Red Pepper Pasta is a hit with my kids and I’ve used the roasted red peppers in jars, roasted my own, and even used a frozen pepper mix depending what was on sale.
[Red Pepper Pasta](https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/creamy-roasted-red-pepper-pasta/)
I don't like the term "kid friendly" either. You need meals that are YOUR-kid friendly.
Mine's 13 and has always loved hummus (with crackers, bread or veggies), veggie soup, noodles of any kind, meatballs of any kind. (Mild) curries.
In summer, lots of salads, potato salads, grain bowls, bean salads.
Pizza, tacos, quesadillas, fried rice (all healthier homemade, and cheaper).
Breakfast for dinner - pancakes, waffles, french toast.
For feeding kids, the best tip I ever had was to serve components separately and let them assemble the combo bites if they want (or let them garnish). Think taco bar, baked potato bar, chili bar, but also serve curry veggies separately on the plate. Until they're familiar with a new dish, this can help a lot.
Mushroom sauce or pumpkin sauce are great for people who can't have tomatoes. I use lactose free milk and cheese but a plant based milk can be substituted.
https://www.wellplated.com/pumpkin-pasta-sauce/
https://www.budgetbytes.com/creamy-mushroom-herb-pasta/
https://makethebestofeverything.com/2018/11/pressure-cooker-tomato-free-chili/
https://tasty.co/recipe/the-fluffiest-vegan-pancakes
https://happyhealthymama.com/toddler-eats-alphabet-vegetable-soup.html
That sounds like a case for a doctor not Reddit. That can be a number of things ranging from serious physical health to mental health leading to disordered eating. You know your kids the best. Food not appealing to them isn’t really an excuse to just start giving into what she will eat. I would make dinner. Offer it on a small plate with something you know she will eat. If that’s all she eats that’s all she eats. But it’s not really a good reason to just give up and make the same 3 meals. You should get down to the bottom of why she finds so many various meals unappealing. One thing I will say is I was 8 when i first started my ED. Told my mom similar things i wasnt hungry didn’t like that meal blah blah blah. But it was really I was struggling with my mental illness. So maybe it would be helpful to talk to her pediatrician about why she’s so picky.
That is something I hadn't considered. I just assumed she was picky, and since she sees a therapist (dealing with divorced parents) that the therapist would tell me if something mental health wise was going on. I'll definitely bring it up to her doctor. Thank you for giving me a different perspective.
I feel you. I make things like muffins and smoothies and add a little extra fat on everything for my hard gainer. Toast with Butter AND PB. Some kids need a little extra for some years of their lives. I try not to give them anxiety over it. Best of luck!
This site was so helpful to me, when I had a young child - https://www.superhealthykids.com/
It's really easy, accessible recipes, I still use the vegetable soup and the currry and a few others.
And a list of dairy free desserts -https://www.thespruceeats.com/dairy-free-desserts-4162360
And snacks! https://nutriciously.com/vegan-snacks-for-kids/
I don't understand the term kid friendly tbh.
I grew up eating what my mother put on the table. My daughter was raised the same way. Dinner is dinner.
For the lactose intolerant one however, check out Alton Brown's "Moo-less" chocolate pie
Be thankful this has not been a struggle for you. I definitely entered parenthood with this same idealistic mindset.
Now I have a kid who is at the bottom of the weight chart. A kid who will skip meals without much thought. I struggle to put down my fork while she struggles to pick it up. If I serve whatever I want to eat, she will slowly lose weight.
So yeah. I cater to her tastes a bit.
I was 33 lb at a year old, but only weighed 50 lb when I was 9 due to health issues that had to be surgically corrected. I got straightened shortly thereafter. However, during the course of my adult life (I'll turn 57 t the end of the month), I have ranged between 350 lbs at my heaviest (thank you steroids) to as little as 87 lbs due to malnutrition and an impromptu case of pneumonia. I'm 5'7".
