To only give kids shit food?

[Crocsandshocks]

Bear with me. I'm cultivating an inner scream.

I try to make a real effort to cater to my kids tastes. They are completely and entirely different to mine. I like curries, Thai, veg stir fries, tofu, lentils etc. I'm pescatarian. My kids have different tastes. They like ham, pasta, bolognase, Burges, fish fingers, sausages etc.

I try to meet them in the middle and though I dislike cooking meat, will cook it a couple of times a week and offer up soups or Dahl and flatbread or something the other days.

I have started getting hello fresh. I deliberately ordered a chicken flat bread Street food one, as I thought they would like that (I adapted my portion to use mushrooms instead of chicken).

It took 50 minutes to cook it. I burned my finger in the process. It used up most of the baking dishes and frying pans. When I served it just now, one moaned constantly about the topping on the corn. The other rocked on his chair and sat with legs acimbo, with bits of food hanging out of his mouth.

I was a hot sweaty and sweary mess. Over half of each of theirs was left untouched. I've refrigerated what leftovers I can and am going to sneak it into their packed lunch tomorrow.

However, I am a bit broken. They're getting ready for bed and are now claiming they are hungry 😩AIBU to just go back to shit food? Like frozen pizza and pesto pasta.

Why can’t you make pizzas after work? Most people cook dinner after working an 8 hour day. As the pp said you can buy ready made bases with sauce on them, you can also get pre-grated cheese and chopped veg, and they only take about 8 minutes to cook. Quicker than the hello fresh stuff.

Why can’t you make pizzas after work? Most people cook dinner after working an 8 hour day. As the pp said you can buy ready made bases with sauce on them, you can also get pre-grated cheese and chopped veg, and they only take about 8 minutes to cook. Quicker than the hello fresh stuff

Most people are not also single parents with full domestic duties and childcare on top of a high stress job. Hth. I will not be making home made pizzas!

I don't see it as a terrible hardship to be a bit hungry either. If they don't eat much food and feel a bit hungry then so be it, I might offer some oat cakes or a piece of fruit but no cereal or toast as I don't want them to fill up on that.

I provide a carbohydrate option that they like (pasta, rice, chips or bread), some veg or fruit that they like, and then if they don't like whatever we are having then they just have their plain carb plus veg. If we have had the oven on they would get fish finger. Some nights if we have roast chicken or sausages or kebabs or fish they love it and eat loads, other nights it's curry or Bolognese or halloumi and they don't eat much or any. They will often try whatever it is.
I don't worry too much if they don't get a protein option they like as part of every meal. They get plenty throughout the week. I'm not cooking several meals and nor am I forcing them to eat what they don't like and nor am I going to eat just what they like all the time.
Fair enough they don't like dhal but surely they can eat plain rice? With some grated cheese or ham perhaps? It doesn't have to be something super delicious every night - just don't mix everything up then they can eat the plainer bits.

Home made pizza would be quicker than hello fresh. You can use English muffins (wholemeal if you like) as a base, passata with some oregano, then grated cheese) mozzarella. A few cucumber and pepper sticks in the side. Pretty kid-friendly.

Homemade pizza is about as hard as making cheese on toast. Really easy and quick!

Agreed. Don't like the food, don't eat. If you're hungry you'll eat. Simple.

Lots of people are working single parents. And you somehow find time to make the curries/stirfries that YOU like.

I think like others that you’re being a bit extreme. Maybe make something like very simple fajitas with veg and then some plain chicken- add some chilli sauce to yours afterwards. One of mine for example will not eat a fajita but she will eat plain wrap, plain chicken and cut up peppers so I just serve it separately so she can take what she wants. Ditto things like good quality burgers or veggi burgers with whole meal roll, chilli (no spice to speak of) with toppings etc and pasta with extra veg in sauce- my kids will eat these but one might want the roll separate or just eat mostly nachos. Definitely ditch the hello fresh- too expensive and too fussy but also don’t just go for beige frozen goods- there is a very large middle ground between Dahl and turkey twizzlers.

It isn't difficult to make nutritional food in short time. Maybe you need to check out some speedy recipes. It doesn't sound like you're enjoying feeding your children nutritious food. I love cooking nutritious food for my family and friends so really struggle with your comments about cooking for yours.

Sympathies. Fussy eating and crappy food takes all the pleasure out of cooking. My 4 year old is fussy AF and my 9 month old is allergic to eggs, dairy nuts, lentils and beans.

The thought of having to cater for limited preferences plus allergies for the next decade and beyond fills me with absolute dread and despair.

I give ds what I know he will eat generally but I do ask him to have a taste of everything offered that he hasn't tried before.

I've typed a number of replies and I've deleted them all.

Just give them what you want.

Why do you think they're such fussy eaters?
Who controls their food?

I hear you OP. Mine are 5 & 8. I work an intense job but home at a reasonable hour so I do get to cook. Lucky me! I’m like you- I love a good veggie dinner but they turn their noses up at anything that looks too “busy” (aka anything I have actually put work into).

I did finally make a go of batch cooking in recent months- a Sunday evening of cooking up a big vat of something I know they’ll eat that I can smuggle veg into (bolognaise, chilli, tomato sauce, meatballs all with microscopically chopped veg). Then freeze it in jam jar portions (v satisfying to stuff freezer with same) and serve with whole meal pasta or rice while patting myself on the back (no one else will).

