Kid friendly recipes to share??

[suziquzie]

I learned again this week that "keep trying" WORKS!!

My middle one WILL NOT eat soup of any kind... except canned tomato.....

Saturday he FINALLY tried a bite of Chicken Wild Rice after the 82nd time.. looked up and said MOM this is GOOD!!!!
DUH I knew that!

 

[Fisher's Mom]

OK I loathed potatoes as a child and still only tolerate roasted ones. BLECH!

Kid friendly as kitchenelf said way back at the beginning is hit and miss on a daily basis, but kids regulate themselves more or less on a weekly basis. Here are some thoughts that worked well for my kiddos. (And I should mention here that one of mine is STILL killer picky and will pick out microscopic pieces of anything she deems inedible, like onion, or any cooked veggie.)

- Tortilla pizza - crisp the tortilla a bit either in the oven or in a frying pan. Then let the kids smear on their sauce and load their own toppings. One is usually more than enough for any little one.

- Fruit plate/Veggie Plate - I have a tupperware segmented container that I would load with cut up pieces of fruit or veggies with a dip center. That was always fun to find in the fridge for the kids.

- Tacos or taco salad. Taco salad is easier for you, but soft shelled tacos are more fun for the kids. Give them some topping ideas and you are good to go.

- Homemade soup - easy to have on hand in the freezer - let them pick out the coolest pasta to serve with it. (I always store the pasta separately so it doesn't sog out)

- Lasagna roll ups - easy to prep ahead of time and thaw as needed. Cook the noodle, smear on whatever you like, cooked chicken with some spinach or asparagus, or ground beef, or just some grated cheese with an egg for binder, and then roll it up. Cut it in half so that it is "kid sized" and place it cut side down in some tomato sauce. Heat it up in the microwave or oven and sprinkle on the magic parmesan cheese.

I've got more if you are interested, but these were standbys when I was busy. Good luck with the teaching!

These are right on target, Alix. I think the winning element is letting the child get involved in what he eats. I'm always surprised at what Fisher will eat if I let him choose and put on his own "toppings". He's much more adventurous when he has choices in front of him and he can put it together as he wishes. Also, like you mentioned, kids love to be able to "dip" things.

And you touched on another thing - kid sized portions. Now that Fish is 6, I let him serve himself the amounts he wishes to have. More often than not, he will only put a minuscule amount of food on his plate initially, but then serves himself seconds. I think a lot of food on a plate is intimidating to a picky eater.

 

[buckytom]

my wife wonders how i can get my son to eat when he's refused her attempts. often, he's more willing to eat something when he's helped make it. you just have to be careful with letting them at hot or sharp stuff.

get your kids aprons, crayons, and writing pads, and when you have to do something somewhat dangerous, ask them to be the waiter and ask their siblings or stuffed animals for their order.

oh, you also have to be really patient and figure on a lot of mess.

also, when he refuses to eat at all, he gives in more quickly if you share what's on the plate making some kind of game of it, like who can mush up the food in your mouth and show it to everyone better. at least he gets a half of it. better than nothing.


my only recipe tip that i could give isn't quick or easy, but if your toddler refuses meat but likes pasta and tomato sauce, it's a way to get some protein into them.

cook some veal chunks (fattier are tastier) down until falling apart in tomato sauce. prepare some rigatoni or thicker ziti, and when cool enough to handle, shred the veal, mixed with a little of the sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese, and stuff into the rigatoni/ziti.
if they still refuse, mix the veal with some ricotta to disguise it before stuffing.

that's how i got my son to begin eating meat when he was about 2. when you're at your wits end, you'll try anything.

 

[PieSusan]

I was a very picky child and my mom was concerned about my nutrition as I was very thin and small so she became a short order chef. My dad didn't help because there were things he wouldn't eat either. My mom knew trying to force me to eat wasn't going to work and so she catered to me. Over time, I was willing to try new things. (I hated food touching and needed separate bowls and plates--I even hated peanut butter and jelly mixed together--half sandwich was peanut butter and the other half was jelly). As I got older, she marvelled at what I learned to eat. However, there are still things that I do not like.

I use to help my mom in the kitchen but to this day, I do not like jarred mayonnaise and anything made with it or tinned tuna.

I think in my case, as a child I refused to eat certain things because they did not agree with me. It took a recent trip to the allergist and a blood test for me to realize all the foods that I am allergic to so do not rule that out. If your child is getting a lot of stomach aches and refuses to eat certain foods there can be a reason.

 

[expatgirl]

snack-wise.......popcorn makes you very popular with the neighborhood kids.......full of fiber, nutritious, and filling........I make my own using a microwave Presto Power Pop (available at Wal Mart and endorsed by Orville Redenbacher) that allows you to use any amount of oil ...........my granddaughter will sometimes take it to school as a snack along with some fruit.........she does not share it.....