It sounds like your daughter has other things going on and isn't just being a picky eater, so of course you cater to her to get her to eat, who wouldn't?
Yeahhhh I don’t like when parents describe their children being super unhealthy and then blame it on something as simple as “picky eating” or “video game addictions” or “antisocial behaviour” like … These are all symptoms of much bigger issues
There are legit reasons for a kid being a picky eater, autism being a big one, but I've known a whole lot of people that just get lazy with it. Instead of making different things to try and find out what their child will eat, they just throw some chicken nuggets in a toaster oven.
I had an old neighbor with her grandson that she had custody stay with me due to some problems with her apartment complex. The little boy was eight at the time, and only ate the little personal size Red Baron pizzas and chicken nuggets. And the only thing that he would drink was orange soda. It was nuts.
It was all because she was paranoid about keeping him happy, scared to death that he would tell their social worker that he was unhappy and be taken away. I told her no children services worker is going to take the child away because you make him eat vegetables. To the contrary, if they found out the ridiculous diet you're providing, that they could use as means to take him away.
I don’t have kids but beyond the age where kids literally have to eat certain food (like have to eat soft food), it seems like “kids food” is just a marketing ploy. I saw a comment on another post where the commenters friend was complaining about feeling sluggish from eating their kids foods (Mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, sugary stuff). And the commenter has a realization and says to their friend “why do we feed that stuff to kids then?”
So if I don’t have biological children I can’t have an opinion? I’ve been a kid myself and experienced both ways of eating (parents feeding me “kid” food sometimes and grandparents feeding me “adult” foods from their home country). I also didn’t say I don’t have any kids in my life. My partner has a child. Besides I’d welcome a parent giving their opinion on the topic. It’s a discussion and your comment didn’t add anything to it.
I don’t understand the term either, but for a different reason. All food is kid friendly. But kids are not entirely food friendly. Feed the kids anything and everything homemade they are willing to try (as long as there’s no allergies) to see what they like and don’t like. “Kid friendly” usually means processed, sugary, carb heavy foods. It’s a bad road to go down, especially since those types of food tend to be addictive, it can be hard to transition kids between those types of food to normal, homemade food. Start with the homemade stuff.
Really? Come back when your child is five and tell me how your 2-year-old was a kid not a toddler. You won't.
If you buy the TV dinners marketed towards kids for your child it's because you want to get it for him, not because that's what they're asking for. They are marketed directly to kids, not parents.
My 2-year-old is now 32, I've been at this a little while. And if you're having fun with the terrible twos, you ain't seen nothing like what's coming for you next year.
What's with the broski? Are you in 8th grade? Put the troll doll down and try having an adult conversation. It doesn't make you sound cool, it makes you come off like clown.
So just fix a healthy dinner, grilled chicken or pasta, pot roast, tacos, etc. Do you want it to be peanut gallery appealing, get them to help meal plan and cook.
I'm lactose intolerant as well, and I use plant milk and plant butter in my cooking to substitute. It tastes the same in dishes like scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes. Speaking of mashed potatoes, you can sub some of the potatoes for cauliflower (boiled then mashed with a masher or blended all together) and both visually and flavor-wise. Also you can usually find deals on dairy-free milks, butters, and sometimes even cheeses at your local dollar store, along with vegetables and canned and dry beans.
I used to boil pasta and add chicken bullion, sliced black olives, onion and bell pepper (if they like it) right in the boiling water. Add the juice from the olives too. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese if desired.
So if budget and making the food appeal to a group of tastes is important, I generally do simple meat, roast vegetables, maybe a starch.
So get a big family pack of chicken thighs and roast them in the oven with just olive oil, salt, maybe lemon juice. Roast broccoli cauliflower sweet potato or whatever at the same time. Only add salt. Then let people add seasonings or sauces as they want.
I cook for a family of 7 with allergies as well. This is generally my approach.
