Cheap and easy meal ideas for fussy DC?

[OneMustPrevail]

My DC have additional needs, and are really fussy.

They won’t eat chicken nuggets 🤔a sort of universal symbol for picky eaters! But won’t eat anything like a curry or cottage pie, shepherds pie.

They like spaghetti bolognaise but again fussy about the sauce. They love cheese in the pasta so that’s good protein.

They won’t eat a single vegetable. One of them will eat bananas and mango’s, one of them will eat raspberries, mango, passion fruit and tangerines IF they’re from M&S. He is the same with olives, with a Tesco’s finest pot of them being an exception. The same child will also eat caviar (don’t ask), but doesn’t like fish, at all, in general.

They both like pizzas (you cannot sneak in extra toppings), and chips.

I am really struggling as I seem to feed them the same things on rotation and it’s very carb heavy.

There were reports from special school that DS eats their soup but he’s never done so for me!

Obviously, one of them loves all things sweet like cakes and biscuits but the other one won’t touch anything like chocolate or sweets - she hates them.

I would appreciate some ideas being thrown my way, even if you think I might’ve tried them already. Instagram has some good pages but a lot of it contains ingredients they won’t touch and are like sniffer dogs at sussing out

Sniffer dogs

Do you want to increase the range of meals or get some vegetables in them?

Meatballs. You could have them with the bolegnese sauce or with chips.

I'm sorry to sound rude but I don't get these threads. Are you looking for us to suggest meals with those limited ingredients (eg raspberries and chips?).

I have no idea the extent or impact of the disability, however I'm a big advocate of DOR and just providing a range of foods and then not worrying about it.

The vast, vast majority of children won't starve themselves.

Start with things they like then add side dishes and dips etc to try but be very casual and relaxed about it.

Give them more say, involve them in shopping and cooking (maybe you do this already).

@QuillBill They are! It is quite the skill

The fuss pots won’t eat meatballs. Annoyingly. Anything from that to chicken breast, even chicken nuggets that have been deep fried. They won’t touch meat unless it’s salami or chorizo which is highly processed of course

One of them loves anchovies, the fresh ones with the vinegar taste but that’s it. He will also eat oysters… Very strange palate. A lot of this is discovered in shock when he’s attempted to grab other people’s food and we discover he likes it

It is always delicacy related!

I’d say I’m not really sure. Just a throw away thread because sometimes a random suggestion ends up working

Both have a mental capacity of about age 18 months so not able to ask about food or make suggestions in shops like you might with other DC

They can’t help prepare food for safety reasons

Sweetcorn fritters https://www.madeformums.com/baby/cheesy-sweetcorn-fritters/

Courgette macaroni cheese https://www.myfussyeater.com/one-pot-mac-cheese-with-hidden-veg/

Risotto https://ohsweetbasil.com/sweet-potato-risotto-recipe/

Sausage rolls https://realfood.tesco.com/recipes/secret-veg-sausage-rolls.html

Thank you OP for clarifying.

Would engaging their senses for a 'fun' food experience work?

For example- brightly coloured mashed carrot/ beetroot they can squash and mash? Dying pasta or noodles with red cabbage and adding acid to watch a colour change?

Or making games? Build your own?

My sense is sometimes being fussy isn't so much about the taste and texture as your mental state at the table.

Perhaps they already come to the table happy and willing to try... In which case I would try things they already like in different forms (ie the meatball idea above).

I have a very similar child who also doesn't eat chicken nuggets! We do a lot of dinners with "toppings" so that DC can help themselves to what they will eat - like yours, nothing in a sauce. So baked potatoes with chilli for the adults and plain cheese for DC, things like that.

I don't know if you've seen the Autistic Chef on Instagram - she suggests trying new food with something crunchy, like a breadstick, and DC has cautiously tried some new foods that way. It's not one taste and off they go obviously, it's minuscule amounts on a breadstick, then a tiny bit on a finger or spoon. Successes have included tomato lentils, which yours might like as it's similar to bolognaise. We also use a separated plate, or serve anything new in a ramekin, so that the rest of the dinner is unaffected.

Will they drink a smoothie in a novelty cup? Can you home make the pizza with hidden veg blended in the sauce? Sorry OP hopefully someone with more specific ideas comes here for you!

Pizza? My fussy autist ended up eating those as we started by making garlic bread and built our way up from there.

