Do you make alternative dinners for your kids if they don't like what you made?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a picky water. I grew up eating in a family where everyone had different tastes and lots of times there will be multiple separate dishes cooked (and more if grandparents visit).
It's the same now. Each eats their own dish. Most of the dishes are simple (steak and grilled vegetables for one, grilled shrimp and raw vegetables for another, salad for the third person, etc). Even desserts are different. I don't like brownies without fruit in them, everyone one else hates fruit in the brownies, but some want nuts and some hate nuts. Four separate trays are baked.

You make four trays of brownies every time you bake? That's a lot of work!

I think it's good to teach kids to be adaptable, willing to explore new tastes and gracious to someone preparing the meals (i.e., saying thank you, eating what is on the plate that he DOES like) rather than indulge their very specific personal tastes. Obviously you are doing to/for your kids what your parents did, but maybe you would have been less picky growing up if you had branched out more from an early age. Many studies show kids have to try new foods repeatedly to grow to like them.

My parents didn't believe in any pressure other then by example. Food was always non-issue, not worth paying attention to, nobody liked junk food. My parents just let me be and I started cooking myself, experimenting. Making extra brownies is just three extra bowls for the dishwasher as they are all based on one recipe (http://www.browneyedbaker.com/outrageous-indeed/). It gets tricker with cakes. All of it is not a complication, but an adventure.
As for eating what's on the plate: lots of people don't know how to cook and kids have to suffer. We were volunteering at a food bank that provides bags of food for the weekend. People were commenting on cans of clams and other similar stuff as being bad tasting as they didn't even want to think that you can make pretty tasty dishes out of basic stuff.

You're setting your kids up to being really high maintenance partners to whoever they choose to spend their lives with.

Looks like people really hate cooking. It is so easy and fun. No wonder there are so many bad restaurants. It's no maintenance. My girlfriend and I started doing girls football Mondays when we cook, watch the game and have fun, while husband's are watching football somewhere. Women who never like cooking now send me recipes they find interesting. The funniest part was is that husbands decided to join in a year later (cooked too), I guess we were more fun.

It's not about liking or not liking to cook, it's about having the time. I like to cook, and make more elaborate meals on weekends. Even then my kids eat what I make, and always have. I don't make them separate "kid food" which is why now at ages 5 and 8 they will eat pretty much anything. Last night we had homemade lamb burgers with tzatziki sauce and jerusalem salad and they both ate everything.

I will play. Nothing prevents from making a beef burger next to a lamb burger and not mixing in onion and parsley into the salad.
Last night: kds - chicken fried rice and tomatoes (day three), DH - ribeye with roasted spaghetti squash and eggplant, me - kale and bean soup

[Anonymous]

I have one truly picky kid who really does not try new food at all. Even tonight/ this child loves lemon cake. I had a soft lemon cookie from Panera. She gagged at the idea of even tasting it. So for her, yes. I don't have the option. This is a child who won't even try new foods that are sugar. She has the option of a plain turkey sandwich, scrambled eggs, or fruit/yogurt/cheese. For awhile she would do turkey meatballs or grilled cheese then suddenly she "doesn't like them." Last night she did do spaghetti without the sauce and garlic bread.

I'm very jealous of all of you who have kids who will eat whatever. I desperately wish she would but it's anxiety driven for her. This is how she copes with anxiety. I'm well aware picky eaters are annoying because her eating drives me CRAZY and I've spent no little amount of time stressing over her nutrient intake and adaptability.

The other kid almost never gets a different meal because she willingly eats anything and if she's asking for something different it's because she thinks she can scam Apple Jacks for dinner or something.

[Anonymous]

Why do people without picky kids assume its all about sweets? I can eat candy or sweet and my picky child, would never even think of wanting it or asking. He could take or leave sweets. I can leave candy on the counter for weeks and he would not touch it and take a granola bar instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why do people without picky kids assume its all about sweets? I can eat candy or sweet and my picky child, would never even think of wanting it or asking. He could take or leave sweets. I can leave candy on the counter for weeks and he would not touch it and take a granola bar instead.

you know a granola bar is no better than a snickers, right

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If so, what are your easy go tos?

If no, what do you do when they refuse to eat the dinner or don't eat much of it and are still hungry?

Are you freaking kidding, OP? I'm not a short order cook and my home is not a restaurant.

If my kids "refuse" to eat the dinner, then they're out of luck. Breakfast is served the next morning by 6:30 a.m.

