Feeding fusspots on a tight budget

[Haveagas]

So there’s me and 3 DCs. None of them will eat a vegetable! And one of them won’t touch anything potato-based. I’m sick of them living off nuggets, pizza, bolognese. They all love steak(!) but I don’t have steak-money. I really need to tighten my belt. I’m following a slimming world-type diet(want to lose a stone). I enjoy cooking, but it’s a bloody chore to make something that everyone will eat, and is actually healthy, filling and budget-friendly.
Please give me some ideas

How old are the kids? If they are late primary or older, there’s some degree of them having to lump it tbh.

Eggs are a good/quick/cheap meal
Will they eat pasta? Could you make a veggie sauce and whizz it up?

What age? Vegetable charts worked really well for my child with autism, previously veggie-phobic-- with a small cash reward for so many vegetables eaten. Venal child.

This.
Few times going hungry will soon teach them. Eat what you’re given until you earn enough to buy the food.
OP mentions no SN so assuming they are just bloody awkward.

When I was a kid, what got put on the table, you ate it or you didn't.

Now I live in a house with 4 people who don't eat/like the same foods and its a massive mental load to pull a meal together. I got fed up trying to decide what people were eating.

I've started doing a "meal plan" whereby we have a set of recipes that everyone can tolerate (written on lolly sticks), and I pull a lolly stick, that gets made - they eat it or they don't. It's on the plan, they can see what's coming, they sort themselves out the days they don't like the food.

Obviously this doesn't work if your kids are tiny lol

Op how old are your children??? If they are old enough could they plan a meal, do the shopping with you then cook it?? It might get them more interested in food x if not sympathy, I have the same problem. My two are teens now. If they don't like what I cook then they can cook something for themselves or go hungry

Can you bulk out the bolognaise or will they notice? If I use lentils/finely chopped carrots/squash DSs friends, even the picky ones, don't notice (I may have the magic of being an unusual environment working for me though!)

Ditto with pizzas, we eat them a minimum of once a week. I blitz the veggies (tin of toms/roasted carrots/onions/squeeze of tomato purée) together to make the sauce so no bits in it! I worked out once my pizzas cost approx 90p each and now don't let those staples run out! If you let them help put them together, they're also more invested in eating them 😂

Echo the eggs above. Either hard boiled (a great option for if they don't like what you put in front of them) or baked into something like a shakshouka (tomato sauce, could hide veg in there too if you like)

If they like bolognaise/steak, how about Philly cheesesteak kinda vibe. Cheap steak strips with onions/peppers (they can pick them out if that bothered!) in a giant bread roll with cheese. Pro that you don't need so much steak! Or sloppy joes with the bolognaise. Basically bread, meat mix, cheese and grill 😋

I could write this myself.
2 ASD kids and one fussy eater.

My shopping every week is spag bol, pizza, nuggets... Rustlers burgers are their top choice?!

I'm actually a great cook and make lovely things for myself and husband but the kids won't touch it !

You'll find that children love high fat, high salt and sugary food. They're children so they don't understand that this is bad for them.

If they are given a meal and are hungry enough, they'll eat it.

Blitz the veg for bolognese and home made pizza sauce. Some cheese on top should keep them happy.

Will they take home made smoothies, berries or banana mashed in with Weetabix, home made peach or strawberry ice cream? Would raw veg and fruits work better - carrot sticks, apple slices, maybe a bit of peanut butter or Nutella to dip to make it more appealing?

1. Home made pizza with homemade pizza sauce is always going to be healthy. So stop buying them in.
2. If they like nuggets try meatballs and fish / chicken fingers. Give them variety.
3. If steak is the only meat they enjoy I’d probably prioritise it over nuggets- if you have a local butcher they can explain how to lower the cost. Have you also tried different steake meats? Kangaroo / Ostrich / Lamb / tuna steaks can all be amazing.
4. if they like bolognese they’ll also like keema. Look up Indian recepies as this can be super versatile. Eg I often turn my lamb keema into bolognese too.
5. Puree vegetables into the sauce. Eg I puree mushrooms, red peppers, onions, garlic and spinach into lamb curry when my nephew eats at ours as he’s a bugger for veg. My korma sauces are usually based on pureed cashews and sweetcorn. I make a lovely ‘tomato and marscapone sauce’ with 5 other types of roasted veg pureed in.

