I'm sick of pasta and sausages, help me find new food for ds1 to enjoy please!!

[redclover79]

We don't have it every night but ds1 (3.7) is soooo picky that sausages and pasta in a tomatoey sauce has become a staple and has become our fallback meal.
I don't quite know what's happened as ds1 was quite a reasonable eater not so long ago. I'm hopeful that it's Just A Phase (albeit an extended one!).
Our main problem is that he won't eat meat which wouldn't be a problem except he won't really eat vegetables either, with the exception of parsnips and occasionally brocolli and carrots! At the moment he seems to be existing on toast, pasta and yorkshire pudding with the occasional apple and banana!
Can anyone suggest something to make our mealtimes interesting again?! TIA!

I make what is basically like a bolognese sauce only instead of mince it has lentils in. I pre-cook the lentils if they are the green sort, if not, I usually just bung them in.

So, soften some onion in olive oil, maybe add some celery or peppers, then add a tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, usually some carrots too, and the lentils, and cook for about 45 mins. Sometimes I add some sort of beans too - kidney or canellini.

You can then pop some mashed potato on top and put it in the oven for 20 mins.

BTW DS always picks out the celery and pepper.

I am hoping one day he'll stop bothering.

He did announce to me recently that when he is four he will eat cucumber.

It's just verbal. I didn't want to go the route of counting how many times he paid attention while I was speaking to him, or came back when I called him back, and didn't know what sort of solid reward would be appropriate anyway, or fast enough to rewardf with instantly (which is what you have to o isn't it?), so he just gets a big "Good boy! Well done!" on the spot.

That's great.
I would fade it to a big smile or a hug and/or ruffle of the hair.
Maybe even use different wording and save the 'Good Bo! Well done!' for extra special stuff?

(Differential reinforcement dontcha know?!)

Remember the bit about the girls telling the other one off for saying 'Good pony!' to the pony? They sais 'Don't say that.He hasn't done anything!'

So when he hasn't 'earned' the good boy well done, don't say those words?

Exactly.
In other words,no punishment but no rewards.

The verbal reward only effective if used properly. Otherwise it means nowt. It is conditioning really.Verbal praise is paired with loving looks and perhaps physical contact. Thus he learns that verbal praise=A Good Thing.

Thus eventually, verbal praise (when used properly and appropriately) is enough.

Remember the dog rushing about trying to pull all the clickers out of people's handbags? This was because he had been conditioned into associating clicker with praise and acceptance.

Hey, I model the way I bring up my children on the dogomatrix woman, Victoria Sitwell .

A sharp 'uh-uh', 'sit', 'stay' work a treat!