Won’t eat meat

[nonamemummy]

My DD won’t eat most pieces of meat. I’m trying to find alternatives she can have when we are having meat, but she won’t eat it if it looks like meat, for example she won’t eat a ‘meat free sausage’ because it still looks like a sausage. At the moment I just swap for a boiled egg or fish fingers or she just has the veg that goes with our meal.
She won’t eat the meat from a roast dinner, the sausage when we have sausage & mash, she won’t eat meatballs but will eat the mince in spaghetti bolognese. So it’s more actual pieces of meat that she won’t eat, except she would eat a chicken nugget of course 🙄
Hope that makes sense.
Any ideas please?

What about things like stew where the meat is very tender? Beef in ale that sort of thing

Buy good quality nuggets and replace those for whatever you're having?

My DD is a vegetarian. I usually cook by having a ‘family’ pot and a ‘veggie’ pot side by side on the hob. Cut the veg or whatever up and divide it portion wise across the two. Ours will have meat and I’ll put chickpeas or lentils in hers. She’ll also eat mixed beans in taco sauce (next to chickpeas). My DD hates most fake meat products but will eat Quorn nuggets. She’ll also eat cheese and tofu.

If she will eat mince in a bolognaise sauce, I'd run with that. Cottage pie, keema. Try chicken or turkey mince too too. For a roast I'd just add cauliflower cheese and maybe something like a chestnut stuffing for a bit of extra protein.
Will she eat fish other than in fish finger form?
For stir fries you can easily sub meat for tofu or nuts.
For fajitas swap meat for haloumi

Nut roast, lentil loaf or grilled halloumi?

This is what I do. It also means the meat eaters get more veg as it’s easy to chuck more in their pot.

or roast some veggies in the oven with it. I used to eat a lot of fake meats, I just don’t now. Actual veggies are nicer.
the cheese and leek pastry bakes in aldi (there’s kinda McCartney ones too) are really nice and go with gravy, so things like roasts or your sausage and mash. They also go with salad like a quiche.
mushrooms work well in things like stroganoff or big ones as a burger. Grilled large mushrooms with roasted red peppers, onions and pesto mayo or chilli mayo are an absolute delight. As are onion bhaji burgers - literally onion bhaji in a bun, mango chutney, mint yogurt and salad.

I don’t use fake meat in anything minced beef, I just use lentils and porridge oats. The dc prefer lentil chilli / spag bol to meat.

Oh roasts I just have the sides, granted I have a lot of sides (the meat eaters benefit!). I really enjoy that so
cauliflower cheese / cheesy leeks
red cabbage
honey roasted carrots and parsnips
Stuffing
Yorkshires
carrot and swede mash.
roast potatoes

DH tells me that as a child he hated the texture of meat and so mostly wouldn't eat it. DS was a bit the same. But yes, mince, chicken nuggets, very very thinkly sliced chicken or sometimes meat etc were okay. So I'd go with lots of mince options to start.

You could try making chicken or pork schnitzel at home if you don't want processed ones or buy higher quality - if you bash them quite thin you might find the texture doesn't bother her and certainly, somewhat to my surprise, when I make "chicken dippers" for DD's fussy friends they all inhale them!

We have been eating these regularly for years as there aren't any weird ingredients in them. Also waitrose does a nice selection of similar for fish (sainsburys too I think but not as sure about ingredients) which I often have in the freezer and it sounds like she does like fish so that could be a better option that fish fingers. Fish is expensive, but DS has always loved it so if money was no object I think we'd probably eat fish at least twice a week. Fresh tuna is one of his favourites but basically any fish he'll eat enthusiastically.

Things like small pieces of chicken chopped and fried in a stir fry or in rice might work or DS has always liked things like chinese style chicken sweet and sour - I don't use a batter but do fry in hot oil with the chicken covered in cornflour and it gets nice and crispy in bite sized strips etc.

Interestingly, DS now loves a steak and will happily eat chicken but still prefers breast meat and will only sometimes eat a chicken thigh or drumstick. He still doesn't really love a roast dinner and mostly just eats the vegetables. And he hates any kind of stew/casserole. And he LOATHES sausages.... but I often make pasta with sausage meat which he loves. Weirdo.

My DS was exact same for years didnt lije texture of any meat. At Macdonalds always chose fishfingers. But would eat EVERY vegetable going. As he went on playdates, tea with school friends he would try new things etc.

Now will only eat chicken really

Not sure how old your child is but if young, what about having a make your own pizza, put out bowls of pepperoni, cooked minced chicken etc or be creative with plating up... a funny faces plate with different kind of meat

I am veggie (since I left home at 21) but always hated meat. We had the tough, fatty gristle stuff . The only way I would eat stew was with mince! Now I can eat what I want so no meat at all. I found beef too hard and tough, lamb smelt too much of the animal, pork made me feel nauseous and for some reason after eating chicken or fish I was hungry 20 minutes later!!

Forgot to say, I eat fish now!

Why not make meals that are vegetarian rather than traditional meat and two veg style meals and do meat as an extra on the side for those who can't manage a meal without meat?

Pasta with a non meaty sauce, pizza, quiche, omelettes, fajitas with halloumi, trays of roasted vegetables with feta cheese, macaroni cheese, lentil Bolognese, jacket potatoes with cheese and beans.

Vegetarian food has come a long way from a nut roast.

I'm not veggie, but I like all types of food.

Just cut out meat,I can't believe anyone would want to eat it, especially a child.absolutely no need to eat it so take that worry away very easily.plenty of different protein.