Meal inspo for fussy kids

[Workingmum85]

Hi,

I need some inspo for fussy eaters. Most meals I can adapt (ie roast chicken and chips when I do a roast) and I’ve a bank of family faves that I do on rotation Spag Bol, Mac cheese, tacos etc but me and my DH like food that they simply won’t touch -steak, stir fry, certain curries etc and we tend to have these “no go” meals twice/three times a week

on these nights I usually dish up freezer delights (fish fingers, nuggets etc) some plain pasta (bachelor mac and cheese or penne in a smooth tomato sauce) tin ravioli, beans on toast or instant noodles. Just wondering if there are any other options I can add into this rotation to vary things up a bit. We already have pizza night once a week

I batch cook. When you make the foods they do like could you make extra and freeze it and just reheat on these nights.

Jacket potatoes choice of fillings, Halloumi kebabs, hot dogs, sausage and mash, shepherds pie. Will they eat soup and crusty bread?

Is working on the no gos an option, bribe with treats if needed. I found mine ate curries easily but kids prefer sweeter creamier ones i found and like to dip roti into the sauce, if rice is the sticking point serve just roti or some small roasted potatoes

Honestly, I’d cook your meals you like with minor adjustments rather than serve up fish fingers. So I’ll do a stir fry, but we have the noodles separate, plus a cucumber salad and prawn crackers. My fussier one will eat the chicken from the stir fry plus plain noodles with cucumber slices and prawn crackers.

Same with curry. I have one who won’t eat curry, but he will eat a bit of plain rice with naan bread and yoghurt to dip into and some sliced tomatoes and cucumber. I’ll often boil an egg with either of the above for extra protein if needed.

The key is to separate out the components enough that there will be something everyone will eat. Don’t avoid anything thinking they are foods that are too ‘adult’. Both of mine love a steak. They also both went through several years from about 2-5 when they were obsessed with mussels. 🤷🏻‍♀️ They were not a cheap date.

I’d make what I want twice a week and just adapt/deconstruct to make sure there’s a couple of things they’ll eat without making a whole separate meal. It also encourages them to try. So do your stir fry but separate it all so the meat is not mixed in with the noodles, offer plain rice, prawn crackers and veggie sticks as a side. Or whatever would work for you. But we’ve had huge success with allowing them to pick and choose. Also re the steak- what cut have you tried them and how are you cooking it? Not exactly budget friendly but rare fillet is easiest for kids to chew so often goes down a lot better than other cuts.