Do you eat the same food as your children?

[WorkInProgress01]

It’s just me and one teenager at home now. They like completely different food to me. They like pizza, spaghetti bolognaise, pesto pasta, noodles, beige food in the air fryer, burgers, fast food. I prefer something like salmon with baked potato and veg.

We even like different things for breakfast and lunch. They like cereal, I don’t. I like sandwiches, they dont! They will eat something like shepherds pie but just on one day so I end up eating the rest for three days! I do try to add fruit and veg to things to make it balanced but it’s hard work.

I was wondering if you cook one thing and all eat it as a family or do your dc eat separately? What about when they get older? Does everyone do their own thing or do you still eat the same together? I find we even want to eat at different times. If they want a bowl of pasta, it’s easier to let them have that (they make it or I will) than make them have a proper meal. What’s it like in your house?

I have tweens. They self serve for breakfast and lunch and we all eat the same main meal although obviously with chill or fajitas they can add their own toppings// fillings.

Works well

Yes, always eaten together and same food, bar a bit of tweaking here and there.

More than half of the time we eat the same as DS14. I often tweak what we’re having. (So if it’s really spicy I’ll syphon off a portion before adding sauce). I don’t love cooking all the food he likes - so he’d be happy with all meat, veg, pasta bolognese - traditional foods. I love Asian/spicy. So other days I’ll cook him up a separate steak or a chicken wrap or something.

It does annoy me to have to cook different food from time to time.
He’s skinny and very active so I just can’t risk giving him quinoa and tofu and him not eating it.

Main meals yes (if here at all - younger one is 21 next week). S1 isn't massively keen on spice heat so I would hive off a quarter of a chilli before adding more and stick to creamier curries when he was around. S2 doesn't like mash, so fish/cottage/shepherd's pie are for days he isn't here, and we give him rice when we have hearts. Neither is keen on pilchard pasta or corned beef hash, and S2 doesn't really like un-spicy stews.

Breakfasts - they had cornflakes and raisins for 15 years. I did for a while before moving to oats, H never used to partake. S2 eats toast now, no idea what S1 does normally, H has toast or hot porridge.

Lunches - I've always given them sandwiches with a bit of salad and a packet of crisps, and they still get that if they're here (again, not sure what they do otherwise). For some years now I've just had undressed salad for weekday lunch.

Really I'm only replying so I can ask: why do you make a 4-portion shepherd's pie?