What to feed my kids for dinners

ChossidMom ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 8:13 am

I have 5 kids ages 12, 10, almost 8, 4 and 2.

They are incredibly picky eaters.

Dinner is always a major problem. The only thing everyone likes is chicken. I can't serve that every night. My 2 little ones and my 10 year old dd will usually eat turkey and meat as well. But my 12 and 8 year olds refuse and wind up eating cold cereal. Blah.

I need ideas. My kids won't even eat yummy meatballs and spaghetti.

One idea I have to try is making falafel and buying pitas. I need some more main course ideas for picky kids. These kids won't even eat macaroni and cheese (only macaroni and ketchup and that's not food as far as I'm concerned).

Fish - forget it. Unless it's tuna straight from the can served on a pepper.

HELP!!!

mimivan ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 8:40 am

Do they like lasagna? I'm just saying that because my son is an incredibly picky eater and will even eat that...(learned to make the noodles, nothing like avoiding paying 20 shekels a box for noodles) Use tomato sauce and cottage

You can make your own pizza too..it isn't hard. Find a good crust recipe, make the dough ahead, and you are in business.

Alot of finicky kids like some kind of soup...my mom says tuna casserole is the ultimate finicky kid dish...maybe they like that

Maybe serve buffet style, something for every kid..make ahead.It can be simple like couscous from a package, salads, and a soup or pita and tehina if a kid wants.

I know you don't want to serve chicken too often, but niche chicken salad with grapes, eggs, mayo and a bit of celery can be nice in the summer.

I accomodate my picky eater and give him an occasional bribe for partaking of a vegetable. He hates anything fleish so I have to give him kiddie vitamins and daven. But maybe have a night that focuses on the taste of each finicky kid (I.e. chicken night for Yossie, carrot Kugel and egg salad night for Schneur), and if it is cold cereal for someone else then it's not the end of the world. At least he will have his night to really like something..

↑ ChossidMom ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 10:47 am

Hahahahahahaha. Bourekas with vegetables? N E V E R. My kids will only eat bourekas with potato filling.

Lasagna - forget it Mimivan. Plain spaghetti with ketchup. Nothing else goes.

I could try tuna casserole but I know these kids - anything not completely identifiable won't go. How do you make it without milk? Do you have a recipe?

Tamiri ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 10:57 am

Mine would not eat tuna casserole, to may unidentified objects mashed together.

Pancakes always go well. Ya got your egg, your milk and your empty calorie flour.

Latkes.

Stir fry with nothing funny in it.

Rice pizza: I have a recipe for a rice crust and then you put sauce and cheese on top.

Bagels with cream cheese and lox (that's seuda shlishit).

How about investing in a sandwich maker (they aren't expensive) and make healthy hot sandwiches? Everyone here likes that.

↑ ChossidMom ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 11:30 am

I actually make good w.w. pancakes with white cheese, eggs, sugar and w.w. flour. Most of my kids like them. Not all.

I have a sandwich maker (50 shekels) and all they'll eat in it is yellow cheese and ketchup ("pizza") sandwiches.

Cream cheese and lox - ewwww, gross, as far as they're concerned. Hey, I have a kid who won't even eat bread!!!!

Oh yeah. White rice is something every single one of my kids likes. Joy of joys. Some like French Toast (eggie bread) also.

Can you hear my frustration? How will these children get nutrients?

↑ Tamiri ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 12:31 pm

Secret: I give my little ones vitamins. Shhhhh.

I couldn not find my rice crust recipe, but got this one from allrecipes.com which looks similar.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups water
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (optional)

DIRECTIONS
Place water and rice in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together cooked rice, beaten egg, mozzarella cheese, and Tabasco sauce. Press mixture evenly into a lightly greased 12 inch pizza pan, covering bottom and sides.
Bake in preheated oven for 4 minutes, or until set. Remove crust from oven, and let cool slightly before layering with your favorite sauce and other goodies

Chossid, will they eat sweet noodles (dairy kugel) with cottage?
Pierogi one Dish:

12 potatoes, boiled and mashed
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1 /2 cups butter (cut this waaaay down)
1 onion, minced
2 cups cooked noodles

Mash potatoes and mix in cheddar cheese. Saute onions in butter. Cook noodles and allow to cool. in a well-greased casserole, place a layer of noodles, potatoes, then onions. Repeat with second layer. Cover and bake at 325 F for 25 minutes.

Corn Fritters: (sorry it's fried but if they eat it...)

1 3/4 cup flour
3 t baking pdr
1/2 t salt
------------> sift together

1 egg yolk
1 cup milk
1 T melted shortening
-------------> combine. stir into flour and mix just until smooth.

1 egg white
--------------> beat stiff. fold into flour

2 c. corn kernels
---------------> add. form pancakes and fry in hot fat 3-5 minutes. turn over and drain.

flowerpower

Thu, May 01 2008, 12:37 pm

my kids are so so picky too. the food cant have anything in it or a new taste.

they are young, I know they dont need that much nutrients so I dont kill myself over it.

peanut butter is a good protien
pizza for treat night-I make whole wheat and they can choose diff toppings like broccoli, pepper
brown rice noodles ziti
fried breaded tilapia fish
chicken cutlets
any kind of rice(kids wont touch it but can be good to make)
any kind potatoes. mine like cubed in oven-its crispy
how about veggies like-spinach, broccoli, green beans?

mine wont even touch chicken most of the time!

↑ ChossidMom ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 1:14 pm

Thanks for the recipes Tamiri.

My kids will eat rice only one way - plain and white (Heaven forbid there should be paprika or some other spice to color it).

That pierogi thing sounds yummy. Course my kids would never eat it. But maybe I should try it just to be yotzei.

I tried corn fritters once - no go.

