Ask Lulu...our grkids LOVE my chicken...if you want the recipe email me or I will just post it if you want...Ty loves (hot) wings...pizza works...They like veggies too!!!How about chicken or gr turkey tacos?

We have been trying to get these kids to eat the same food as we do. Just recently we made tacos and one night a casserole and my gs gagged and threw up in his drink. I don't know what to do????

Maybe I'm just being too concerned. Kids' menus have only four or five meals, so maybe they can live on spaghetti, chicken nuggets, pizza, and hot dogs. But that would mean cooking two dinners unless we wanted spaghetti.

Oh, well, I'll figure out something.

we feed the gd what we eat. we eat whole foods that are not over processed, and if we can we use organic. we never have foods like mac and cheese, and once in a while we might pizza but pizza is one of the worse foods to feed kids. we only have chicken nuggets when we go out to eat which is seldom. we have to teach our kids at an early age that whole, organic foods that are not over processed are better then junk. over proceesed foods with sugars, furtose and msg are one reason we are fat and our kids have adhd and other disorders. if the gd does not eat what we do she goes hungry.

I have the same issue. GS hates most everything even though we tried for years to get him to try new things. He started as an infant - the daycare had problems because he would only eat one or two baby foods. He likes sub sandwiches, mac & cheese, pizza, etc. I finally just started making what DH and I want - sophisticated, adult foods, and something simple for GS. It really isn't much extra cooking because he likes very simple foods.

I think our problem stems from the fact that their "mom" raised them on Mickey D's, so now they're so used to fast food things they won't try anything else.

The middle one, however, shares my love of fishy fish (bluefish, salmon, even scallops). Trouble is, nobody else including my husband likes fish.

AAAAAAAAAHHH!

I have found with my gs that the first time he tries something new he generally says he does not like it. I just offer it again and usually by the 3rd time he does. I have heard it takes 3 times for child to try something new before they like it. If he still says after the 3rd time he does not like it then I dont give it to him. Olives he has tried more than that. LOL He keeps trying them and still does not like them.

We have apples and bananas to offer him as snacks. PP&J sandwiches, tonight we are having cranberry pork roast. I do not make him special meals. One thing I learned is they won't starve. They will eat what is put in front of them when they get hungry enough.

I'll try that joehonda, before I totally give up.

The odd thing is that the youngest abhors fruit of all kinds, except bananas! I've never heard of a kid who doesn't like fruit. He'll eat vegetables, but no fruit. The other two love it.

if they like bananas have a lot of them around! my gs loves apples. one day he ate a whole bag! not much else that day but he did eat apples! Go figure

We don't worry to much about what our kids eat during the week they are in summer school and daycare where they eat breakfast and lunch and have a snack. I know that they are eating good. So we eat lite for dinner. But on the weekend I cook and we eat. One is picky but we eat what is placed in front of us and thank God for it. One thing that we really like is to take hamburger and mix it with taco seasoning and chopped onions roll them in meatball size and stick a piece of cheese in the center cover it up the hole and bake in the oven at 375 for about 10 to 12 min. Serve with corn chips and salsa. My kids love this.

Dont knock the ground beef. Sometimes I cook up a bunch, put it in the fridge and each night, do something different. I make southwestern egg rolls by adding salsa and fresh tomatoes in an egg roll skin, or soft tacos, spaghetti sauce, hamburger strogonoff, or sloppy joes. I always add the fresh veggies and they love it! I also do a Mexican baked potatoe where I open the potatoe after baking, butter it, mash it, put cheese and cooked ground beef and nuke it to melt the cheese. Then I cover it with sour cream, tomatoes and cucumbers or broccoli. It's a meal in itself. Other weeks, I may cook a chicken breast and cut it in chunks which again is basis for a lot of meals like noodles with chicken and fresco sauce. Also, toss angel hair pasta with the chicken, tomatoes and broccoli in olive oil and serve with toasted hard bread. I have always led a busy life and had to keep it simple. Hope this helps!

I had a big post and lost it.....aaarrrgghh!!!

To capsulize....

I have been a cook at daycares and have run my own daycare. I would suggest starting with daycare menu sites! They are a wealth of information, menus and recipes for kids - including ones they can help make!

My gs used to eat anything until he went to day care. After a year at his last day care he wouldn't touch anything that didn't come out of a can or from fast food. *sigh*. So basically I started all over.

Here are a couple of basic rules.

1) Introduce new foods at a rate of no more than one new food per day. Do not require that they eat them, just put a small portion on their plate to "try". The first time they may only look at it. Reintroduce this food at intervals and eventually they will taste it. They may or may not like it, but keep re-offering it now and again.

2. Get familiar with, if you are not already, the food pyramid for your kids' age group. KNow their nutritional requirements, but don't freak out over them. Kids will eat what they need. Your job is to be sure it's offered to them.

3. Don't forget to make their food "interesting" to kids. Cut melon or cheese into "shapes", make their meals full of color and texture, give them "fun food" like GORP (I'll let you Google that one ;) hint - go to widipedia ) let them help in the preparation of the food. Lots of finger food! Don't forget "alternates" like juice (fruit) and yogurt (dairy), etc.
Learn how much a serving is for their age. You'd be surprised how little is actually required to meet nutritional needs!

Here are a couple of sites to get you started. The first is a day care site menu with a few recipes added for fun!

http://www.adaycare.com/menu.html

Here's the gov't food pyramid site:

http://www.mypyramid.gov/kids/ it takes a looonnnnggg time to download....

Hope this helps a little ! :)

Thanks so much, granny! I never even thought of day care (or, now that you mention it, school) menus!

What a great idea.

Yes, school menus as well, although sometimes they aren't too inventive in color and texture...lol. But my mind automatically goes to day care because gs is 3....lol. ;)

I have a picky eater too...