You are a fool to let this develop.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's kinda funny parents are responding saying they don't make separate meals but will do pasta with no sauce. That's not that healthy. That's like saying eat your vegetable before dessert and the vegetable is corn. Meh. My picky kids would love plain noodles. You're no saint for offering plain noodles.

I have one vegetarian in the house so that one gets a different meal.

You really think that 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce is pivotal in your kids diet? I don't count that as a vegetable so if my kids had plain noodles and carrots rather than noodles, sauce and carrots, it does not make much difference to me. A glass of milk for protein all set.

Ha ha...no I'm that above poster. I don't consider pasta with sauce a necessarily healthy dinner either. I am simply saying handing a kid a bowl of naked noodles is not a healthy dinner. I'd rather do a little Catering to my pickier (vegetarian) eater than do something like that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If so, what are your easy go tos?

If no, what do you do when they refuse to eat the dinner or don't eat much of it and are still hungry?

Are you freaking kidding, OP? I'm not a short order cook and my home is not a restaurant.

If my kids "refuse" to eat the dinner, then they're out of luck. Breakfast is served the next morning by 6:30 a.m.

You are a fool to let this develop.

My home is better than most restaurants.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a picky water. I grew up eating in a family where everyone had different tastes and lots of times there will be multiple separate dishes cooked (and more if grandparents visit).
It's the same now. Each eats their own dish. Most of the dishes are simple (steak and grilled vegetables for one, grilled shrimp and raw vegetables for another, salad for the third person, etc). Even desserts are different. I don't like brownies without fruit in them, everyone one else hates fruit in the brownies, but some want nuts and some hate nuts. Four separate trays are baked.

You make four trays of brownies every time you bake? That's a lot of work!

I think it's good to teach kids to be adaptable, willing to explore new tastes and gracious to someone preparing the meals (i.e., saying thank you, eating what is on the plate that he DOES like) rather than indulge their very specific personal tastes. Obviously you are doing to/for your kids what your parents did, but maybe you would have been less picky growing up if you had branched out more from an early age. Many studies show kids have to try new foods repeatedly to grow to like them.

My parents didn't believe in any pressure other then by example. Food was always non-issue, not worth paying attention to, nobody liked junk food. My parents just let me be and I started cooking myself, experimenting. Making extra brownies is just three extra bowls for the dishwasher as they are all based on one recipe (http://www.browneyedbaker.com/outrageous-indeed/). It gets tricker with cakes. All of it is not a complication, but an adventure.
As for eating what's on the plate: lots of people don't know how to cook and kids have to suffer. We were volunteering at a food bank that provides bags of food for the weekend. People were commenting on cans of clams and other similar stuff as being bad tasting as they didn't even want to think that you can make pretty tasty dishes out of basic stuff.

You're setting your kids up to being really high maintenance partners to whoever they choose to spend their lives with.

Looks like people really hate cooking. It is so easy and fun. No wonder there are so many bad restaurants. It's no maintenance. My girlfriend and I started doing girls football Mondays when we cook, watch the game and have fun, while husband's are watching football somewhere. Women who never like cooking now send me recipes they find interesting. The funniest part was is that husbands decided to join in a year later (cooked too), I guess we were more fun.

It's not about liking or not liking to cook, it's about having the time. I like to cook, and make more elaborate meals on weekends. Even then my kids eat what I make, and always have. I don't make them separate "kid food" which is why now at ages 5 and 8 they will eat pretty much anything. Last night we had homemade lamb burgers with tzatziki sauce and jerusalem salad and they both ate everything.

I will play. Nothing prevents from making a beef burger next to a lamb burger and not mixing in onion and parsley into the salad.
Last night: kds - chicken fried rice and tomatoes (day three), DH - ribeye with roasted spaghetti squash and eggplant, me - kale and bean soup

What? What are even talking about? I DON'T HAVE TIME to make four different meals. If you do, and you want to spend the time doing it, good for you

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I am a picky water. I grew up eating in a family where everyone had different tastes and lots of times there will be multiple separate dishes cooked (and more if grandparents visit).
It's the same now. Each eats their own dish. Most of the dishes are simple (steak and grilled vegetables for one, grilled shrimp and raw vegetables for another, salad for the third person, etc). Even desserts are different. I don't like brownies without fruit in them, everyone one else hates fruit in the brownies, but some want nuts and some hate nuts. Four separate trays are baked.

You make four trays of brownies every time you bake? That's a lot of work!

I think it's good to teach kids to be adaptable, willing to explore new tastes and gracious to someone preparing the meals (i.e., saying thank you, eating what is on the plate that he DOES like) rather than indulge their very specific personal tastes. Obviously you are doing to/for your kids what your parents did, but maybe you would have been less picky growing up if you had branched out more from an early age. Many studies show kids have to try new foods repeatedly to grow to like them.

