Kids and Dinner
As a mom of three planning meals to satisfy all and be frustrating.
It is rare that everyone is be happy with what is being served.
Over 11 years of feeding my mini humans I have had to pivot, trial and explore different approaches. I found a few tricks to get my selective kids to eat dinner. For those who have kids who will eat anything and everything and I will be eternally envious. My 3 are not those kids.
My kids are surprising eaters. Like loving smoked oysters but not spaghetti or love raw broccoli but not apples. I have learned to be flexible and to stop trying to make sense of their uniqueness. Here are some of the tricks I have used to increase my success.
Make them part of the planning process.
I meal plan to help with the flow of our week. I find a little planning goes a long way and I even sometimes make some meals on the weekend for those extra busy nights; you know the ones when everyone has to be a different place at the same time.
But I have learned that I can’t force my ideal meal agenda on my family -I have brought the kids into the decision making process. When they have input I find that meals are more successful. They are often excited about the meal that they have chosen.
Keep some consistencies with variation
Yes when I ask my kids what they want I usually get burgers, pasta, pizza, nacho, tacos and pancakes as an answer.
My husband and I have struggled with this as we really like variety and falovour filled meals. I have come to realize that there’s almost no fuss when these meals are served. Really they aren’t complex meals. I sometimes do make us a different version of what they are having but not often.
I have just tried to find variety with in the same old staples. Tacos can be made using a variety different meats and toppings. I love to used ground meat, pulled meat or fish.
When it comes to pasta, we’ll mix it up between a tomato sauce base, cashew alfredo and pesto.
Pizza, meat bowls and nachos are choose your own adventure meals where they can choose their own toppings. I will usually include a veggie tray as a side these nights to again give them some control and fulfilling my desire for them to eat a rainbow and include many veggies!
Plan for the selective
The reality is there are somedays I just want what I want too. Our desires are important. Or I want to use up what is in the fridge and one pots meals are NOT a fan fav over here. In these case I plan for the selective eaters in our house. I always ask them to try what I have made - but I don’t have power struggles over food. We don’t waste, we are not rude but we are allowed to not like things AFTER we have actually tried (touching the tip of your tongue does NOT count). In these cases I will plan for them not to like. With stir fry I will deconstruct, with big flavoured meals I will rinse their protein to tame the flavour or I will warm up left overs that they will like. I also ALWAYS include something that I know they will like - even if it is a veggie.
It’s not an easy dance when it comes to kids and mealtimes. I do believe in creating a positive relation with food and trying to make it as easy as I can for myself. Don’t give up exposing kids to new things with some consistencies.
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