be good with many teenagers in the house as they can pick their own toppings/make it themselves. I use chicken, ham, peppers, onion, toms, herbs and tom puree for the base and half an 8" pizza is only around 250kcal with a lot of protein. Every my fiance's bbq chicken and pulled pork (with a ton of extra mature cheese) is only around 450kcal!

edited due to typo

Nearly any meal can be reduced in fat, sugar, and salt to be made healthier.

I have one fussy eater to cater to. Sometimes he gets what he wants, sometimes he must demonstrate a little adventure. I try new recipes, make notes how I adjusted them, and flag the successes for a repeat.

• I recently switched out turkey meatballs in our spaghetti. Big hit. We'll be doing that again.
• I choose hot dogs (I love hot dogs; have them a couple times a month) based on sodium and fat content. Often the cheapest are the lowest in fat and sodium!
• Try skinny buns to reduce carbohydrates.
• I've slowly switched our weekend breakfasts. Gone is bacon and syrup; added is greek yogurt and fruit. The pancakes are high fiber pumpkin protein.
• I have a salad ready to go in the fridge, easy access. No excuses.
• I made a slow cooker sweet and sour chicken recipe this weekend. Home cooking means I could control the ingredients. This was also a big hit.
• White rice is replaced with whole wheat Basmati rice.
• Try adding lentils to the spaghetti sauce. Barely noticeable and adds fiber.
• Replace sour cream with low-fat greek yogurt.
• I used spices, onion, and garlic to slowly overtake the salt.
• If they like their chicken and fish breaded and fried, try breaded and baked. Panko crumbs are lovely.

Could your fussy eaters get a designated day of the week? That way everyone gets a little attention, and the others are exposed to new foods/experiences. You should get a designated night, too!

Come to think of it, your teens could PREPARE the food on their designated day, too.

We prepare certain dishes buffet style. So tonight we will be having pancakes for supper. I will have a stack of pancakes on the table, as well as butter, syrup, fresh fruit, OJ, and yogurt (go-gurts for the little kids) All on the table. Everyone can grab and fix their plates according to their taste.

Taco night at my house-
Tortillas, Tortilla chips, cheese, salsa, sour cream, olives, corn,lettuce, beans, assemble however you see fit. My son eats chips/cheese and corn, my daughter has chips, beans, and lettuce with sour cream. My husband makes himself 2 big bean burritos, and I make myself a taco salad.

My Mom made everything in two flavors, "Take it or leave it" None of us went hungry.
Good luck!