My parents didn't believe in any pressure other then by example. Food was always non-issue, not worth paying attention to, nobody liked junk food. My parents just let me be and I started cooking myself, experimenting. Making extra brownies is just three extra bowls for the dishwasher as they are all based on one recipe (http://www.browneyedbaker.com/outrageous-indeed/). It gets tricker with cakes. All of it is not a complication, but an adventure.
As for eating what's on the plate: lots of people don't know how to cook and kids have to suffer. We were volunteering at a food bank that provides bags of food for the weekend. People were commenting on cans of clams and other similar stuff as being bad tasting as they didn't even want to think that you can make pretty tasty dishes out of basic stuff.

You're setting your kids up to being really high maintenance partners to whoever they choose to spend their lives with.

Looks like people really hate cooking. It is so easy and fun. No wonder there are so many bad restaurants. It's no maintenance. My girlfriend and I started doing girls football Mondays when we cook, watch the game and have fun, while husband's are watching football somewhere. Women who never like cooking now send me recipes they find interesting. The funniest part was is that husbands decided to join in a year later (cooked too), I guess we were more fun.

It's not about liking or not liking to cook, it's about having the time. I like to cook, and make more elaborate meals on weekends. Even then my kids eat what I make, and always have. I don't make them separate "kid food" which is why now at ages 5 and 8 they will eat pretty much anything. Last night we had homemade lamb burgers with tzatziki sauce and jerusalem salad and they both ate everything.

I will play. Nothing prevents from making a beef burger next to a lamb burger and not mixing in onion and parsley into the salad.
Last night: kds - chicken fried rice and tomatoes (day three), DH - ribeye with roasted spaghetti squash and eggplant, me - kale and bean soup

What? What are even talking about? I DON'T HAVE TIME to make four different meals. If you do, and you want to spend the time doing it, good for you

Too bad We make time. Good food is very important to us. I don't like wasted calories and believe that each one has to be enjoyed. We are sports and food family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do people without picky kids assume its all about sweets? I can eat candy or sweet and my picky child, would never even think of wanting it or asking. He could take or leave sweets. I can leave candy on the counter for weeks and he would not touch it and take a granola bar instead.

you know a granola bar is no better than a snickers, right

The simple plain chocolate ones aren't not comparable to snickers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it's kinda funny parents are responding saying they don't make separate meals but will do pasta with no sauce. That's not that healthy. That's like saying eat your vegetable before dessert and the vegetable is corn. Meh. My picky kids would love plain noodles. You're no saint for offering plain noodles.

I have one vegetarian in the house so that one gets a different meal.

You really think that 1/4 cup of spaghetti sauce is pivotal in your kids diet? I don't count that as a vegetable so if my kids had plain noodles and carrots rather than noodles, sauce and carrots, it does not make much difference to me. A glass of milk for protein all set.

Ha ha...no I'm that above poster. I don't consider pasta with sauce a necessarily healthy dinner either. I am simply saying handing a kid a bowl of naked noodles is not a healthy dinner. I'd rather do a little Catering to my pickier (vegetarian) eater than do something like that.

If my kid will eat a bowl of plain noodles and veggies or fruit, works for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If so, what are your easy go tos?

If no, what do you do when they refuse to eat the dinner or don't eat much of it and are still hungry?

Are you freaking kidding, OP? I'm not a short order cook and my home is not a restaurant.

If my kids "refuse" to eat the dinner, then they're out of luck. Breakfast is served the next morning by 6:30 a.m.

You are a fool to let this develop.

Mine better wake up Dad if they want breakfast at 6:30 or eat their before bed snack.. Mom is not awake at that hour.

[Anonymous]

not reading thru all these posts but wanted to say that I hate having kids over that wont eat anything unless it is crap food-including sugar cereal, "granola bars" mac n cheese, chicken fingers, plain cheese pizza..I have learned which kids not to have over for meals. Short get togethers ok but no meals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why do people without picky kids assume its all about sweets? I can eat candy or sweet and my picky child, would never even think of wanting it or asking. He could take or leave sweets. I can leave candy on the counter for weeks and he would not touch it and take a granola bar instead.

you know a granola bar is no better than a snickers, right

The simple plain chocolate ones aren't not comparable to snickers.

yes they are, eat the snickers it tastes better..your body does not differentiate between the two

[Anonymous]

My kids are 8 and 10. If they do not like what's for dinner, they can make their own. (And they do sometimes)