What do your kids eat?

Question

My six year old only likes pizza, spaghetti, chicken tenders and sometimes hamburgs and hotdogs for dinner. No potatos other than fries and no veggies other than tomatos. I am at a loss. Are there any interesting ideas that may help my child to like healthier food? I always eat healthy but it doesn't seem to matter.

Answer 1

Baked Spaghetti
1 C. chopped onions
1 C. chopped green pepper
1 T butter
1 (28oz) can tomatoes with liquid, cut up
1 (4oz) can mushrooms, drained
2 tsp oregano
1lb hamburger, browned and drained
12 oz spaghetti, cooked and drained
2 C. shredded cheddar cheese
1 can mushroom soup
1/4 C. water
1/4 C parmesan cheese
In large skillet, saute onion, green pepper in butter until tender. add tomatoes, mushroom, olives, oregano. Add hamburger, simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Place 1/2 of spaghetti in greased 13x9 inch baking dish. Top with 1/2 of vegetables mixture. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheddar cheese. repeat layers. mix the soup, water until smooth. pour over casserole. sprinkle with parmesan cheese. bake, uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

In the Oven Stew
1 1/2 lbs cubed beef
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1/2 pkg dry onion soup mix
combine soup and water and pour over the cubed beef. stir in dry onion soup mix. bake 3 hours in oven at 350 degrees. you can cube potatoes on the top after 1 hour of cooking. this is a great easy dish.

Hawaiian Chicken
4 halves of chicken breasts
1 small bottle of Russian dressing
1 pkg onion soup
1 medium jar apricot preserves
Place chicken in flat baking dish or pan. Mix Russian dressing, onion soup and apricot preserves. Pour over chicken and bake in 350 degrees oven for 35 minutes or until done. this recipe is quick and delicious served with salad and roll.

Chili cheese dip
1lb hamburger (browned & drained)
1lb velveeta cheese (1/2 American)
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 can ro-tel

Answer 2

Well, one of my kids doesn't even like tomatoes so the spaghetti is a no go unless it's buttered! My kids do usually like macaroni and cheese. Kids sometimes enjoy food that is "interesting". My boys like food on sticks such as kebob's etc. Sometimes kids like food that you poke with a stick to eat. You know like cheese and meat that you pick up with toothpicks. You can put some softened vegetables there for them to pick up. Kids sometimes enjoy dipping. My mother-in-law often served raw veggies with dips before dinner with the kids were starving because it was so pretty and there was dipping involved so the kids would eat it since it was all that was available for the next 45 minutes.

You can always resort to sneaking the veggies in. Grated carrot is good in tomato sauce--takes away that vinegary tang so you don't have to add any sugar to the sauce. I've also put ground up cooked lima beans in hamburger before. The kids loved their new burgers--I think they actually liked the texture better. Vegetable Tempura is usually a hit with kids just give them a side of ketchup to go with. It's not "healthy" but it provides a "bridge" for the whole idea of eating vegetables.

I take heart in the fact that I was the pickiest eater on the planet as a child--even being diagnosed as malnourished at one point! Now I eat everything and love a new food adventure. I think the adventure aspect is something that kids respond to.

Answer 3

Sounds like a perfectly normal 6 year old. My 5 year old would live only on pizza if I would let him. Actually, from a dietary perspective pizza is not so bad. You have a grain in the crust, veggie in the form of tomato sauce, usually a meat, and a dairy in the form of cheese.

As for other snacks, it's all about presentation. Here's a quick and fun one. Mix up some cinnamon and sugar in a bowl (this will be called "dirt" or "sand") and serve with apple slices. Call them dirty or sandy apples.

During the summer making juice pops in an ice tray out of the fruit juice of your choice is a great way to get a serving of fruit in them.

Answer 4

Hi,

As a dad of three, here's a few ideas.
When having pizza, pick toppings that are not so full of nitrates, sodium like pepperoni, salami etc contain...try using whole wheat pizza crust, low fat cheese, low sodium pizza sauce for example.
The menus in fast food establishments are changing as people demand more healthy choices so I don't think it would be too difficult to make the switch or like we do sometimes we buy fresh ingredients & make our own pizzas. The kids enjoy the time together with mom & dad & the fun of helping too.

For spaghetti, use whole wheat spaghetti, low sodium sauces & if you use meat in your sauce try using extra lean meats.

Buy some soy burgers & soy based hotdogs, then put them in the packages from their usual brands of these products until they get used to them, some kids won't notice the difference.

Just a few ideas that have worked for my wife & I with our children.

Answer 5

Children's taste change every few years, so don't give up. In the meantime, we encouraged our daughter to eat healthy by putting a few bites of a food on her plate and telling her NOT to eat them. "Those are mine, don't you try them, they taste too good." Reverse psychology worked and now eats just about everything, but she was much younger (2).

Keep the foods simple and separate, easy on the salt and seasoning unless there is one that you know the child likes. (In your case, an Italian seasoning on roast chicken or pork might be enticing.) Having cheese or dip on the side can help as can fresh lemon juice. Try easy vege's first: raw carrots, corn, peas, raw sweet peppers, green beans. Some foods can have textures or mild aftertastes that are unpalatable to children. The taste buds of children are very sensitive so as to protect them, i.e., don't expect a child to like shellfish.

The last bit of advice I have won't be easy, but decide what you're having for dinner, making sure that one item would be palatable to your child and serve it. Don't give in to requests for chicken tenders when you're serving fish. It may be hard at first, but eventually the child will start to try other foods.

Answer 6

I know what you mean... My kids were very picky as young kids.
It was a struggle to find out why they didn't like certain foods.

Sometimes it has to do with appearance...
For spaghetti, I think they were grossed out by this pile of noodles with this red stuff on top.

Also, certain food shouldn't touch one another... etc.

1. Just make sure they take a multivitamin.
2. Don't give them junk food. Broccoli vs Candy... broccoli loses.
3. Have them take at least one bite of something
4. Make a bigger fuss when they do eat or try something new... don't fuss about them not eating anything (less attention on the negative more on the positive)
5. Find out why they don't like it... too mushy? too hard? hurt teeth? too spicey?

Answer 7

the easiest way to get them to eat healthy is dress up the veggies and fruits. with brocoli add some cheese, fruit make pictures on the plate.also take all the junk food out of the house for a little bit and teach them the right way to eat. remind them that junk food is okay once in a while. also use things like jello and pudding as a reward. if they eat all the healthy food on the plate they get a dessert. see how it works and trust me kids need rewards for doing good. that way they're more willing to cooperate

Answer 8

When you make a spaghetti, cut up some vegetables, and add it in when your child isn't looking. Since there's a red sauce, the kid will never be able to tell there are vegetables. Also, load some veggies into the meat balls.

Answer 9

Last night we had spaghetti now I Know my daughter HATES bell peppers so before I added any meat I blended the peppers into the sauce with one of those long hand blenders she never even knew.
When I make Tacos I use thinly sliced spinach in place of lettuce.
There's lots of little replace ments I use that she doesnt even know

Answer 10

well to say the truth i am a kid 10 years old in 5th grade and i eat hot dogs pizza, spaggeti,all kinds of salads,i love nachos, and for dessert i eat ice cream with vanilla and oreos on the top