Meal ideas for fussy toddlers please!

[user38572]

I feel like I am just making the same meals again and again. My DC are both at the fussy stage the only thing they both seem to eat is cheese sandwiches and pizza. I also make them shepherds pie, lasagne, roast dinners, tomato pasta which they might sometimes eat.
They both use to eat quite well. I feel like since they have become so fussy I have almost given up and have stopped trying. They won't even eat simple things like egg, beans or soup. Has anyone any tips or recipes?

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Hope this helps! MNHQ

Are there certain food textures they like or tend to avoid?

If they like shepherd’s pie, have you tried blending some veg in with the meat sauce? Also, what sort of vegetables are they ok with eating?

Hidden veg and obvious veg:

Hidden veg is carrot, celery and spinach blended up into a mush (freeze in an ice cube tray) and then stealthily snuck into sauces like spag bol.

Obvious veg is strips of pepper, cucumber, mini sweetcorn, spinach, carrot, whatever is age appropriate, I hate mushy veg but will eat raw veg so I did the same with my kids. I served mine in an espresso cup whilst they were waiting for the main, annoyingly cute but it worked?

I don't know how old your DC are but my son took great pleasure in pretending he was an "ambush predator" who was sneaking up on an unsuspecting tomato (he liked dinosaurs) and then ate them whilst I made appropriate "oh no I've been eaten by an ambush predator" noises.

Lots of Thai recipes adjusted for heat are easy and quick. 12 and 5 love Larb minus the chilli.

Thank you the blended vegetables is a good idea. They both use to love all vegetables especially carrots but now even carrots are hit and miss. My DD will occasionally eats broccoli as she pretends it's a tree. I will try the pretend to be a dinosaur game!

Roast a chicken breast, gravy, potato, veg (raw if need be!), homemade pesto pasta, toast cashew or any nuts, Parmesan, green stuff (basil/spinach/rocket/ frozen peas) lemon juice, oil and garlic, food processor serve with pasta, always a winner here! Omelette, quesdilla with any filling they like, homemade pizza with hidden veg tomato sauce.....fry onion grated carrot, celerly add to tomato passata, toasted fennel seeds, bit sugar, blitz, makes enough for lots of pizzas so freeze. Eggs bread or homemade pancakes, mashed banana cinnamon and oats could be added to either. Sweet sour stir fry, google sauce recipe, fry cashew nuts, strips of pork/ chicken all served separately for my fusssy eaters with raw not stir fried veg and noodles!

If they like pizza, you could give this risotto a try. DC1 likes lots of Parmesan on his, but DC2 likes grated cheddar!
My Dc like helping coat the chicken in Rice Krispies for this recipe and they always eat it all afterwards.
Burgers are always popular here.
They also like these sausage rolls hot from the oven, with a side salad and lots of tomato ketchup! Any leftover, DH and I have for lunch.