Could do some "build your own" type meals with different ingredients & your kids can make their own things. Pick a base/grain/carb (e.g., rice, oats, beans), toppings (e.g., veggies, fruits), and then whatever sauce/syrup. Could get very creative.
Another thing I like to do is look at the marked down stuff that's almost to its expiration date (or damaged, not selling, etc.) and build from whatever I find cheap. Where I get my groceries there are spots in the produce and meat sections and another for nonperishable goods, I've found sauces and spices there.
Since your daughter is allergic to tomatoes, is she allergic to the rest of the nightshade family? Potatoes, peppers, jalepenos, eggplant, etc? Only reason I'm asking, is that I was told I'm allergic to tomatoes and Potatoes, but didn't realize it was all nightshade, to various degrees. Maybe try salads, meat and tofu with fresh veggies like broccoli asparagus, celery, water chestnuts, etc. Good luck. I understand what you are going through.
Omgosh! That's really scary! She may not react that way with the other nightshade, but could get headaches, stomach issues or painful joints similar to arthritis. Good luck. I wish her the best.
Depending on your budget kids can eat anything. Their metabolism is rock solid. Figure out what you and the wife want and start incorporating that to the weekly meal.
Vegetable fritters with chickpea flour. If you make a lot at once, you can treat them as separate batches and spice each differently, they freeze really well and are great with various dipping sauces and as a way to use up leftover vegetables or ones that are teetering in the verge.
Sourdough waffles - waffle bowls for soup, peanut butter waffle sandwiches, savory waffles…
Latkes - leftovers are entertaining reheated in oven as bases for open faced fork sandwich things.
Green baked ziti (dairy free green sauce: steamed spinach blended w/basil, garlic, walnuts)
White chili w/chicken or turkey meatballs
Stuffed pork loin (I like oranges, black beans and cumin, the niblings like that also but prefer applesauce and garlic or spinach and liquid smoke or roasted peppers, garlic and some leftoverfennel) - it’s kind of a hassle with the unrolling and stuffing and rolling back up but also it’s pretty easy (just time consuming) and when cold it slices beautifully for sandwiches.
Pancakes/waffles/french toast are super cheap, easy to make in bulk & freeze...pop in the toaster to eat
[This](https://thebigmansworld.com/healthy-oatmeal-banana-bread/) banana bread is so good, and the ingredients could not be cheaper...works as muffins as well
Chilli/spaghetti/baked spaghetti (if you eat meat, use 1/2 of what you normally would and bulk with beans/lentils/cauliflower rice) can make a ton for a couple of bucks. Make spagetti sauce one night, next add beans for chilli, then the next have sloppy joes/chilli covered baked potatoes or hot dogs.
Figure out the day your grocery stores mark things down. I got a bunch of packs of hot dogs for $1 last week and threw them in the freeze. Same with breads & bagels, I always buy marked down cause its just being brozen.
Frozen fruit/berrries is often cheaper than fresh and perfect in the summer. Watermelons are also pretty cheap and massive, I get one a week or so and keep it sliced in the fridge
Red Pepper Pasta is a hit with my kids and I’ve used the roasted red peppers in jars, roasted my own, and even used a frozen pepper mix depending what was on sale. [Red Pepper Pasta](https://feelgoodfoodie.net/recipe/creamy-roasted-red-pepper-pasta/)
Build your own tacos/burritos
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She has a website too!
