Young kids diet

[Spectrum2001]

I’ve 2 kids 5 and 7, and their diet has gradually declined to 90% processed meals.
its almost always, chicken nuggets/strips/popcorn or fish fingers, with chips and veg. They do eat some fruit, veg, salad, jacket potatoes, roast dinner once a week, but through the week when I’m often very short of time we’ve fallen into a rut of what’s easier and I know they’ll eat.
I'm concerned about them getting fat, it being unhealthy, and them learning bad habit around food. They’re so picky at the moment too.
I'm quite ashamed about it but don’t know how to make them eat better meals, that fits with my shift work and means I won’t be throwing food away every day.
can anyone help with meal plans for picky eaters? Or at least reassure me they’ll grow out of it soon!

Do they like things like pasta bolognese?
I have a picky toddler, who refuses to eat veggetables. I make a huge pot of hidden veggetable souce (carrots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, celery, courgette, etc) blend it and freeze it. I add it to any pasta dish, and it works.
How about offering toasties, hommade pizza instead of processes food? There are some amazing pizza recepies that doesn't take long. You can always hide some veggetables in the tomato sauce (that's where I also use my hommade hidden veg sauce too).

If they really keen on things like chicken nuggets and such, you better off making them yourself- good quality chicken breast, flour, eggs, breadcrumbs- throw it in the airfryer. You could also make hommade meatballs.
I know it's seems like a lot of work, but you could make a big amount of them in one go and freeze them.

Of course ideally they would eat a lot of veggetables but sometimes it's impossible. The food you offer won't be as bad if you made it at home, rather than coming from a package.

For me, due to limited time, freezing food is the key for the balanced diet. It might take you a weekend a month to prepare the freezer stash, but it's definitely worth it.

thank you, I started off their food journey (😆) with homemade food, sauces, and was quite proud that they’d eat mostly anything. But then they entered this picky phase around 3 years old and now no longer like sauces on pasta, or chilli, cottage pie, or anything where I’d make it with hidden veggies.
I’ve made my own chicken nuggets, popcorn chicken, fish bites and they tried one and left the rest. Even if I’ve left them to eat it and given them nothing else they’ll go hungry rather than eat my food!!
They don’t like pizza, or beans, or sweetcorn or any of the usual kid foods.
I don’t have an air fryer ( I think I must be the only one!) but maybe it’s worth investing in one to try again 🤷🏼‍♀️