Vegetables? hahahahahahahaha. Some of them will eat fresh veggies and salad. One of them will not touch a veg or a fruit EVER. ONE of my kids loves broccoli. A different one loves peas. Sigh. They didn't prepare me for this in Mom school.

mamacita ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 1:55 pm

I sneak veg in everywhere. My shepherd's pie is gr beef gr chicken, shredded carrot, basically anything that'll hold still long enough to be mixed with tomato sauce, and egg, and some bread crumbs and slathered with mashed potatoes. Smile

My fish cakes also have shredded veg in them. No one knew, bwahahahahaha!

Maybe if you invest in a set of chopsticks you can "fun" them into eating fried rice. Smile

hehe. Kabobs? nothing is more fun to a kid than grossing mom out by eating something messy with their hands Smile

Omelets? Beans? Good sources of protein.

Of course this is all theoretical since I couldn't even get my toddler to eat peas today when she'll normally eat them. Tongue Out

Kids, Hashem created them perfectly suited to push our buttons, hehe.

SharonaB

Thu, May 01 2008, 2:00 pm

I have picky eaters too. I found that they sometimes started eating food that they had eaten at their friends houses so it may be worthwhile to encourage them to eat out. They try to fit in more at other peoples houses.

I also tried to add vitamins in all sorts of ways. I would boil white rice in water that I had already cooked vegetables in, so it would absorb the vitamins from the stock. They never noticed either.

My son also survived for around 3 years with peanut butter being the only protein he would eat. I think you just need to look at what they do eat and see how many food groups they are ticking. You may be surprised.

How about fruit? Bananas are a great source of vitamins.

You could also give them cake.... banana muffins, carrot cake etc. all have hidden benefits. I made yoghurt and bran muffins when he was small which he enjoyed.

Good luck.

↑ Tamiri ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 2:54 pm

Chossid, what's wrong with a chavita every night? I have one kid who wants eggs with bread every single day when he comes home from school. He drew up a numbered chart with the different types of egg he'll eat (chavita, chavita with cheese, sunny side up, sunny side up in a nest etc.) and now he gives me the number and I make his meal. No fighting, no trying new things.

I would really stop agonizing about what they eat. If it's going to be eggs every day, so be it.

Rice cakes? With diff shmears?
Cooked oatmeal with chocolate chips?
Plain yogurt with chocolate flakes (tastes just like the store's, mom)
Apple sauce from a can
Pineapple from a can

Beauty and the Beast

Thu, May 01 2008, 3:08 pm

oy, chossidmom, my toddler is the same way, and nebach u have to deal with a few of this! boy, I go crazy trying to get him to eat.

cheese latkas, a winner by him, I just made a huge batch to last me the whole week. I give it to him in his hand, and he takes a bite when he wants to, instead of me trying to feed him and getting annoyed...

I cook up pasta with brocolli. then I toss it with parmesan cheese and mozarella. u can use parmesan cheese, and its almost not noticable that there is cheese inside. maybe u can trick em.

I also try to trick him with putting in veggies wherever I can, but he is too smart for that... bh...

I make wraps. whole wheat wraps with tomato sauceand cheese in the microwave.

portabella mushrrom caps with tomato sauce. very filling. u bake it or microwave.

yogurt with oatmeal

also, if ur kids like chicken so much, why dont u tr to make many diff versions? one night stir fry, one night baked, one night shnitzel...

what about a salad bar, let em choose what they want inside, put in pitas, and strips of chicken, or whatevr they want.

tovasmom ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 3:21 pm

I'm kindve laughing at you guys, because your dcs seem to eat so much compared to mine. My oldest dd eats pretty normally, but my two ds's who are school age eat:

first ds: toast, cheese pretzels, spaghetti with cheese, chicken fingers (only made a certain way). meatballs (only made a certain way) and potato kugel (only homemade, certain recipe) and yes he knows the difference. And he will not eat anything reheated! and that is it!

Second ds: chicken fingers, hotdogs, spaghetti (no cheese), pizza, cold cereal, crackers and jelly, chocolate milk and that it is as well.

For my first ds, I stand on my head trying to get him to eat, but he also has a very difficult personality, so all my attempts are to no avail. And he is small, so I have tried everything. B'H he is growing slowly. I can occasionally get him to try something and he will say he likes it, a little, but that he doesn't want to eat it again. And he can go for days without eating, so saying to him, "you eat what everyone else is eating or there is nothing else" is not an effective threat.

Any my second ds is more average sized and is growing so I am hoping that I will keep cajoling and he will eventually try other things.

My pediatrician once told me that as long as the children are growing and are healthy it does not pay to make such a big deal about variety, although it would be a big plus.

And I insist that these buddies take vitamins, of course, every day!

↑ ChossidMom ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 3:29 pm

thank you Tovasmom! Finally someone with kids as picky as mine!!!!

No pasta primavera over here folks.

Tamiri - I actually make chavitot all the time. One daughter takes one to school every day between her two slices of lechem achid. I am very liberal with eggs in this house. Unfortunately, my other kids don't like to eat them too much. BTW, only omelettes in this house - plain ones of course. Heaven forbid cheese should sneak in. No bulls eye etc. etc. etc.

About the chicken - they like it grilled or roasted. Or deep fried shnitzel (oh joy).

I wish I could settle on a food plan for the week that wouldn't entail making so many different things for different people every night! AUGHHHH!

Chocoholic

Thu, May 01 2008, 4:03 pm

Do they eat noodles with simple Â´red sauceÂ´? When I was younger I had some picky sisters and my mom used to cook all kinds of veggies and then grind them up until just about liquid. Mostly red colored veggies, but also broccoli and whatever was there. For many years I thought I was eating noodles w/ plain tomato sauce and cheese, until one day I saw my momÂ´s little secret...