Life with picky eaters, both big and small...
Picky eaters. As parents, we often are faced with the "joy" of dealing with them (torture would be a much better and more accurate word), and if you haven't, then consider yourself quite lucky. It's one of those parenting hardships that can easily have you stressed to the max, pulling your hair out on a daily basis, wondering where you went wrong and killing yourself over trying to figure out ways to get them to eat. Some days can be better than others, depending on the precious little one's mood...and some days, well, it seems NOTHING will satisfy them, even the known "favorites".
Thankfully, in our house this face (see left) only comes out at dinnertime. Breakfast and lunch are usually guaranteed "good eating" meals, and just dinner is a battle. My son inexplicably has been that way for going on three years now, and my daughter, wanting to do anything her big brother does, is recently starting to follow suit (she's always been my tremendously good eater). We seem to go through phases, in which at times dinner seems a little less of a battle than others, and as hard as we've tried, we've yet to figure out what triggers those phases to happen. Then, to top that, having a "picky eater" in our house began before the kids came along. My "biggest kid" (aka my hubby :) ) has always been quite a picky eater, repelling anything with vegetables in it, as well of having a long list of other things he doesn't like. So the excruciating, limited meal planning process began over nine years ago for me. However, the same rules don't really apply to your husband as they do to your kids, and I'll get into why in a bit. To my husband's credit, he's been very good over the past six months about eating "healthy" with me, and has taken veggies head-on with very minimal complaint.
It's hard having picky eaters period, but especially when you decide that you want everyone to start eating healthier. Quite often, "healthier" foods can be less appealing to anyone, let alone kids, and they can lack the self-disciple to have an open mind to trying new foods. So how exactly do you get them to eat, and to try those new foods??? Now I'm no expert, but I've spent a lot of time asking myself the same question and trying different methods, and here's some ways that have been proven to be successful for me, both in the past and present.
1. I've swapped out "meals". Knowing that lunch is a good eating time, when we're going through
rough periods, I make that my time to give them the bigger, more nutritious meal. For whatever reason, they're more compliant during that time, and are more willing to try new things and eat foods that they won't at dinnertime. This doesn't mean that I always have success, but I've found it to be more successful than not. So if there's leftovers from the night before, I'll heat those up and give them to them. Or, if our schedule allows, I'll fix that night's dinner in the morning and give them some at lunch. Now-a-days, with meal prep for the week being done over the weekend, this last one is easier than ever because all I have to do is heat the meal up-yet another "pro" to meal prepping over the weekend. Then, at "dinnertime" that evening, I'll give the kiddos a typical lunch, which is often maybe a PB&J sandwich, a string cheese, fruit, yogurt, and/or yogurt. Lunch is still a healthy and balanced meal in our house, too.
2. I pick healthier foods that I can make "fun". A big part of it all is their mindset, so if YOU keep it positive and seem like it's something exciting to be trying, they're more apt to show an interest and try it. For instance, my Enchilada and Quinoa Casserole (see below left). The recipe calls for black beans, which originally thought of as "disgusting" by my son. However, mommy made them into "magical beans" that if eaten, not only help us get big and strong, but also get you a special treat if eaten all up. Just using those two words...magical beans...does the trick and they often get gobbled up. Crazy, I know-even silly-but hey, you do what you have to do to make it work. Be a product of the product. If YOU'RE not eating the foods, then why do they have to eat it? If they see you eating it and enjoying it and being silly about it, then they'll follow your lead. If you want your kids to develop healthy habits, including eating, then you have to lead by example...and I promise you, they will develop those habits if they're seeing them enforced and done on a consistent, often daily basis. Something I've learned over the past six months! Practice what you preach! It's good for both you AND the family! :)
3. Change up what can be seen. My kiddos see those visible ingredients and hackles immediately go up! I substitute "smaller" ingredients into my recipes. For instance, if a recipe calls for a can of diced tomatoes, I use petite diced tomatoes. Or say it calls for chopped or diced veggies, I dice them up extra fine. Chunky does not go over well with my crew, and the smaller it is, the more manageable for them to get down and the fewer battles we seem to have. I've even pureed veggies in the blender when my son was younger and then added them into what I was making, to make it completely chunk-free.
4. This may be a hard pill to swallow for some, but it's a rule I grew up by and enforce in our family as well. I do not cater to "whims" for every dinner. You either eat what's planned and on the table, or you go without until breakfast the next day. If my son had it his way, he'd eat mac and cheese every.single.night. for dinner. There have been times when even if I allow a treat of mac and cheese for dinner, I'll make it and upon getting up in his seat, he'll ask for something else. The answer is always "no". I do not like to waste food, and certainly am tired enough by the end of the day that I refuse to make multiple meals for everyone, especially if you're going to change your mind fifty times just in one meal. Absolutely not. The ONLY exception to the rule is if my husband and I are eating something that isn't kid friendly, such as buffalo anything or something spicy-then I will make the kids something else to eat, although I still give them the option to try a bite, just to expose them to different things (my little Missy has actually eaten some of the spicier stuff and loved it!). You will go crazy, especially if you have multiple kids and multiple picky eaters, trying to find something that everyone likes and will end up wasting endless food. Never mind the habit it instills that people will cater to whatever their "whim" is, which is not a fair habit to expect of anyone, especially those that will be watching your littles ones other than you, like grandparents or babysitters. If you're kids are eating two solid meals a day and have a snack or two in there as well, they won't starve going without dinner until breakfast. Mine certainly haven't, and sometimes, it's incentive for them TO eat. That and I've actually started taking what they don't finish, and putting it in a tupperware dish for them to try again the next day instead of throwing it away.
4. Lastly, if you know you have a picky eater, watch the "snacks". If you're loading them up on snack food, they're less likely to want to try those meals. My kiddos usually eat breakfast between 7:30-8:30 most days, and unless they ask for a snack, I don't give them anything else until lunch. If they don't ask for a snack in the morning, I don't give it. They eat a good lunch and then I usually give them a small post-nap snack in the afternoon. I keep it small so that they're more willing to eat dinner. If you give them 2-3 snacks in the afternoon or morning, then yes, those "real" meals are going to be more of a battle because they're not hungry, and they think that they can skip it because they'll have a snack coming their way later. Again, may sound harsh, but if you want your kids to eat the good, quality nutritious food, then it's something to be considered.
Many of the recipes I share are kiddo approved, because I want to share what has been successful in hopes that it's also a success for others, too. Last night's Tomato and Basil Tortellini Soup had carrots chopped finely in it, as well as petite diced tomatoes, and neither the kids NOR my husband made a single comment about them and ate them all up! SCORE! A huge win in my book, that brings smiles like these! It's always a huge sense of relief when you make a successful meal, and all I can say is, DON'T GIVE UP! It's hard to figure out what works for you and your bunch, but keep trying different things and stay consistent and you'll get through it, I promise. It can be hard to stay positive about, but remember you're setting them up for SUCCESS in their futures by introducing them to new, healthy foods, and not just giving in to the demands or "convenience" of those quicker/unhealthy options. You can do it!
