Do you ever just not know what to make for meals for your kids anymore???? I'm at that point, I ran out of ideas! 
I have a 3 yr. old boy and 16mo. boy and girl twins. My 3 yr. old is soooo picky that he only wants PB&J sandwiches or Mac & Cheese. Eeer. Everytime I make something new he doesn't like it. Is it just his age?
Anyone have ideas on meals for kids? It seems like I just make the same old thing over and over!
My youngest LOVES tuna, to the point that if I don't buy it he throws a fit and if I do he's been known to jump in glee. Spaghetti is another fav of his, he eats more that I do when I make it. He likes fish but won't eat shrimp, my 8 year old begs for it.
Both boys get excited about salmon, we cook it when dad won't be home because he won't eat that stuff.
They also like brocoli, peas, mixed veggies, carrots, etc.
I try to keep lots of fruit in the house, hard because they'll go through 2 pounds of grapes in a day. Throw some crackers and cheese on a plate with that and you have a quick snack.
They prefer wheat bread to white so I try to keep that on hand, my husband will pick up white if he can get away with it.
Tonight their dad is busy so we're having stuffed green peppers.
Both boys will tell me they don't like something before they try it, we don't make extra meals to accomadate unless it's something I KNOW they really don't like.
I thinks its just the age small children are always testing there parents. in our house I put down what they are having and thats what they eat or they can just wait until the next meal rolls around. And I have amazing eaters I think it also helps to start them young on a diverse palate. for example my 3 year old DD has loved raw oysters from the time she was old enough to eat solid food. Right now all she wants is sandwiches it doesnt matter whats on them so long as its between two slices of bread. 
and if you asked her what she wants when we are eating out she will always say quizno's. I just think the key is to not give them the option at a small age say this is what there is to eat and thats all there is to it. I also keep tons of fruits and finger size vegies in the house cereal bars are a huge hit and those yogurts cheese sticks. and dont be affraid to give the sandwich green olives for eyes. I love to use my cookie cutters also to make shaped food. for added fun every once in awhile.
I've got a similar problem but it's my youngest that is so picky. My 4-year-old DD has always been a pretty good eater but not my 22-month-old. The only meat she will eat is chicken and that's hit or miss. She will eat PBJ and sometimes grilled cheese. The only veggies she will eat are green beans, corn (when the phase of the moon suits her), and carrots (but only the sweet ones from the Japanese restaurant). She definitely loves carbs! She will eat any fruit and any plain pasta. That's about it. Oh, I forgot yogurt and cheese. What she eats at one meal, she will reject at the next. It is so frustrating!!
I always put some of what we are eating on her plate and encourage her to try it. She always scrutinizes the new stuff--first she looks at it then she sticks out the tip of her tongue to taste it. If it passes those first few tests, she'll actually take a bite, but it often comes back and she wipes off her tongue. 
Otherwise, she turns her head, says NO, and refuses to open her mouth. Mealtime makes me nuts! I do try to pack a nutritional punch with what she *will* eat--I make her sandwiches on whole wheat and I use multi grain pasta. I try to make sure she gets protein, fiber, and a variety of vitamins. But still, I worry.
I know this wasn't helpful, but I feel your pain!
I agree w/ alot of what the pp say. My kids tried to pull the picky eater bit when they were 2-3 yrs. old but I just ignored it. If they didn't eat, they didn't eat. My grandmother'd have a conniption but I'd tell her they aren't going to pull a Gahndi and starve. They'll eat eventually. It seemed like my son didn't eat for a whole year when he was two; I had to give him Pediasure (he has c.p.) but I'd still ignore the special meal making to appease him. Now they are 10 and 12, and they eat just about anything. He won't eat fruit (sweet) except watermelon but he'll eat ANY and I mean any veggie. He used to hate avocado but I kept on serving it and now he'd eat three of them if I let him! 
