Meals for kids, same as rest or differant?

tiff

I'm afraid I cant bear fussy eaters, I never cook separate meals and I hate my kids eating on their own. My husband gets home at 5.45pm so I give the kids a snack and a drink after school then we all eat together when my husband gets home. A couple of days a week he gets home at 4.30 so we all eat around 5pm ish. If my husband was like yours and got home at 7.30 I would make one meal for all of us, me and the kids would eat it earlier and my husband would eat his on his own when he got in. Not just for the kids sake but also to make life easier for me, otherwise you are in the kitchen on and off for 3 hours or so!

Please dont be put off oldstyle, we all do different things that suit our own families but if you ask an opinion you will get several varied/strong opinions in return!

Savvy_Sue

Debt_Free_Chick wrote:

My partner's son apparently doesn't like cheese or tomatoes. Yeah, right ... but he loves Margherita Pizza!

I'm sorry, but I have a 17 yo who happily eats cheese (mild cheddar, melted or 'raw') and tomatoes, fresh or cooked or tinned, but truly detests pizza - he says it's the flavourings they put in. I also have a 15 yo who adores pizza but apart from that never eats cheese, even as a melted topping on pasta, and doesn't like raw tomatoes but adores them cooked or tinned. He would rather eat dry bread than a cheese sandwich, and if we make pitta pizza he leaves the cheese topping off. The 17 yo also eats eggs in things, although he used not to, but would never choose to eat an egg on its own. And the 17 yo is the only one who likes jacket potatoes, would once have lived on them if given half a chance.

I also think we have to give some credit to the fact that children like different textures as well as tastes, and in some children that plays a very large part in the equation. It's not good to pander entirely to children's tastes, especially when they're very young, but IMO it is good to recognise them and respect them as they get older. I STILL don't eat chilli or curry or marmalade voluntarily - I'm polite enough to down a small quantity if that's what's served to me - so why should I expect my kids to like everything that's put in front of them?

BTW, the eldest now has a choice in the evenings: he can cook a meal or wash up. He'd rather wash up, saves making the decision about what we eat, so I get to choose what we eat. And he's suddenly a lot less fussy than he used to be!

Spendless

Savvy_Sue wrote:

I'm sorry, but I have a 17 yo who happily eats cheese (mild cheddar, melted or 'raw') and tomatoes, fresh or cooked or tinned, but truly detests pizza - he says it's the flavourings they put in. I also have a 15 yo who adores pizza but apart from that never eats cheese, even as a melted topping on pasta, and doesn't like raw tomatoes but adores them cooked or tinned. He would rather eat dry bread than a cheese sandwich, and if we make pitta pizza he leaves the cheese topping off. The 17 yo also eats eggs in things, although he used not to, but would never choose to eat an egg on its own. And the 17 yo is the only one who likes jacket potatoes, would once have lived on them if given half a chance.

I have a 14 year old neice like this. Doesn't like cheese or tomatoes but will eat pizza as long as it doesn't have the cheese or tomato word in description! I've found that by hiding the stuff, removing wrapper before she's read it or sticking in another container she'll eat it without question. I've even changed country I've told her I bought it in before now as she doesn't like jelly but likes it if bought in Canada where they call it Jello!

swizzlebabe

Thanks for all that, sorry I know that no one ment to ofend me I am a sensitive soul.

But I am trying to save money and time and know that in an ideal world I would cook 1 meal and we would eat it all together. Should try harder to get the kids to try stuff.

They are 5 and 3 and love Big cook,little cook, but often say I wouldn`t likethat because it`s got cheese in or tomatoes etc.

Hubbie is on a low fat,no red meat,no spicy food, no cheese etc diet due to health probs, but it`s the kids dislike really thats stopping us eating the same, below is a list of things the eldest won`t eat

potatos, except roast or smiles/alphabits etc but break through as 3 months ago no potato at all

eggs

cheese

tomatoes

onions

meat,chicken or fish, except as sausage,chicken dipper or filet fish finger

pasta

rice

gravy

baked beans

On the upside he will eat most fruit and veg

Any recepie ideas would be welcome.

Becles

I sometimes think kids decide they don't like things without actually trying them.

My two both hated garlic bread, but loved "italian herb bread". They were quite shocked when I confessed that they had been eating garlic bread for months and actually liked it.

They hate curry but on Monday they ate "spicy beef casserole" (beef rogan josh). They also hate peppers but are quite happy to eat capsicums, and hate courgettes but love "spotty cucumbers"

Spendless

Becles wrote:

I sometimes think kids decide they don't like things without actually trying them.

My two both hated garlic bread, but loved "italian herb bread". They were quite shocked when I confessed that they had been eating garlic bread for months and actually liked it.

They hate curry but on Monday they ate "spicy beef casserole" (beef rogan josh). They also hate peppers but are quite happy to eat capsicums, and hate courgettes but love "spotty cucumbers"

I agree with this. My own 5 year old can be faddy and I've renamed tomato soup (special red soup). Tues night he refused cooked carrots on ground he doesn't like them. Last night he mentioned he'd tried them at school and "I love them" (his words). Deciding to act on this I mentioned that peppers are "sweety" to taste and he tried red and yellow pepper and likes these now too.

