What to feed my kids for dinners

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Forum -> Parenting our children -> School age children

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↑ ChossidMom ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 1:04 pm

No red sauce here. Only ketchup. And only one particular brand.
These guys are tough!

↑ tovasmom

Thu, May 01 2008, 1:09 pm

Chossidmom, just consider yourself a short order cook, I know I consider myself one. What a way to blow an expensive education!!!

↑ ChossidMom ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 1:21 pm

HAHAHAHAHA. I got student loans though...

yo'ma

Thu, May 01 2008, 2:27 pm

At least your kids are consistent. My 5 yr old decided on Tuesday he doesn't like meat (we had meat for supper). Today, I see him eating the sauce for the pizza we made for supper. I ask him why's he eating it, he doesn't like sauce. He says now he does. Confused

mummiedearest ↓

Thu, May 01 2008, 2:28 pm

well, since some of your kids are old enough to cook, take them grocery shopping. give them each a chance to cook supper for all the kids for one night. explain to them that cooking a supper involves a protein, starch and veggie (potatoes and corn don't count as veggies, make sure they know that.) give them free reign in the kitchen for one night, just be there for safety purposes and any culinary assistance they need. they have to pick the food at the store and decide how to prepare it. and if it's something you wouldn't normally serve for supper but they eat it, who cares? the kids will probably enjoy the experience, and if the younger or pickier ones complain that they don't like it, the cook knows to appreciate what you go through day after day.

you can do this with the younger ones, too, but you'll do the bulk of the kitchen stuff.

↑ ChossidMom ↓

Fri, May 02 2008, 12:41 am

Cute idea Mummie but the kid that makes supper will make things that she likes and noone else will eat. I mean they'll eat cereal....
Would you really let your 10 year old girl or 12 year old boy cook?

↑ mimivan ↓

Fri, May 02 2008, 2:40 am

Chossidmom:
You asked a while back about the tuna "casserole" it is really a stovetop deal with me...no dairy.

I sautee veggies kishuim carrots onions etc. (I guess if you kids don't eat veggies you can skip this part)

I just boil those yummy wide Osem noodles you get at the store and I mix in the tuna (with the sauteed veggies in your case, with some olive oil) salt and pepper. You can add crushed potato chips if you want, bake in the oven if you want or just serve as is.

That's it.

A far cry from my mother's oven-baked tuna casserole with the cream of celery soup and the onion ring thingeys but I can't find either with a hecksher we use...Still my kids will eat it.

↑ mimivan ↓

Fri, May 02 2008, 2:44 am

Beauty and the Beast wrote:

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.

Beauty, I know this is no competition to see whose kid is more finicky, but yours is practically a gourmand compared to mine...

I think Chossidmom's win, though...but I think I have a four year old who is at least as picky...no spaghetti sauce, absolutely nothing mixed together (even the tuna casserole I mentioned...I have to make his plain noodles on one side, tuna on the other for the older one, but the toddler will eat it the way we do.)

basically mine likes everything separate! Ugh, but now I realize cooking can be easy if it is done ahead (and we eat something else)...I also worry about vitamins. He takes pills with iron be cause he will absolutely no iron foods (meat, beans,etc...(

↑ Tamiri ↓

Fri, May 02 2008, 3:25 am

Chossid, let them eat bread. Try the no-knead recipe I posted - they will eat that and it's cheap to make.

↑ mimivan ↓

Fri, May 02 2008, 4:37 am

Ah, bread!
how can we forget that old staple...
my son has had meals of tehina and bread...I guess it's no worse than cornflakes.

↑ ChossidMom ↓

Fri, May 02 2008, 4:46 am

Techina and bread is great!
I have a son who won't eat bread unless it's French toast.
I have another son who will only eat a certain brand of bread (not too readily available), but it doesn't matter, because he doesn't like techina, chumus, peanut butter, jelly, white cheese or anything else on it!!!! This child takes to cheder rice cakes with chocolate spread (great mother, huh?)

↑ mimivan ↓

Fri, May 02 2008, 4:58 am

ChossidMom wrote:

You ARE a great mother to accomodate all these food variations...I can't even keep track of them.

My mother had a policy "I'm not a short order cook." she said "You either eat what we all are eating or you can have cheese and crackers not now, but after we finish eating."

I don't have her firmness on this issue and I don't know if this would work with my kids. But what d ya'll think?

My son would just have cheese and crackers (or on our budget cornflakes) every night if I gave him this option...so I don't think it would work...

↑ ChossidMom

Fri, May 02 2008, 5:20 am

My 7 year old eats cornflakes for breakfast and dinner every day.

I don't see the point in forcing him to eat stuff he hates. (So, I'm paying the price...). As long as I don't have to cook him something else. He takes care of his own dinner.

