Are you tired of making meals for picky eaters? 

I’ve been there.

My son was the pickiest eater until he was around 10 – after which point, he started eating everything!

That doesn’t mean I’m in the clear, though, as Nina picked up right where he left off. But this time around, I’m ready for these battles and have figured out how to tackle picky eating from a more positive perspective. 

This doesn’t mean she’ll eat whatever I serve her, of course, but I can say she at least tries most foods these days. Sometimes it’s the small victories that count, right?

There are two main approaches I see mums of picky eaters take. Some will just send their kids to bed hungry or give them a sandwich, while others cook them an entirely different meal altogether. But there are other ways you can deal with this problem that don’t involve reinforcing undesirable habits, hearing kids complain they’re starving, or cooking multiple meals.

Here are my top tips when it comes to meals for picky eaters.

1. Deconstruct meals

Sometimes it’s a fear of the unknown that’s keeping picky eaters from diving in. Instead of mixing everything together, I find that deconstructing meals can help Nina feel more confident about what I’m serving. I’ve noticed that meals where everyone makes their own plate, like tacos and fajitas, go down better with picky eaters, so I’ve extended this philosophy to other types of meals with great success.

What does this mean? Well, if I’m making a curry, for example, I’ll put the individual components on her plate. This means I’ll place the rice to one side, and the chicken + sauce next to it. I think just seeing everything that’s in there helps her feel more relaxed about what we’re eating.

However, I do also make a point of offering her a taste of the “adult” version – which she can try to get a feel for how the components come together if she wants. Baby steps!

2. Use separate plates

This builds on the previous step. If you have one of those picky eaters who has a fit when foods touch, try using a bunch of separate small plates to serve all the components of the meal. Believe me, it can save you from a lot of dinnertime battles. 

Better yet, consider getting a sectioned plate if this is an ongoing problem. Some kids are totally fine as long as foods don’t touch, which means you might not even need to deconstruct every meal. Just place each element – such as your protein, carb and veg – in one of the sections and you’re good to go!

PS: If you’re looking for one and you’re based in Malta, I know Giselle from Vanilla Mummy has both a medium and a large sized one on her online store!
Otherwise, I am positive all Amazon stores stock these.

3. Don’t give up the foods you love entirely

Try as I might, there are some things I just can’t get Nina to eat. And some of them are pretty understandable. For example, I’ll never understand how a ketchup and pizza-loving child claims not to like tomatoes, but I totally get why kids turn up their noses at foods I didn’t like too much at that age, like mushrooms or Brussels sprouts.

So when I’m in the mood for something that just isn’t kid-friendly, I’m not opposed to whipping up a separate meal on that occasion. Of course, it needs to be something simple yet healthy. Some of my go-tos are:

  • Pasta with pesto
  • Pasta with olive oil and parmesan cheese
  • Chicken nuggets (the healthier variety 😉)
  • An omelette (you can toss in veg your child likes – if there are any!)

Meals for picky eaters don’t have to be a big production. Hopefully, these strategies can help you encourage your child to eat what everyone else is having without ending in a complete meltdown!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: have you heard that my free, virtual, meal planning challenge is back?

If you often say “I don’t know what to cook” or “I have NO TIME to meal plan?” – come join us and let’s put an end to that!

More details & registration here.

Love,

Nakita xxx