Do I just give up with cooking

[kinkymouse]

Two DDs have always been relatively good eaters, eating healthy with occasional snacks but I can't seem to do anything right at the moment.

They complain about everything I cook, DD1 will say it's not healthy enough as I'm clearly not using the latest trendy ingredients.

DD2 will cry that ALL her friends get to eat pizza or MDs every other day. I know this is untrue but she turns up her nose and anything remotely veg like with the exception of soup.

So do I keep going with my normal cooking/meal plans or is there an alternative. DDs are 11 and 15.

I know they are ungrateful blighters and let them know it but, what do I do about it?

I would have a talk to them both and say that the ungrateful attitudes need to stop!
The problem isn't your cooking it's them being rude

Having said that, they're both old enough to cook one or twice a week... Why not get their input? Menu plan, all choose meals together including a couple of days where they are responsible

And make sure they know they have 2 choices when you serve something up, eat it or or leave it!

I would allow the to each have 1 day a week when they get to pick what you have for dinner (within budget). And say the rest of the time, no complaining.
I would go with your older one, healthy food Is certainly better :)

I cook "takeaway" for my lot. Homemade burgers, pizza, curry, Mexican, chicken and wedgies etc. My homemade doner kebab is a triumph. My lot aren't big fans of traditional veggies but they eat loads of salad. Plus my food is much better than the takeaway equivalent so they are less enamoured of MacDonalds and suchlike.

tell them the entitled whining ceases now. The 11 year old is lying, they all do. Ignore. Does the older one know what she is talking about (science lessons) or has she been reading silly diet sites?

teach them to cook, shop and they should be helping with table laying and washing up each evening.

I'd agree with others. Include them in your meal planning.

Ask them what they'd like. Stick cook books under their noses (the library usually has tons if you don't have many), or direct them to recipes on t'internet.

You can guide them. Aske them to choose one chicken dish, one fish. See what they come up with.

Get them cooking.

I insisted DC did a meal each over the Easter holidays (three weeks off FGS). DD made pasta bake and marinated chicken wings. Not adventerous, but tasty and nutritious. DS surpassed himself and made teryaki steak and paella.

All good.

I don't know about meal planning - I'd include them in the cooking rota!
My dc all cook (at least) one evening meal a week. Once they realised how horrible it was to have someone criticise your meal after you've taken the time to prepare it, then the complaining reduced dramatically. I have also said to them I'm happy to get them different ingredients if they find something they want to cook and put the ingredients on the shopping list - funnily enough, this has only happened 2 or 3 times in the 3+ years we have had this arrangement, but, once again, the moaning about wanting this or that has virtually stopped.

Thanks everyone, sorry had to go out. I have in the last year asked them to each chose one meal a week (we have a wipe board so they can jot it down when the urge takes them) and this seems to be the only time they're happy, although each will hate the others choice. We do eat healthy food but DD1 and her friends are going through a bit of food snobbery which irks the life out of me, "tapas are so last year don't you know." TBH the younger one does cook on occasion and enjoys it, the older one not so much.

Its just the day to day constant battle of keeping them fed that's getting to me.

So, plan of action for this weekend is to get the recipe books out plan everyday, give them a choice of one meal each and both, actually I will include DH in this, need to cook at least once. And I have just booked on a salsa dancing course, committed to go back to Zumba and one night at pilates, I would usually run around preparing dinner before or after but the new me will let them fend for themselves from a pre planned set menu of course

I agree with previous posters... I generally cook mostly for just DS16 who avoids greens almost as much as he avoids showers and revision [hmmm] but he DID of his own volition (must have been desperate ) produce a menu of 'permitted meals' for me a few weeks ago. He's 'informed' me that obviously he won't eat anything that's not on the list so I shouldn't bother to cook it ! Fairy nuff!! But he DOES devour everything on his list and it HAS simplified matters... Fajitas are on the list so I manage to get loooads of veg in there, M&S breaded chicken breast (lean and delicious) sweet potatoes / 'good' burgers, most roasts, egg and soldiers, poached egg and beans - so nothing too tricky!... DH and I generally have a variation with more veg/salad so we're all happy. Although I steer clear of giving DH egg and soldiers for dinner DD20 is a Cordon Bleu chef trainee so NOTHING I cook could EVER possibly be good enough and she happily corrects all my 'errors' now whilst giving me in-depth explanations as to where I've being 'going wrong' all these years. Kids. Dontcha just love em

If you have a selection of meals over the week, ie roast, pasta & rice dishes, something out of freezer with veggies, then you are cover a spectrum of meals and I'd hate to hazard a guess at what is trendy and I can't imagine there are many that have pizza/MD every day. We all have differing tastes, but you need to set a few grounds rules and be a little flexibility, ie if one won't eat salad with a pizza, let them you'll do something simple like peas or carrots instead (does quite go but it gives them a choice) which you expect them to eat. If your daughter really won't eat veggies, insist she has some fruit when she comes home before she delves into other snacks.

If you're offering something which DD1 wouldn't consider so healthy, perhaps make something like homemade potato wedges with a small amount of oil (I add pepper).

Yy to a cooking rota. My older 2 have one night a week to cook and they have to tell me what they are cooking when I am doing the online shop.

DH does 2 nights, I do one night and the Sunday roast and we have takeaway on Friday. No one is allowed to complain they hate what someone has taken the time and effort to cook for them, there is one dinner so eat it or be hungry.

My youngest is 10 and he is learning how to cook. He will have a night assigned to him when he is 11.