Dinner Ideas for Picky Eaters -

If you are struggling with dinner ideas for picky eaters, I get it. It can be tough to get them to eat the meals you prepare which can be extremely frustrating as a mom. You have taken at least 20-30 minutes to prepare the food after you are already exhausted from the day and now your kids are sticking their tongues out or whining about how this is gross and they aren’t going to eat.

So, what do we do? For many of us, we stop fighting and we succumb to the-mom is a short order line cook. Make 2-3 different meals each night just so that we don’t have to listen to more whining!

Yet again, we remain exhausted, frustrated, and guilty that our children are not getting the nutrients they need into their body and we are making more meals than a line cook.

https://www.pinterest.ca/pin/851110029590563859/

4 Dinner ideas for picky eaters:

1. De-constructed night: this is usually some sort of bowl or taco night where I have rice, taco shells, or a bed of romaine lettuce as the base in a bowl. Cut up different ingredients and place them out on a platter (the more color, the better) and let them fill it with any of the items they want. The key with this is, do NOT tell them that they need to add anything specific. I have noticed that in time they will begin to try more items and add them to their bowls.
(pic above is a deconstructed sushi bowl that they were able to place over their rice)

2. Something familiar on their plate: Most of our dinners consist of a salad and vegetable, some sort of whole grain or potato, and then some meat on our plates. I always make sure to place everything that we, the parents, have on everyone’s plates. My children are required to taste everything on their plate. If they don’t like it, they are not required to continue to eat it. They must taste everything even if they KNOW they don’t like it. I will also place some fruit, yogurt, or sometimes even something like goldfish on their plates (when they were younger). This way I know they have some things they will really love on their plate. This provides less grumbling at the dinner table and made sure they had enough in their bellies if they didn’t eat the other items.

3. A favorite meal: I always try to make one meal each week they love! Now with three kids, and varying tastes, this doesn’t always work out where they all get a meal they love. Although for the most part they don’t mind eating something that their siblings love so it works out.

Favorite go-to’s in our house:

-Spaghetti and meatballs

-homemade chicken tenders with rice and roasted broccoli

-tacos

-mac & cheese

-or even grabbing their favorite dinner out.

4. Help in the kitchen: This truly does work! My daughter loves green beans, and this was one of the first things she helped me in the kitchen with. She would snap them for me. Another son loves asparagus and yet again, he used to snap the bottoms off of these before I would roast them. The more they can help in the kitchen the more likely they will be willing to try what has been set before them. If you are able to grow those items in your back yard even better. We have a growing system that we use to grow greens on our back porch.

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