My oldest daughter was my pickiest eater. I always told myself I was never going to make different meals to accommodate the kids’ whining and distaste for what I cooked. That didn’t work out like I planned.
I’m not the best chef, but it killed me to see my daughter turn her nose up at the food I made, make gagging sounds as she attempted to eat it, and outright refuse to try new things. I was hurt, but I never could say, “you’ll eat when you’re hungry.” On many occasions, I made two lunches or two dinners.
My challenge was figuring out how to introduce flavor and seasoning into her palate so I could just fix one meal for all of us.
TAPER
Slowly, I began adding light sauce to my oldest’s spaghetti. I’d top the sauce with cheese (something she loved) and then slowly added more sauce and less cheese. She now only sprinkles parmesan on her saucy pasta and not a pound of shredded cheese!
PAIRING OPTIONS
With finger food like Tyson chicken nuggets, I’d add flavors like ranch and honey mustard dipping sauces instead with traditional ketchup for dipping. Other times it would be bbq sauce and teryaki and we’d omit the ketchup. This has, over time, led to her now eating some semi-spicy chinese food!
ADD VEGGIES TO FAVORITES
Pizza is a favorite of my daughter. Making pizza at home we’d finely chop up bell peppers and mushrooms and sprinkle them into the sauce and cover the pizza with cheese and pepperoni. Eventually we could stop hiding the veggies and the taste and texture of them weren’t so bad for her.
COOK WITH THE KIDS
This one is easy and fun, and works like a charm! Our younger two kids always loved to help us prepare our food and they were more “proud” to eat it. Now, we shop with my oldest and ask her what we could make together. She’s 14.5 now and can help make more mature decisions and even cook with some of the tools in the kitchen on her own. We emphasize creativity (especially with vegetables) and even suggest she peruse fun sites like Pinterest to seek recipes.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Chicken Nuggets. The opinions and text are all mine.
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