One meal for 4
I’m trying hard to get back to serving one meal for the whole family. I’m not terrible about serving us the same thing, but I often make an extra component – a big one – for the kids only. I’d like to stop but every time I do I end up falling back into bad habits and start back up.
Here are some dinner examples:
1. Stewed meat, rice pilaf, green beans: Neither kid will touch the meat. They both eat the rice and green beans and I also give them fresh mozzarella. R has a snack of a cheese stick and a cereal bar before bed (his only options).
2. Pasta with bolognese sauce, raw sugar snap peas, salad: I put some pasta aside without sauce for the kids and add a generous amount of salted butter. They both also eat huge bowls of sugar snap peas and romaine lettuce with no dressing as well. R asks for popcorn a little while later and I make it for all of us. He eats almost the whole batch himself despite eating a ton of pasta, snap peas and romaine.
3. Broccoli cream soup with shredded cheese and homemade croutons: Neither kid tries the soup. Raffi says “yuck” but I tell him he has to try one bite before he can eat his other food. He tries it and says it is disgusting. I’m not sure if it was the right move to force him to try it, but I was annoyed. Ali doesn’t push her bowl away but she only plays with the soup. Both kids eat a ton of croutons and cheese + leftover cooked broccoli and pasta from another night.
4. Baked salmon, roasted asparagus, pilaf: I don’t even bother putting salmon on Raffi’s plate, which I should have. Ali doesn’t touch her salmon and neither child accepts the cooked asparagus on their plate. They’ve both eaten asparagus raw before though while helping me prep a meal. I would have thought they would have liked it more cooked! For dinner they both eat big bowls of pilaf and some berries. Raffi asks for milk and cereal before bed and I give it to him. He eats 2.5 bowls.
I wouldn’t say my kids are picky as they will try (or at least lick) lots of new foods. However they just don’t LIKE a lot of stuff. And forget dinners that are a meal in one pot. If my kids, especially Raffi, can’t determine exactly what’s in a dish, they won’t eat it.
Sometimes they surprise me though.
When we went to Turks & Caicos Raffi ate fried rice and loved it. He kept asking for more and more and more. I honestly didn’t even think he would want to try it, but he did and loved it. I am guessing there are many reasons – he was really hungry from a day in the sun, he watched the cook make it, and we were all eating the same exact thing. I’d like to recreate that environment at home as much as possible in the hopes that he learns to love more foods.
At 3.5 he is still basically a vegetarian. He will eat chicken in rotisserie form or chicken finger form maybe 1 time a month, and doesn’t touch any other animal proteins. Ali likes meat, but she is particular about when, how, what, and how much she will eat of it. Both kids will happily eat almost any raw vegetable or fruit I put in front of them.
It’s hard to cook and eat together every night, especially on work nights. I try to keep things as simple as possible which includes serving everyone individually instead of family-style. “They” say that serving family-style is how we should do it though. But who wants to clean all those serving dishes every night? It takes a lot of energy just to cook and clean up as it is, especially with two kids who are still learning not to drop 1,000 grains of rice on the floor.
What do you cook for dinner? I’d love some more ideas of meals I can prepare for the 4 of us while making mealtime pleasurable for all of us. That means at least one component the kids will love and enjoy eating. I think that will be the solution to me sticking with the one meal for all of us.
Hey there! Fellow Rhodey Girl here 🙂 I don’t know much about getting kids to eat food, or what “they” say is right, but in regards to that – who said that you have to make family style presentable every night? What about plopping each component down on the dining room table on top of pot holders in the same vessel it was cooked in? I bet Ali, Raffi, and Trig won’t mind, even if it’s not magazine-shot worthy 😉 just a thought!
That idea literally never crossed my mind. Hm, I’m going to try it!
We def do that! lol. Or one piece is a “go ahead and scoop your own” but the rice is all on me.
I stress over this every day! We all eat the same meal, every night, no other options given. “If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it, but this is what’s for dinner” … and “You need to try one bite. if you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat the rest, but you do have to try one bite” (however small it is) are phrases we stand by (and honestly, rarely have to say at this point). Our 3-year-old eats most everything but is getting pickier, and our 17-month-old eats most things… but if he doesn’t want to touch it, it ain’t happening.
Last night was pasta + meatballs and green peas, a meal requested by older son. Tonight it’s bean+cheese quesadillas and spanish rice with veggies. The other night was mac+cheese, (slow cooker) barbecue chicken sandwiches and steamed broccoli. I actually separated the chicken out for the kiddos and both of them then wanted to eat it like we did, as a sandwich. Sweet chicken sausage and couscous and veggies are also a big hit. Grilled cheese + chili nights, tuna fish sandwiches, make-your-own pizza nights… chicken parm. All wins in this house.
Sometimes it’s easy for me to get overwhelmed… and I have to remember that I’ve been feeding my family for years. Like you, I can’t be out of ideas yet! I just have to remember them. 🙂
This sounds exactly like my house! My kids eat mostly what we eat and if they don’t they eat leftovers usually. My kids are 4yo and 10 months. What I have found that helps is leaving food in its components and not mixing it together. For instance tacos. My daughter won’t eat a taco, but she will eat the meat, shell, cheese and veggies separately on her plate. So I just deconstruct it for her. She still eats what we do, just in a different format 🙂 my kids are weird eaters. They love falafel, hummus, feta cheese, but they wouldn’t eat a hot dog to save their lives. So we just keep exposing them to new foods and trying new things. Or we re-expose them to foods 🙂 Sometimes they will eat it one week and not the next. It’s getting better as they get older, but they still have picky phases. It sounds like you are doing everything right, just keep trying. I know I eat a lot of foods now I would have never touched as a kid, but my parents just kept exposing me to different foods my whole life.
If the kiddos love the raw veg and fruits; what about dinner salads? My niece loves making her own “kid salad” she puts her own veg in, adds her own dressing etc. A great way to sneak in non-animal protein (olives, edamamae, chick peas, etc) and easy to grill chicken, steak, fish to put on top (for you/your husband?)
Good luck – it can’t be easy!
Graham is becoming increasingly harder at dinner. What frustrates me is he eats amazing when we are at my in laws but eats hardly anything for dinner at home. He also eats a snack on the way home from daycare at 5 if he doesn’t he will get home and snack until dinner. There are also nights when hubs is home late and we don’t eat until 7:25 which I hate for g. I implemented a few things.
If I know hubs will be home late I will offer graham leftovers from the night before or some frozen meatballs I easily reheat.
He loves choices so while preping dinner I let him get involved and choose our vegetable or side. He eats what we eat. Has to try one bite and if he’s still hungry I offer 1 piece of fruit. Other than that nothing else
I do like to keep a few things on hand I know he will eat like frozen peas, canned green beans, beans etc so I am guilty of offering a few other items if I know he’s hungry.
Getting a well balanced meal in your kids is difficult! I hope you report back on what works for you! I refuse to let him eat chicken nuggets or yogurt (his dream) every night for dinner
Meal times became easier at my house when we cut out all other food options. The kids, 5 & 2, are required to try everyhing, and if they dont eat it, it goes in the fridge. Later that night when they decide they are hungry, i pull their dinner back out and warm it up for them. Or they can choose to go to bed hungry.
It’s ok for them to say they dont care for something, but using words like disgusting, spitting food out, etc is disrespectful to me and gets them an immediate timeout.
Sounds like it’s pretty easy for your kids to say no to the soup and whatnot because there will be cereal, etc later. You may just need to be more of a hardass.
OK, you gave me a talking to and I think you’re right. I will try it your way and report back.