Hi reader,
I've bet you've heard some ugly horror stories about picky eaters, right? Let me introduce you to my son.
His name is Josh and he's not your typical teen. He's my little health nut. He'll choose fruit over chips, ADORES tomatoes and if you ask what he's like for dinner, he'll tell you steak.
He's also a picky eater.
He won't eat anything white and creamy. He won't touch ranch dressing, yogurt or sour cream and it took me YEARS to get him to just try mashed potatoes.
I'm not sure if it's because of the texture or because it's green, but he also hates guacamole.
BUT… a few summers ago he tried it – AND LOVED IT – and now asks me for it on a near weekly basis.
What changed? How did I get my picky eater to finally eat something he's openly disliked and refused to eat for YEARS?!
That's the thing – *I* didn't do anything.
You see, my family got together with a few other blogging families for a mastermind retreat in West Virginia. One of those other bloggers was Katie from Kitchen Stewardship. We've been friends for years, but this was the first time our families had officially met.
Halfway through the week, Katie's son Paul (12 at the time) made guacamole. He mashed avocados, squeezed limes, and added seasoning. Because HE made it, he asked Josh to try it.
Josh said no.
But Paul asked again, saying "I made it, so you HAVE to try it."
Josh caved and said yes. The result?
My guacamole-hating son LOVED IT!
A light bulb went off for me in this moment and I realized I needed a new approach to meal planning and feeding my picky eater. I tried a few methods and here's what works in our house: - Include your picky eater in the meal-planning process. When my son gets to add his input to the meal plan, he's inclined to eat what's for dinner! It can be a main dish, a side, lunch or breakfast ideas.
- Declare "This is YOUR dinner night!" where the picky eater gets to choose. This may mean they pick chicken nuggets and mac and cheese three weeks in a row. However, as Mom, I can make homemade chicken nuggets and stove-top mac and cheese as healthier options.
- Make it a buffet night. Serve a variety of dishes including your picky eater's favorites. This is how we like to do taco night or a baked potato bar. Each person can pick out their favorite toppings!
Do you have any picky eaters in your house? Do you have any tried and true strategies to help them choose a variety of healthy foods?
Tiffany
PS: It can be a little defeating to have a picky eater. I mean, you planned, you shopped, you cooked, and then the delicious food is ignored or even worse…shoved away!
Now, my expertise is not in navigating picky eating at the dinner table, but I CAN help you with meal planning so that the meals you serve work for YOUR family…and that includes the picky eaters!
My Meal Planning Made Easy challenge is coming up in a few weeks and if you have picky eaters, you should DEFINITELY join!! It's completely free and FULL of solid ways to make meal plans, stick to them, and learn what method works best for your family.
>> All you need to do is click here to sign up! | | | |
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