I intersperse with CBA dinners of pasta pesto, scrambled egg, sausage and mash and then once or twice a week a “sod you all” dinner of a lovely veg and chicken stir fry or similar that I want with at least two veg there’s a chance they’ll eat.

I feel your pain though. I used to love cooking but now it’s yet more DRUDGERY! I so look forward to the day I can suggest a Chinese beef and mange tout stir fry with noodles and have them reply “oooh, lovely!”

Some day OP. Some day🥂

My children had healthy home cooked food a few times a week which they moaned about and they had sausage,chips,beans type meals as well 2-3 times a week ,They always had fruit everyday,it really doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
They are all healthy adults,not overweight and enjoy good food

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I found once they hit secondary school they started eating a huge amount more variety. DD started cooking for herself at about 13 and makes healthier meals than I do now. DS started eating much healthier at 12 I think and now eats most things. Just feed them what they will eat with a side of salad/veggies at every meal. Don't get too complicated as you are obviously busy enough as it is!

It doesn't sound like you're enjoying feeding your children nutritious food. I love cooking nutritious food for my family and friends so really struggle with your comments about cooking for yours.

Glad you enjoy cooking nutritious food for everyone. As I said mine won't eat anything nutritional. No rice. No soup. Limited veg. No curries. No stir fries, no fajitas. Nothing. I have no more headspace to think of what other options they may or may not eat.

pizza on bits of bread or ready made bases does not really count as home made in my book

My sympathies to you. It took going away to uni to change DS’s diet but he is a lot less fussy and loves the same foods as you now.

Similar but sounds like your kids are better than mine! LP with a fussy child. Everytime I try to make something nutritious that he might eat, it gets rejected, he gags etc etc. It's demoralising, and I give up! It is almost pointless cooking. so, he eats plain or freezer foods e.g pizza, sausage rolls, veggie sausage, plain pasta (and plain veg, not all bad!). I try so bloody hard to get him to eat other food but it all gets rejected. it's a waste of time, money, and food that I can't spare. What can I do? I've pretty much given up and accepted it. Pick your battles, and all that.

You don't need to cook them Hello Fresh but you don't need to do sausage and chips / highly processed food either. A happy medium is fine and doesn't really take longer.

I wouldn't worry about "meals", just serve some protein, carb and veg they have a chance of eating.

What about buying precooked chicken pieces, or will they eat tuna? Look for burgers with no additives, preservatives etc in. Then serve with a carb and a couple of veggies. Maybe try brown rice pasta or sweet potato fries to mix it up.

If they won't eat pasta, potatoes, wraps or chips they really are very fussy. I would question if they are hungry. Too many snacks before or after dinner, or are they used to having more food again later on?

Oh I really feel for you - at that age, I would just give them the shit food, you’ve tried.

night after night, I sit there with my houmous/lentil & bean chill/beetroot salad & my DD sits there with waffles/chicken nuggets/sausage & chips. Every night I say “look at my delicious salad etc & nothing, absolutely no interest.

I just keep thinking, it’s all going in but at that age they just want crap. Hopefully in the future she’ll see how healthy I’ve eaten over the years & she might try things!

I do absolutely insist on fruit every day though.

I hear you OP. Mine are 5 & 8. I work an intense job but home at a reasonable hour so I do get to cook. Lucky me! I’m like you- I love a good veggie dinner but they turn their noses up at anything that looks too “busy” (aka anything I have actually put work into).

I did finally make a go of batch cooking in recent months- a Sunday evening of cooking up a big vat of something I know they’ll eat that I can smuggle veg into (bolognaise, chilli, tomato sauce, meatballs all with microscopically chopped veg). Then freeze it in jam jar portions (v satisfying to stuff freezer with same) and serve with whole meal pasta or rice while patting myself on the back (no one else will).

I intersperse with CBA dinners of pasta pesto, scrambled egg, sausage and mash and then once or twice a week a “sod you all” dinner of a lovely veg and chicken stir fry or similar that I want with at least two veg there’s a chance they’ll eat.

I feel your pain though. I used to love cooking but now it’s yet more DRUDGERY! I so look forward to the day I can suggest a Chinese beef and mange tout stir fry with noodles and have them reply “oooh, lovely!”

Some day OP. Some day🥂

❤️❤️

Sorry - unfavourable opinion here - growing up we never had the iption Mum cooked one meal for every one. You don't want to eat it then tough titties! Either cool yourself or starve.

I plan on doing the same with my DC. I think once you start accommodating everyone's "tastes" you end up with spilt entitled kids. How about do that when you gor your own homes and cooking foe yourselves.

My mates son who is now 8 has started to push the boundaries and she pushes back, we all eat one meal the same food - again, she says to him that's all there is. And he gives in and then eats it. She cooks home amde meals from scratch nutritious and well balanced. When its Pizza day every one has Pizza. No it's Roast day everyone has toast etc etc.

My advice stixk to your guns. One meal for all or nothing.

I am with PP on more or less cooking what I want to eat and modifying it slightly to accommodate what the kids (and DH) will eat. For example, I make fajitas but make their with plain chicken and I have spicy chicken, make chilli but not make it too spicy, make chips but from potatoes rather than frozen so they're healthier. Are there any ways you can make the meals they want to eat healthier, or make the meals you want to eat more kid friendly?