There are a couple of things my daughter won't eat, but in general, she's a pretty good eater. She'll eat calamari, lengua, broccoli, cauliflower is her favorite...so 
Just keep putting all the good stuff on their plate and save the "special" meals for once in a while. They'll eat whatever eventually if they are hungry 
You know, I have three and I have given up on trying to please anyone. I have supper with a main dish and two side vegetables or pasta and then a fruit. If they like it they like it, if they don't they don't. Once people leave the table, the kitchen is closed so no snacking. I would drive myself nuts trying to cater to every child's taste buds. The way I figure it, they aren't going to starve. If they don't clear their plates, no big deal. They'll eat more the next meal.
my kids (21 month twin boys) are really picky, per se, but i like to give them things that they can eat themselves without being a complete mess.
they love the perdue cheese filled chicken nuggets. they are packaged on a tray near the hot dogs in my grocery store. they will eat pretty much any chicken nuggets, though.
they will eat pasta, tortellini and potato gnocchi with butter (or olive oil) and grated cheese, mac and cheese, frozen pierogies, pretty much any vegetable. and they love pasta roni.
i make kielbasa, cut into chunks, boiled in ginger ale, then put under the broiler with brown sugar. they like that. ham with brown sugar and honey. lemon chicken and pasta. pizza, hot dogs, chef boyardee ravioli, string cheese, cut into cubes. one of my boys loves a certain kind of turkey lunch meat my mom buys and the other one loves chunky soup - beef with country vegetable (you can hearty it up - not that you really need to - with some elbow pasta). and sometimes i like to make tiny hamburgers with a piece of american cheese.
(they will almost always eat what i make for dinner)
how about pasta salad with canned chicken? or how about things to dip? chicken nuggets and bbq, ketchup, ranch, etc. parboiled vegetables (for the smaller ones), raw for the big kids with different salad dressings? or cut sandwiches into fun shapes?
this all is making me hungry... lol. i need to go get a snack.
good luck!
I put a stop to making another meal for my daughter a long time ago. Now she eats whatever we eat. There is a study that children have to try something ten times before they can truly reject it. My daughter is six now and eats about everything. She eats green beans and asparagus like french fries.
I have seen many "issues" from children I know and they are borderline silly. I know many kids who do not eat any fruits or vegatables.
Very seldomly do I make a seperate meal anymore. They eat what we eat or they don't eat. Sounds rough I know but they have learned after being hungry a few times and with me not giving in, that if they are hungry they'll eat. Your 16 month olds are kind of young to take that approach yet. You could be evil like me and sneek healthy stuff into their favorite foods. The best one I do is Hot Chocolate. I make green beans and save the water (after strainning) then use that water to make the hot chocolate that I make from scratch and add some milk. My kids LOVE it!!!!! I've used other veggies too and they have yet to know. (broccholi is a little to messy though) The water absorbs a lot of the nutrients when cooking the veggies--so since they won't eat the green bean- I secretly get them to anyways. Sounds gross I know, but trust me it works!!!
If you let your kids help you cook they are also more likely to eat the food or at least try it too. It takes my kids a good 10 - 20 times of having a food before trying it or deciding they like it.
You could also make a whole wheat pizza crust (or like a 50%white-50% wheat blend---my kids like this better) and then just make a pb&j pizza for your son. My kids love yogurt smoothies. I just buy the all natural plain or vanilla yogurt and blend some fruit with it. They love this.
My kids love yogurt smoothies. I just buy the all natural plain or vanilla yogurt and blend some fruit with it. They love this.
my mom makes these too! she brings one for the three kids (my two and my nephew, who we watch 4 days a week) every day! it's yogurt, frozen fruit and juice. they love love love it!
Thanks for the great ideas! You guys made me realize that I have to just keep trying. My 16mo. olds do pretty good...so far! But my 3 yr. old won't even touch a vegetable, he used to love vegetable soup, so that's how I would get his veggies in but now he won't touch it. I think it is a power thing for him. He's constantly testing me, I just can't give in!
camcat- Mine does that too! He'll like something one day, and the next he won't eat it. Very frusterating!
mkolmar- The fruit smoothies are a great idea, I'll try that. All my kids used to love yogurt, they ate it like it was ice cream but all of a sudden my 2 boys just won't eat it. My DD will eat some, I guess it's better than nothing!
Have you tried different brands of yogurt? Both my girls will eat different brands but I've found the Yoplait for Kids (Dora, Diego, Blues Clues...NOT Trix) is thick so it stays on their spoon better (good for self-feeding) and it has 25% less sugar than most brands and it doesn't have artificial sweeteners.
Have you tried different brands of yogurt? Both my girls will eat different brands but I've found the Yoplait for Kids (Dora, Diego, Blues Clues...NOT Trix) is thick so it stays on their spoon better (good for self-feeding) and it has 25% less sugar than most brands and it doesn't have artificial sweeteners.
