Hello BITOGers,

both wifey and me know how to cook, but it is really hard to get kids to always eat it.

So what are your go to foods/weekly foods or how do you pack them or how do you present them to get the kiddos to eat them?

Much appreciated.

signed, stressed out parent....

Are the kids just used to eating processed junk foods? A day of cheetos and soda can really mess up your taste buds and suddenly home cooked stuff tastes really bland.

Also kids tend to have more sensitive taste buds, so they could be detecting flavors that you and the wife don't perceive.

What are you cooking that they don't want to eat.

I like to include them in the process.

Each gets a turn once a week to pick the family dinner. We also grocery shop together and cook together. With that, they're happier to participate the rest of the week.

Not only do they have choices when we shop and cook, but I also respect their preferences at the table: I don't force them to eat it "all", but they do have to at least try a portion of everything on the table. Some give and take makes everyone happy.

It's ok for them to have preferences, just as you do. Therefore, I think it's important that they are part of the whole thing. If they feel that their preferences are considered, yours will also be considered. Not very different than how you feel as an adult! Whoever said "when you have children, you're raising adults; not kids" was a smart person.

Of course, it certainly gets harder the older they get. Eating was "my thing" with the kids from the very beginning. I felt it was important for them to at least try everything when they were young, which turned into the developed methods above. The result of them trying everything when young was terrific: their tastes became very broad. My kids are still young (not even in school yet), but they'll eat almost anything now. Some of their preferences are even relatively healthy.

When we go out or have company, they're always complimented on what great eaters they are. Makes you feel pretty good as a parent!

But I imagine that changing well established bad eating habits as late as teen years might be much more difficult!

My kids are in their 40's now . When they were growing up they ate whatever was put in front of them. They didn't get choices. Did not seem to hurt them any.

Well, if that's the way it worked for the OP, this thread wouldn't have existed!

This. Starve 'em of snacks and kick them outside for some exercise/ work and they'll eat what you give 'em.

you've lost the battle before it even started.

signed,

stressed out citizen

Make anything look like a dinosaur and my kid will usually eat it. It also helps to tell him that something "is a dinosaur food" - that's how wife got him to eat asparagus. Granted, this will not work on older kids.

If they don't make an honest attempt, the plate gets wrapped in plastic, stuffed in the 'fridge, and microwaved for the next meal; repeat until they do or it's 3 days old. Although it usually isn't necessary, you can escalate things by making the second meal that everyone else gets to eat something they really like.

Not every kid wants to be part of the meal making and planning process, but that also works well. A bit of the carrot and stick approach, basically.

Ground meats are your friend; you can stuff vegetables in them reasonably easy if necessary; even hamburgers prepared with diced veggies w/sweet potato fries isn't a terrible meal nutrition-wise.

Not every kid likes pickles, but if they do, virtually every vegetable can be pickled and they will eat it. Commercially prepared pickles tend to be very high in sodium and sugars but maybe you know someone (if they are into home canning, they almost always make more than they can eat themselves) or there is a Farmer's Market that doesn't assume you're a millionaire you can buy from.

You are up against what is a huge availability of alternate non-home food options, so that limits the effectiveness of some old-school solutions. But as long as they like *something* you can use that to encourage them to eat what is on their plate.

Kids will eat most things if you put it between slices of bread.

Kids will eat most things if you make it into a soup or stew.

Stop feeding them juice. Give them an orange to eat, versus a glass of orange juice, which has the (natural) sugars of a half dozen to a dozen oranges and no roughage, is generally made from green oranges and is blended in vats which may have some juice that is up to 12 months old before bottling.

Apple Juice (the cheapest form of fruit juice) is tooth decay in a bottle. AVOID. Beware fruit juices which are just flavoured Apple Juice.

That's how it was for me. No choice, eat it or too bad.

My 12 and 10 year old hate sandwiches. We end up grilling chicken and putting over salad with side of dressing and carrots.

Agreed, that's how it was for me too

Older kids in the family got the belt or a backhanded smack.
We all turned out just fine

Yep, same here. I had two options, eat what was made or don't eat at all. I turned out fine and am thankful my parents raised me this way.

OK,
so got up early this morning and tried:
-breakfast: sushi rolls (rice+quinoa, seaweed, avocado, apple, cheddar cheese), 2 done eggs, apple slices
-school lunchbox: snack (strawberries + grapes), sandwich (GF bread + goat cheese spread + provolone + turkey ham) , small cheese, tube yogurt

I'll get the report later from wifey about breakfast reaction and if they eat their school lunch...

I watched a bit of 'tube, and I will try for now to go for something similar to bento boxes...