I don’t have much advice, I’m sorry. But I can sympathise because I have a 4 year old who hates potatoes, most veg and would survive on plain pasta if she could. I also have a 9 year old who will eat anything, bless him and I’ve done the same for her as him.

One thing I have noticed recently is that I do try and pop things on her plate that we are all eating and then I don’t mention it at all. The less attention I give the food, the least pressure she feels and sometimes she’ll give it a try.

It’s exhausting and I feel for you x

Love the people saying that if they are hungry they will eat it! One of mine (grown up now) would go days not eating if food was presented that she didn’t eat. She was extremely fussy and always ate very little. So of course I ended up pandering to her because she was underweight. She’s a little better these days and at uni so she tends for herself!

You might have to go down the road of "you get what you get and you don't get upset" and be a bit stricter with what you buy. Otherwise, it's cereal and toast for dinner with smoothies/milk.

Hide the fruit and veg. Make chocolate apples and yoghurt bark and stuff. If they are old enough to fend for themselves however you might need to let it go on the fruit and veg bit

Chop mushrooms very finely and add them to your bolognese sauce.

One DC has ADHD but surprisingly they’re the least fussy!
only one(the potato hater) will eat eggs. They’re 12, 10 and 3. 3yo is obsessed with rice, the potato-hater will just about tolerate it if it’s made ‘right’.
I have IBS and lentils/pulses would have me out of action for a good 2 days, so I avoid them!

My two would live off pasta bake - bonus is you can hide plenty of veggies in it and add any protein.

12 and 10 can cook their own tbh. Tuna pasta is one of the easiest things to make. or eggs on toast.

My DS is very fussy, for genuine reasons due to ADHD (possible ASD as well but that’s not diagnosed at the moment).

He is totally wise to any kind of disguised vegetables as ND kids usually are - can detect them a mile off.

Are there any vegetables yours will eat?

DS will eat carrot sticks and sweet potatoes (also eats actual potatoes). Will eat some salad leaves or spinach leaves if completely plain. So he gets carrot sticks with every meal regardless of what it is. And sweet potatoes are eaten a lot (he likes them very well done).

Then I’ll often serve the fruits he likes with the meal or for pudding - bananas, pear, satsumas, maybe apple. Eats strawberries and mango too but I know you said not expensive.

Meals he likes are a mild chicken curry, cottage pie (very plain, just mince and garlic and maybe a bit of chilli in a stock cube for the base, potato topping - carrot sticks on the side), will eat lasagne if not too tomatoey, stir fries based on chicken and noodles.

For very budget macaroni cheese is good - and again I put carrot sticks on the side!

Edit - the best part is, DD16 (not fussy at all) is vegetarian and I am pescatarian 😂

Currently the one single meal I can make that everyone will eat is tacos (different fillings so pleases everyone!)
One DC is vegetarian but basically hates vegetables and would survive on pasta and cheese given the chance. Other DC more adventurous but has a long list of unacceptable foods(ASD). Chili/spag bol/lasagne used to be safe options but DH has gone off the meat free mince the DC like...
So I have no answers or suggestions but I feel your pain!

I thought I hated vegetables for years but it turns out my Mum was just a terrible cook. (Not saying that you are, OP.) My Mum wouldn't ever put seasoning on anything and the only way she cooked vegetable was just to boil them.

When I cook now, I love vegetables. I have autism and issues with textures in food so I use a chopper to make sure everything is chopped finely.

Soup can be cheap and delicious. If you have a blender you can make it smooth and hide a ton of vegetables.

Pasta bake is another easy one. Again, can blend a healthy sauce.

Most of what I cook has lentils/pulses in so so good for you unfortunately.

Try and speak to your kids and find out what exactly is putting them off certain foods and see if you can work around it.

Unfortunately, nuggets and junk food are delicious.