Feeding kids and food waste

[Anonymous]

Our kids are necessarily picky, but what they will eat ebbs and flows. We are really struggling with food waste and food expenses.

There are so many schools of thought: no dessert, clean your plate, no snacks etc. Nothing seems to land right, but we find ourselves with lots of leftovers and kids who won’t eat it.

They’re not big dinner eaters, but DH LOVES dinner. Should he make his own dinner, and the kids and I eat breakfast, lunch, and a “snack dinner”? Sometimes I’ll do blue apron for DH and I and “kid dinner” for them.

I’m honestly not sure what I’m asking. We are just overall frustrated with food waste and expenses.

[Anonymous]

We tend to cook things that DH and I like (leftovers we like) since the kids are sometimes hit or miss in terms of dinner.

We also cook things things where the leftovers can be repurposed (leftover grilled chicken turned into chicken quesadillas or taco bowls for lunch, etc).

But it is a crapshoot at times, for sure

[Anonymous]

We often had grownup dinner and kid dinner. The kid dinner was usually simple.

[Anonymous]

We don’t do kids dinners, they eat what we eat or they don’t eat. I do try to incorporate at least 1 item I know they’ll eat but otherwise I’m not catering to them.

[Anonymous]

My DH cooks for all of us and he works like short order cook and caters to whatever the heck every spoilt member of the family wants. Poor man.

Yes, lots of food waste especially when the kids are home and we just deal with it.

For this summer, both kids are not at home and it is amazing to buy less food, and cook less, and waste less, and eat leftovers, and have a clean kitchen and a clean home.

[Anonymous]

Dinner is one meal we always have it together over the years. Good way to catch up with daily activities.

[Anonymous]

I think you need to generally eat the same meal but can make variations.
Mine doesnt like veggies mixed in her dinner but will eat them on the side, so I cater to that for example.
If you have leftovers, you and DH eat them and let the kids have something easy. So maybe Tuesday and Thursday are leftover days and the kids know on those days they can have a snack plate or a sandwich and fruit.
I wouldn’t make a battle over meal
Time but they doesnt mean they get nuggets or mac n cheese every night either.
I’d say a fruit or veggie is required to get dessert if they’re bad about those.

[Anonymous]

Make stuff that you can eat as leftovers for lunches or another dinner. Done.

[Anonymous]

For several years when my kids were small, I ate a lot of their leftover/rejected food as my own lunches and sometimes dinner.

Try to get them to try new things a few times, and coming new things with old favorites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our kids are necessarily picky, but what they will eat ebbs and flows. We are really struggling with food waste and food expenses.

There are so many schools of thought: no dessert, clean your plate, no snacks etc. Nothing seems to land right, but we find ourselves with lots of leftovers and kids who won’t eat it.

They’re not big dinner eaters, but DH LOVES dinner. Should he make his own dinner, and the kids and I eat breakfast, lunch, and a “snack dinner”? Sometimes I’ll do blue apron for DH and I and “kid dinner” for them.

I’m honestly not sure what I’m asking. We are just overall frustrated with food waste and expenses.

Families should eat together for at least one meal every day. Home is not a fast food drive through. The entire family sitting down to a meal and taking about their day, school, and I my house current events.

Why are your children necessarily picky eaters? I followed my mother's example (who worked outside the home once the youngest was in school). Meals were served family style and there were no picky eaters.

I've told this story before about my sister's son who would only eat pizza, spaghetti, and McDonald's burgers and fries. They came to visit us one summer and I made my usual meals of a meat, vegetables, salad, and a desert.

She was furious that I hadn't served any of the three foods he would eat. Interestingly, he ate everything served and even asked for seconds of the vegetables.
It finally dawned on her that he had been playing her all along

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We don’t do kids dinners, they eat what we eat or they don’t eat. I do try to incorporate at least 1 item I know they’ll eat but otherwise I’m not catering to them.

Smart woman. I do the same.

[Anonymous]

We mostly make one meal. Sometimes it's deconstructed as I have one kids who doesn't like mixed food. When I want to make someone I know they won't eat (certain fish usually) it's on days we have other leftovers. I have no issue with some people having previous leftovers for dinner. It's not the same as short order cooking for me.
We are big on dinner together.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Make stuff that you can eat as leftovers for lunches or another dinner. Done.

Yes this...uneaten chicken becomes a sandwich or salad protein the next day. I would not make a separate dinner. I would just do small portions for the kids if they are not hungry at that time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you need to generally eat the same meal but can make variations.
Mine doesnt like veggies mixed in her dinner but will eat them on the side, so I cater to that for example.
If you have leftovers, you and DH eat them and let the kids have something easy. So maybe Tuesday and Thursday are leftover days and the kids know on those days they can have a snack plate or a sandwich and fruit.
I wouldn’t make a battle over meal
Time but they doesnt mean they get nuggets or mac n cheese every night either.
I’d say a fruit or veggie is required to get dessert if they’re bad about those.

+1 we all have the same meal but generally I serve things "deconstructed" so everyone can customize to their preference. And I always have fruit and bread on the table so the kids might eat only that. Leftovers don't go to waste because I or DH will usually take them to work for lunch. Also, Friday night is always a hodgepodge clean-out-the-fridge night. I think the main thing in combating food waste is to plan for the leftovers in your meal planning/shopping.

[Anonymous]

We also make one meal for the family but I make sure there is always at least one thing my picky kid will eat a lot of (generally a carb) and pick their favorite veggies. I try to take leftovers for my lunch. We do waste some food but I've gotten a lot better by meal planning.