Feeding Kids Can Sure Be Frustrating

[Unregistered]

While I am about 90% organic, have lots of garden veggies in the summer/fall, etc. I'm still middle of the road and kid friendly. My kids seem to always eat great.

I don't serve chicken nuggets, fish sticks, etc. and make most things from scratch. I really strive to made meals without artificial colorings, flavorings, preservatives, etc.

But.....
I buy food co-op organic tortillas...but they are still white flour tortillas.
I use 1/2 organic white spaghetti and 1/2 whole grain.
I've been known to use Annie's mac 'n cheese and add extra cheese.
The big thing for me is to serve organic, lower sugar, homemade if possible, lots of fresh or frozen veggies, all fresh fruit, minimally processed, etc.

My kids' favorites are:
Roast beef, carrots & potatoes
Egg, cheese, potato skillet meal
Chicken Alfredo over pasta made with homemade Alfredo sauce (really easy)
French toast bake made with hearty food co-op bread (it needs bread that won't get soggy anyway) and real maple syrup
Roast turkey
Turkey melts made with immaculate biscuits...again white flour but basic ingre.
Scrambled eggs with cheese
Homemade chicken/rice soup
The day after roast beef or roast turkey we have B.B.Q beef sand. or turkey sand.
P.B. and jam...co-op bread, organic peanut butter and jam used

I see regular recipes like a chicken ranch crescent bake...I buy immaculate crescent rolls, organic dry ranch dressing, the cook and shred chicken breasts and make the meal.

I make homemade hamburger helper...so easy! But I roast beef.

So I tweak regular recipes, use lots of raw veggies, all fresh fruit, no canned fruit or veggies, mostly homemade, but still make it kids friendly.

[AmyKidsCo]

I have found the same with my group. If I were to make a meatball sub, no one would touch it. But if I give them meatballs, bread and sauce separately they would gobble it up and ask for seconds. Everything here is "deconstructed"

Mine too! Pasta with meat sauce on the side is gobbled up - dipping the pasta in the sauce, of course. But pasta with meat sauce on top is left on the plate.

I don't stress over food. I cook healthy, yummy good and offer it. Either they choose to eat it or not. They're the ones who are hungry later on. and grumpy or not, they either play nicely with friends or play by themselves.
I used to worry, but finally decided that catering to their wants was only creating more frustration.
I cook. I serve. I give the opportunity to eat. When they are finished eating I remove rheir plate and move on with my day. I also only serve one serving of each meal component. They may have seconds or thirds or forths of veg when they finish their other food. My portions are big enough that no one starves.

Me too, except I offer seconds on everything. I don't offer thirds unless there's too little left over to save for my family. ::

[Josiegirl]

I go back and forth on this food issue so much. Just call me Mrs. Wishy-Washy.
One day I think my job is to feed them, if they eat great, if not too bad. Then the next day I feed them 2nds of things I know they'll eat, even if they didn't finish everything on the plate because I don't want to deal with grumpy kids later.

But this week I've been very stubborn about given my picky almost 3 yo anything for 2nds unless she eats some of the fruits and veggies on her plate(hey, give me A for effort) .
Yesterday we had salmon, brown rice, broccoli, cucumbers and cantaloupe for lunch. Automatically she refused everything except the rice. I told her she was not getting anymore rice until she ate some of her fruits/veggies. So she ate the head off her broccoli, one slice of cucumber and about 6 pieces of cantaloupe. If you know this child you'd say that was incredible! Nobody ate the salmon(except me)so that was kinda a gimme. Today the same thing happened at lunch, she ended up trying a carrot. Then was so proud of herself that she has eaten a piece of pineapple until I found it on the floor. Sly dog she is.
But as long as she keeps trying bites of this and that.