↑ Tamiri ↓

Fri, May 02 2008, 7:32 am

mimivan wrote:

ChossidMom wrote:

You ARE a great mother to accomodate all these food variations...I can't even keep track of them.
My mother had a policy "I'm not a short order cook." she said "You either eat what we all are eating or you can have cheese and crackers not now, but after we finish eating."
I don't have her firmness on this issue and I don't know if this would work with my kids. But what d ya'll think?

Mimi, you have noted an important point. Once upon a time, mothers and fathers were not afraid of their children. Mom and Dad told the kids how it would be, and the kids were welcome to accept that or suffer the consequences. There was nothing else, just to do it the parent's way. They did not care if we were upset or unhappy with their decision, that was the end of it. They were not intent upon being a great parent, they were there to do their job which was parenting without grades. They were not in competition or looking in particular to find favor with their offspring.
These days, if our kids say they are unhappy or unsatisfied, we rush to amend that. We run around like chickens without a head to placate them. We can't deal with their tantrums or tears. And we are literally catering (think food) to their every whim.
I came from a family where we absolutely ate what was put in front of us. No one went hungry cause we ate what Mom made. I keep asking hmy mother HOW she got us to eat things like turkey necks and casseroles, which my kids won't touch with a 10 foot pole. Her response: that was dinner. End of story. If someone did not like olives or tomatoes, they could pick them out of the salad, for example, but there was ONE salad on the table and everyone ate from it. We did not even imagine in our wildest dreams Mom creating a special menu. Wasn't even a fantasy.
My kids are spoiled brats. I made a mistake in trying to make THEM happy, instead of keeping myself at the helm. And I pay a price for that.

Did that answer your question Mimi? I made it a bit personal but I can only speak from my own experience.

↑ Tamiri

Fri, May 02 2008, 7:33 am

For more on this subject, you can read the classic story "Bread and Jam for Francis" about a badger who would not eat her mother's food.

Tehilla ↓

Fri, May 02 2008, 7:41 am

I also have noticed a growing problem in our schools when I substitute. the kids all yell, "give me a tzach (a lot)."

I had a few rules governing eating:

1. eat what was put before me, or don't eat at all. if I was lucky and I really hated it, I would get cheese sandwich or cereal.

2. I had to eat the portion on my plate before asking for more and I had to finish the new portion.

I don't understand, other than what Tamiri said--with a little addition, that we are afraid that our children will feel like they had a "bad" childhood if we put our foot down more. I've started doing it with my own children and noticed B"H remarkable changes.

I'm far from hard-hearted and attempt to make foods that my children enjoy. but if they don't want what I make, it's cereal or nothing. they'll survive and learn to appreciate. I don't answer "a tzach" either.

↑ mimivan

Fri, May 02 2008, 8:07 am

Tamiri and Tehilla

Great points!
I want to emphasize again...my mother did give me an option...Dinner or cheese and crackers...LATER...but I almost never chose the later option because I was an active kid, liked veggies and was hungry

btw we liked veggies so much because we grew them ourselves!

I feel like I am pretty firm on most things, but I have the feeling my four year old would always choose the cheese and cracker option (even later) which would defeat the purpose, of course.

and I don't worry about tantrums, I worry about his nutrition. My older one is very strong willed and he would hold off and eat cornflakes or whatever if I refused to cater to him for dinner.

I think also we are the nosh generation. I stopped giving my kids nosh except on trips and I find, at least my youngest, eats very well whatever is in front of him. My oldest is usually not hungry anyway because he eats in gan...but still finicky

↑ Tehilla

Fri, May 02 2008, 8:11 am

most kids seem to get the nutrition they need, even if they eat cereal for 3 weeks straight. my kids eat great in school, so their should be no difference at home!

I thought your mother's option was great mimi, especially the 'later' part.

my younger child I don't have a problem with usually B"H, but my older one is quite finicky with food. since I've started being more firm with her she's getting better.

↑ mummiedearest

Fri, May 02 2008, 9:30 am

ChossidMom wrote:

well, I don't have kids that age yet, but I started cooking at about ten. nothing hard, but scrambled eggs, pancakes, things like that. I was an EXTREMELY picky eater. I had a cream cheese sandwich for lunch every day from 1st to 6th grade cause I refused to eat just about everything else. I feel bad for my mother Smile

and if the other kids eat cereal, is that different than when you cook? at least you'd get a break, and maybe the new cook will appreciate your efforts in the future.

btw, I fully intend to train my son to start cooking when he's ten or so. I think it's a good skill to have, and this way he'll learn basic kitchen safety which I have seen grown men in ignorance of.

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