Honestly, I wouldn't make it a battleground. Give them the things they do eat. Offer other stuff if they want to try And in a severely limited diet I've come to the conclusion that a calorie is a calorie and it's more important to keep them fuelled than to stress about organic pea dip and sourdough croutons!

The upf mob will probably frown at that, frankly, it's not helping you right now. No amount of advice or castigation will get them to eat other things. And maybe they never will. That's ok. It's not ideal but it's ok.

My teen is mainly a chip-based lifeform right now. It's familiar, reliable and comforting. It's food and it keeps them alive. Yes, I'd rather there was a vegetable in there but I can't force-feed them. And I don't want to make food any more difficult than it already is.

When you're dealing with food challenges our instinct is to feed them the best and the most healthy. It doesn't always pan out like that. It's not a rejection of you or your mothering, it's their thing, that's all.

Let it go, feed them as best you can within their limitations. That's what I come to do. And they're still alive and relatively healthy.

Here is the tomato lentil recipe https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/italian-style-roast-cabbage-wedges-tomato-lentils - I used ordinary tomato puree and didn't add basil.

Other things that have worked have been couscous with pomegranate seeds sprinkled over - if your DC likes caviar he might like the texture of those, you can get them frozen.

Mine will eat pasta pesto, omelette, rice with frozen peas and soy sauce.

If yours likes strong salty tastes you could try blue cheese?

How about omelettes, or frittata.
Scrambled eggs

Puree some fruit they like and swirl into greek yogurt or pour over ice-cream?

If the random 'likes' have been discovered by taking from others plates, could you perhaps have something very special on your plate that is definitely only for mummies, and it for children and then perhaps leave it unattended or look away? Something easily nicked 😁

Will they eat eggs? Good source of protein and fairly versatile.

Have you tried various types of chicken nuggets? According to (fussy) DD they're not all the same. Or make your own, chicken breast bits, run through flour/bread crumbs ,dip in egg and deep fry. Seasoning depends on them.

What about soups? Possibly with added noodles.. noodles are fun.

I found DD eats better , even when it's stuff she doesn't particularly like if it's all in separate sections and the food doesn't touch. She has a particular order... don't ask. So if we're having wraps for example , she still has one of those toddler plates with sections and there's chicken one side, chips one side, cheese on another and cucumber (reluctantly) in another . The wrap is her "bread".

What about burgers? You can try the cheap rustlers ones first for example to see if you can get anywhere. Cut of of course, apparently everything tastes better when cut up.

It sounds like they are actually quite good at trying things and like some random stuff.
I think i would continue to serve meals they like but with a couple of new things in bowls in the middle of the table so they can help themselves to if they want to, no pressure (you should let them see you eating these things too but don't make a big deal about it).
Then anything they try and like can start to be added to meals. Perhaps as side dishes along with their main meal to begin with.
Have you asked school exactly what soup they serve or even ask for the recipe? Worth a try to make school soup at home.

If they will eat chips could you try veg chips? Carrots, parsnip, sweet potato that type of thing?

How does the one that eats more fruit know it is from M and S? Could you get some from the market and put in an M and S bag?

I have seen @Seeline suggested work and I agree with things not touching.

Not exactly cheap but Lidl sell snails. I cannot stand oysters or snails (I have tried both) but they have a similar texture. If you are brave you can harvest snails from the garden.

What about frozen fruit and veg, still frozen. Frozen peas are one of may favorite childhood treats. I know, I was an odd child.

Have you tried offal? You can usually get decent stuff from Morrisons. Lamb hearts, liver, various kidneys.

Does the school make their own soup? Could you get their recipe?

Today my dinner will be smoked fish cooked in rice with a mix of water and orange juice. It might be worth a try.

Do they appreciate fun food?
Plate arranged in smiley face? Build your own wrap with filling options in centre of table? Picnic on the floor? BBQ? Kebabs in oven? Sandwiches cut with animal shaped cutter?

I know you said they can't help cook, but could they eg arrange pre-chopped toppings on a pizza base then watch you put it in the oven? Or if you are doing a one pot slow cooker type thing they could shred some herbs with hands and stir the pot before you put it on? Make sandwiches?

Would they eat carbonara with the sauce being made from egg? Even if they wouldn't have meat in the pasta you could make the sauce with egg and butter and disguise with cheese.

If they like pasta you could try pastina (little pasta shapes floating in vegetable or meat broth). You can either drain the pastina out of the broth or have it as a soup.

Lots of fun shapes too like little stars or letters or 'tiny seeds' (orzo, DS2s favourite)