My kids love any yogurt, the gogurts in the tube are nice to send them outside with. My problem is keeping it in the house, they'll eat 2 or more a day if I let them.
I also make popsicles for them out of juice. It's way cheaper than buying real juice popsicles in the store and they love them, you can get the molds all over for them and I buy the frozen juice on sale.
While they have to sit and eat supper with us I'm not so strict about lunch. My youngest doesn't like taking the time to eat a meal during the day because he's so busy so I just feed him healthy stuff all day, I figure it works out in the end.
My oldest went through a not liking onions period but I wouldn't leave them out of his food so now I hear nothing about it.
I try to keep a big bowl of washed fruit on the table at all times. My boys are 6 and 4 ,and love fruit and yogurt. They go thru phases with yogurt though....right now they are stuck on the tube yogurts, sometimes it's trix yogurt, and sometimes it's the dannimals drinkable ones. They will have an entire cbox of yogurt gone in 2 days if I would let them. They also love string cheese. My 6 year old is very picky though. He won't touch any type of meat besides grilled chicken. He knows that if he doesn't like what we are having for dinner, he can make his own pb&j or cheese sandwich. I won't make anything special for him. Sack lunches for 1st grade are going to be tricky next year!
I try to keep a big bowl of washed fruit on the table at all times. My boys are 6 and 4 ,and love fruit and yogurt. They go thru phases with yogurt though....right now they are stuck on the tube yogurts, sometimes it's trix yogurt, and sometimes it's the dannimals drinkable ones. They will have an entire cbox of yogurt gone in 2 days if I would let them. They also love string cheese. My 6 year old is very picky though. He won't touch any type of meat besides grilled chicken. He knows that if he doesn't like what we are having for dinner, he can make his own pb&j or cheese sandwich. I won't make anything special for him. Sack lunches for 1st grade are going to be tricky next year!
Hey Jesse!
I'll fill you in on a little secret a friend of mine told me. Her son used to be really picky to and would only eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets. Then one day she took him to the Pediatrition and he told the kid that if he didn't start eating a variety of different foods and stop being so picky that he was going to have to come in for a SHOT every week!!!! HA! That worked!!!! So when my three year old Daughter or my seven year old son won't eat something I just tell them they will have to get a shot then. May seem cruel in a way but it's so important for kids to try new things and get the variety of foods that their bodies need! Nine times out of ten, when they finally agree to take that first bite they realize how good it is and "snarf" it down! Good luck!!!!!
Anna
One thing that I have noticed is when children take part in making something they desire to eat it even more. One thing mine love to make is pizza. So my advice for the older child is let them in the kitchen with you to help prepare meals. Make a big deal about their good "cooking".
Hey Jesse!
I'll fill you in on a little secret a friend of mine told me. Her son used to be really picky to and would only eat hot dogs and chicken nuggets. Then one day she took him to the Pediatrition and he told the kid that if he didn't start eating a variety of different foods and stop being so picky that he was going to have to come in for a SHOT every week!!!! HA! That worked!!!! So when my three year old Daughter or my seven year old son won't eat something I just tell them they will have to get a shot then. May seem cruel in a way but it's so important for kids to try new things and get the variety of foods that their bodies need! Nine times out of ten, when they finally agree to take that first bite they realize how good it is and "snarf" it down! Good luck!!!!!
Anna
Oh, but that's a tricky one (funny, sounds like something I would do). But here's what we had. My daughter tested as being anemic when she was 3. There was nothing different about her diet than her brothers, except she drank LOTS of milk. To fix the immediate problem, the doctor gave her a shot (then vitamins blah blah blah). Anyway, right before the injection, he told me that the milk might be interfering with the absorbtion of iron. Even at three she heard and translated into milk equals shot. To this day I can hardly get her to touch milk.
Yes, this trick probably should not be used on every child in every case. Of course every parent knows what's best for their child. I rarely do this anymore, just used it as a desperate measure! 
The kid that the Pediatrtion said this to had an extreme case of pickyness. He was only eating a certain brand of hot dogs and chix nuggets! Is your DD's anemia better now? Hope she is doing well!
Anna
Oh, she's fine, thanks for asking. Still not drinking milk, though. Actually, I love using the doctor as backup because kids really see them as the bottom line. I've used a doctor for encouragement for one child's art, even. Used one again for the perils of not brushing. The way I see it, the doctor trick is great. (Didn't want you to misundersand. I think it's hillarious).
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