If they both like cooking get them to help, just produce the ingrediant you don't have to say what it is- lol

tiff

Swizzle, with my two who are 7 and 4 I always say to them, you must try it because you never know if you're missing out on something really nice. They both will try something at least once, and if they say they dont like it I accept it without a fuss and try again another time. At 5 and 3 I dont think they are old enough to "not like" all those foods. I know that my son (7) has never been able to stomach eggs since he was a baby, but I asked him what it was he didnt like and he said the runny bit. Now, he will eat eggs hard boiled and loves them. Basically apart from the food they really cant stomach they are trying it on. Sometimes it s because they dont fancy that particular food, like we do sometimes.

I know others will say dont make it a battle but I disagree, my kids eat virtually anything now (although they moan about certain things like mushrooms/onions etc!) they eat curry, chilli, fajitas, roast dinner, spag bol, stew, soup etc etc Notice how most of those dishes contain mushrooms and onions!!

If he eats most fruit and veg, could you not mash some potato with some fish say and put some veg on his plate with parsley sauce? Would he eat that? I tried this with my son except I told him what to do, ie he said he didnt like sprouts (always used to) so I said mash them into your potato and then try it and he thought that was a great idea and proudly told his Nan what he had done. The main thing is, he knows I wont make anything different.

suki1964

Becles wrote:

I sometimes think kids decide they don't like things without actually trying them.

I have to agree with that.

My stepdaughter came to live with us at 14. One sunday dinner I put the tiniest bit of cauliflower on her plate and asked her to eat it as it wouldnt kill her. Well WW3 broke out, even her mother was on the phone to me saying how dare I force her to eat something she didnt like!! Didnt like? she had never in her life tried it Two weeks later she went to a friends house to eat, was given cauliflower, ate it and found out she liked it!!!

Previously we had the same problem with spaghetti bolognaise. Her brother and her friend both agreed to give it a try - they loved it but she steadfastly refused to say she would give it a try and sat there with a boiled egg instead. Following week, she ate it and now its a firm favourite.

We have had the same things with chinese food, indian, proper meat - all sorts. The cry went up "I dont like it" and her mum and her nan gave her what she did want - turkey twizzlers and chips (or the equivilent) She had never actually tasted any of the foods offered. In the two years that she lived here she tried so many different foods and found out that she really did like them that shes now eating a more balanced diet then ever before.

Im a bit funny about certain foods, will eat egg as omlette but tend to get a bit squimish about a boiled egg. Tomatoes I dont like in their whole state but will eat tomato soup and puree on pizza or skinned and chopped into a salad (im 40), spinich I will only eat from an indian resturant, and loads more. I have just learned different ways of using foods so my family dont miss out just because I dont like something

missprice

someone else posted (sorry cant remember who) that life is too short.

i happen to agree with that statement.

my daughter will eat everything except egg (there is a way round that) and she eats loads of "everything".

years ago though, when my son was around 5 for nearly a year he would only eat fish fingers with honey (yuky i know) or roast chicken and roast pots.

so i decided not to fight this, just think up sneaky ways of getting other stuff in him, until he decided to try "real" food again.

the best was roast parsnip, although its is difficult to make it look like roast spud. when he first had a try of it he liked it and asked for more, he said it was sweet and can all my roasties be like that.

then i came up with a "special pink chicken" (was in fact salmon) and like a child he believed what i said and ate it.

they have had green ice cubes (pick a veggie colour) for their drinks. its just mushed up veggies frozen and added to veggie juice drinks.

eggs can be hidden in mashed pots, so can cheese. you must make enough mash though for the colour to be hidden.

loads of other sneaky stuff just cant remember them all now.

starlite_2

Can't speak about my own experiences of feeding children yet, but I remeber a lot from when I was young.
At both granparents houses I would eat and enjoy absolutely anything they gave me, and it was always a square meal of meat veg and potatoes...i even ate liver if my gran had made it!
whereas - at home, I would go through phases of refusing to eat anything but one thing for a few weeks at a time(the most memorable is tuna and cucumber sandiches)...i don't mean to criticise my mum, as she brought me up on her own for many years whilst working full time and it was probably just the easiest option, but she mainly just let me dictate what i got...which is something my grandparents wouldn't hear of!
i eventually learnt my lesson when my mum put her foot down, and after sulking in my room whilst everyone else atre and then getting raging hunger i was made to eat a cold roast dinner..after that i rarely grumbled!
also reminds me of a friend who as a teenager claimed to be a strict vegan at home..and her mum despised it, worried and went to great lengths to cater for her, but she would eat a hamburger happy meal when we went out to town...often ,as has been mentioned in this post before, children will only demand what you have already shown you will give them
i hope when my baby is born and grown up it will eat the same as us..but of course thats wishful thinking and only the experience of dinner time battles will give me true means to speak on this matter!