Fave 5 Picky Eater Meals
02/26/2019
I’m Liv from Saskatoon, I am Momma to 2 kiddos- Holden, my very energetic 5 year old and Lexi my spunky 1.5 year old. I am also Stepmomma to a beautiful 12 year old, Breanna. I am married to truck driver Brandon, who spends a lot of days away from home. When I’m not momming (is that ever?) I am a Recreation Director at a seniors home in Saskatoon. I am passionate about health and wellness and coffee. Coffee is my jam. I’m new to the whole blogging thing but I find putting my thoughts to paper is a wonderous form of self care
If you’re reading this post odds are you’re like me and have a picky eater (or picky eaters) in the house. Too often I’ve sat wracking my brain and Pinterest looking for something, ANYTHING, I can make for my kids that are nutritious, and different.
I have 2 picky eaters, one who’s nearly 2 and who is not as picky as her 5 year old brother. Full disclosure, I don’t fight it and I make them a different meal from my husband and I. I offer them what we eat, even put it on their plate, but in all honesty my kids would STARVE if I didn’t make them something. I’m also a working mom with a husband who works out of town quite often, so our meals are quick, easy, and more or less hit all the food groups. We aren’t perfect all the time, but there’s a good balance, and in my opinion, as long as my kid is fed and not driving me nuts then I consider that a win in my book. So here are some of our favourite meals that I make for my little ones!
- The Veggie Tray: This is the hack, the daily, the must. My kids hate cooked vegetables. Doesn’t matter if I smother them in cheese, I could smother them in chocolate and they wouldn’t eat it. So I buy a variety of fresh veggies, cut them up, and I serve them on a plate or in a tray for supper (and lunch on weekends), sometimes I’ll add fruit; and if your kid is a dip lover, make sure you include that too! Often I’ll get that out as I’m making supper, and my kids and husband will come along and graze off of that. Boom. Veggies are taken care of.
- Homemade Pizza: My kids love this. You can go all out and make your own dough ahead of time. Or, what I do most of the time is just buy a ready to go fresh pizza kit (Sobey’s makes a good one!) get your favorite toppings and, importantly, let your kids make their pizza (if they’re old enough). My son loves it and because HE made it, he’s often more inclined to eat it!
- “Chicken Roll”: This is the phrase my son uses; It really is a slice of deli meat rolled up with some grated cheese inside (cream cheese can make a good filler too), and a pickle. Sound silly? It is. But make a couple of those on their plate, some whole wheat crackers (or a bread, whatever), plus the veggie tray I mentioned above and you got a quick little meal.
- Smoothies: This is more of a breakfast or a quick lunch/supper idea. I’ll buy frozen fruit, throw in some yogurt…and…sneakily…add veggies (carrots, spinach, etc). Shh. Don’t tell my kids. Apples and bananas are usually a staple as well. The higher the protein in the yogurt the better (I like buying greek yogurt). Use milk or fruit juice to liquefy it. I don’t add sweeteners, I find the yogurt is often sweet enough (though if you buy plain you might wanna add some vanilla or pasteurized honey). They don’t even notice the veggies. Take them to go, or enjoy at home, outside or the park! I’ll give them a granola bar too if they’re still hungry!
- Deconstructed Tacos/Taco salad: This follows along the lines of the pizza. I put the fixin’s out and let them make their own “taco bowl” and they’ll either eat the tortilla separate (or the corn chips). The veggie tray is already out so even if they’re avoiding the lettuce and tomatoes I’m happy. I generally don’t use a lot of the packaged seasoning, and I always add corn and black beans (on the side).
There you have it! I hope you found some new inspiration for your little eaters, and don’t stress it. Conversations have shown me that young kids are just the worst at eating. And the occasional chicken nuggets meal never hurts. J
