Does anyone have any quick and tasty meals that go down well with children that are fussy eaters??

Question

My eldest son is getting really bored with the meals i do but i'm struggling to find the time to try out new ideas! I bought a slow cooker and a recipe book to go with it but i'm reluctant to try different dishes in case no-one in the house will eat it and we end up having to order take away! I'm looking for some really child friendly meals that aren't spicey and are healthy. He especially loves his veg and pasta but i'm struggling to find any quick sauces, etc to go with them.

Please - no more pasta recipes!!!! Any other recipes with meat and veg will be superb though. I'm after some tried and tested slow cooker meals if poss so i can put it on in the morning before we all leave the house.

Forgot to mention, he hasn't actually got an eating problem, he's just fussy when it comes to certain meals - he won't eat onion, peppers or mushrooms if he can see them but i can disguise them and he doesn't mind! He won't eat curry but loves sweet & sour chicken. He is open to trying ANYTHING i put in front of him, he even eats mussels, prawns, various types of fish, and LOVES chinese meals. Not bad for a 4 year old!!!!!! I'm just struggling to find a quick and simple meal that i can do for the whole family.

Answer 1

You need to make the meal fun and you can buy smilie faces from the freezer they are potatoe and shaped like a smile face. do some pasta and veg so it looks colourful and interesting.
Most children will eat anything it is us who worry about it that is the problem I found getting my girls to help cook the meal a huge insentive for them to eat what they have cooked.
it is good that he eats his veg Gordon ramsey told his son that if he ate carrots it would make his manhood grow and it worked.
Try getting him to help you cook or even pick his own food when you go shopping.
I worked with children with eating problems and nine times out of ten the parents paniced, got upset and then cross causing a circle when they would not eat.
Sainsbury's do a parrot range of healthy food for children and there are many foods to pick from this may help.
Good luck and try not to stress over meal times children will seldom starve themselves.

Answer 2

why not try a taco salad, very quick and simple. Use Dorittos instead of tortilla shell or Chips. Brown your meat, add red beans and onion if he doesn't have any objections to it, put it in a large bowl, add lettuce, tomatoes, shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican style shredded cheese, and Doritto chips, stir together and serve, if he is not objective to thousand island dressing you can add this as well, but make sure it is the last item in the bowl and stir well. Kids tend not to like the dressing.

Or try this:

Ortzo Pasta ....
Brown boneless chicken strips in large pot or skillet, add a jar of Rague any style and any seasoning you like, bring to a boil, then simmer for about 10-20 minutes the longer you simmer the more tender the chicken becomes, add a box of frozen peas and serve over top of the Italian rice...Ortzo. Serve with italian bread or whatever you have around the house.

Or try Chicken Quesadea's:

Get the soft taco shell found in the ethnic isle of grocery store
boil chicken in a pot until done 20-40 minutes usually, take chicken off the bone, add the chicken to the soft taco shell, add cheese, salsa..if you like spice, and whatever other veggies your son may like, fold and bake in oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve with white rice or any kind of rice for that matter or a fresh green salad.

You can also make a cold pasta salad and add black olives, mozzarella cheese, a frozen bag of Italian veggies, and shrimp or imitation crab meat, (or both) and Italian dressing stir to your cooked pasta, rotini or bows work well, and chill. It taste great and a great source of veggies.

Answer 3

spagehetti pie

yummm

12 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 pound spaghetti
salt, for pasta
12 eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ cups grated parmesan cheese
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, very finely minced
½ cup Italian parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Equipment

9” x 12” baking dish, preferably glass€

Preparation

Lightly grease the inside of a 9” x 12” baking dish with the butter. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Prepare the spaghetti according to the package directions and undercook by 2 or 3 minutes. It should be very al dente. Drain and rinse with cool water. Set aside.

Beat the eggs lightly to combine. Stir in the grated parmesan cheese, extra virgin olive oil, finely minced garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.

[Chef’s Note: Be sure not to add too much salt as the cheese has plenty of salt already.]

Add the egg mixture to the spaghetti and mix until all the spaghetti is well blended with the eggs. Pour into the buttered baking dish and spread the spaghetti mixture evenly in the pan. Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until the eggs are completely set. Uncover the spaghetti pie and sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the top and bake, uncovered, for another 5 minutes or until the mozzarella is melted and slightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool.

Service

Spaghetti pie is best served at room temperature. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If longer storage is required, it can be wrapped in plastic wrap and then in foil and placed in the freezer for up to a month. Thaw and bring back to room temperature before serving.

Variations

Spaghetti pie is one of those delightful recipes that can be creatively adapted to individual tastes. Feel free to add your own special ingredients such as pepperoni, prosciutto, maple ham, sun dried tomatoes, blanched vegetables or other types of grated cheese. You can also substitute whole wheat or spinach spaghetti, or even linguine or fettucine.

Answer 4

I have never been a picky eater. Put it on a plate and I'll eat it, ha ha. I will try anything once (food that is). However, I am married to a man who is the exact opposite. He is very much a plain fayre man - mince & tatties is his favourite or steak pie. Chicken - just roast it and he'll eat it but he doesn't like any kind of sauce with it. The only kind of fish he will eat is haddock and definitely not shell fish. He won't try anything different and says he doesn't like it. How does he know if he hasn't tried it, for heaven's sake.

Answer 5

1) Cook some pasta tubes or twists.
2) Add some chopped chicken (like the ready cooked chicken peices you get from the deli counter)
3) Make up a packet of bread sauce from colemans or shwartz or something like that and mix it into the pasta and chicken. Tasty!

(it has to be bread sauce not white sauce or hollandaise)

Answer 6

You may tried something new:

1.) Prepare the his favorite pasta as usual, cook and drained the pasta
2.) Boiled the chicken broth, add his favorite veggie: carrots, unions (diced) and corns
3.) Marinate a salmon fillet with lemon and salt, then cut to cubes
4.) add the salmon to the soup
5.) finally put the pasta in the soup and serve.

Second receipe:

1.) prepare macaroni as usual, cooked and drained
2.) stir fry ground turkey (marinate turkey with salt and pepper)
3.) add some corn to the turkey
4.) add the macaroni in the pan
5.) add salt, BBQ sauce and Ketup to taste and stir everything together.

Stir fry spegetti or angel hair pasta:
1.) chop all his favorite veggies: I like mushroom, olive, unions, tomatoes, corn.....
2.) stir fry the spegehtti or angel hair pasta
3.) add salt / soy sauce to taste.

My kids love those pasta. Good luck.

Answer 7

quick tasty meals children fussy eaters

Answer 8

Annabel Karmel has some fantastic recipe ideas in her books and on her website. You will find a tomato sauce with hidden vegetables in it which you can make a load of and freeze in individual portions which is so convenient to heat on the hob and add to pasta.

Answer 9

You can try meatloaf. I put a lot of veggies in the meatlof like spinach and carrots and then top it with bbq sauce instead of ketchup. You can also try chili with turkey meat. I often put corn, many kinds of beans and carrots in the chili as well. My experience is if you give them no choice in what they eat they will eat it. I give them yogurt, frech veggies w/dip, and other healthy items on a regular basis. They didnt eat it at first but the eventually gave in.

Answer 10

try this..... campbel mushroom soup and shrimp.
sauté onions ( depends on how much you`re making) then add the shrimp, when the shrimp turns orange add the mushroom soup, add 1/2 cup of milk, add salt & pepper to taste. Pour over pasta.
You can also use chicken.
This sauce goes very well with almost everything.
You can even use on broccoli, fresh greenbeans,etc.
good luck.