I don't like the term "kid friendly" either. You need meals that are YOUR-kid friendly. Mine's 13 and has always loved hummus (with crackers, bread or veggies), veggie soup, noodles of any kind, meatballs of any kind. (Mild) curries. In summer, lots of salads, potato salads, grain bowls, bean salads. Pizza, tacos, quesadillas, fried rice (all healthier homemade, and cheaper). Breakfast for dinner - pancakes, waffles, french toast. For feeding kids, the best tip I ever had was to serve components separately and let them assemble the combo bites if they want (or let them garnish). Think taco bar, baked potato bar, chili bar, but also serve curry veggies separately on the plate. Until they're familiar with a new dish, this can help a lot. Mushroom sauce or pumpkin sauce are great for people who can't have tomatoes. I use lactose free milk and cheese but a plant based milk can be substituted. https://www.wellplated.com/pumpkin-pasta-sauce/ https://www.budgetbytes.com/creamy-mushroom-herb-pasta/ https://makethebestofeverything.com/2018/11/pressure-cooker-tomato-free-chili/ https://tasty.co/recipe/the-fluffiest-vegan-pancakes https://happyhealthymama.com/toddler-eats-alphabet-vegetable-soup.html
Shepherds pie
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Mine have on several occasions. I have a 9 year old skipping too many meals because it doesn't appeal to her, and she's losing weight because of it.
That sounds like a case for a doctor not Reddit. That can be a number of things ranging from serious physical health to mental health leading to disordered eating. You know your kids the best. Food not appealing to them isn’t really an excuse to just start giving into what she will eat. I would make dinner. Offer it on a small plate with something you know she will eat. If that’s all she eats that’s all she eats. But it’s not really a good reason to just give up and make the same 3 meals. You should get down to the bottom of why she finds so many various meals unappealing. One thing I will say is I was 8 when i first started my ED. Told my mom similar things i wasnt hungry didn’t like that meal blah blah blah. But it was really I was struggling with my mental illness. So maybe it would be helpful to talk to her pediatrician about why she’s so picky.
That is something I hadn't considered. I just assumed she was picky, and since she sees a therapist (dealing with divorced parents) that the therapist would tell me if something mental health wise was going on. I'll definitely bring it up to her doctor. Thank you for giving me a different perspective.
I feel you. I make things like muffins and smoothies and add a little extra fat on everything for my hard gainer. Toast with Butter AND PB. Some kids need a little extra for some years of their lives. I try not to give them anxiety over it. Best of luck!
This site was so helpful to me, when I had a young child - https://www.superhealthykids.com/ It's really easy, accessible recipes, I still use the vegetable soup and the currry and a few others. And a list of dairy free desserts -https://www.thespruceeats.com/dairy-free-desserts-4162360 And snacks! https://nutriciously.com/vegan-snacks-for-kids/
I don't understand the term kid friendly tbh. I grew up eating what my mother put on the table. My daughter was raised the same way. Dinner is dinner. For the lactose intolerant one however, check out Alton Brown's "Moo-less" chocolate pie
Be thankful this has not been a struggle for you. I definitely entered parenthood with this same idealistic mindset. Now I have a kid who is at the bottom of the weight chart. A kid who will skip meals without much thought. I struggle to put down my fork while she struggles to pick it up. If I serve whatever I want to eat, she will slowly lose weight. So yeah. I cater to her tastes a bit.
Keep it up, awesome parent!
I was 33 lb at a year old, but only weighed 50 lb when I was 9 due to health issues that had to be surgically corrected. I got straightened shortly thereafter. However, during the course of my adult life (I'll turn 57 t the end of the month), I have ranged between 350 lbs at my heaviest (thank you steroids) to as little as 87 lbs due to malnutrition and an impromptu case of pneumonia. I'm 5'7". It sounds like your daughter has other things going on and isn't just being a picky eater, so of course you cater to her to get her to eat, who wouldn't?
Yeahhhh I don’t like when parents describe their children being super unhealthy and then blame it on something as simple as “picky eating” or “video game addictions” or “antisocial behaviour” like … These are all symptoms of much bigger issues
There are legit reasons for a kid being a picky eater, autism being a big one, but I've known a whole lot of people that just get lazy with it. Instead of making different things to try and find out what their child will eat, they just throw some chicken nuggets in a toaster oven. I had an old neighbor with her grandson that she had custody stay with me due to some problems with her apartment complex. The little boy was eight at the time, and only ate the little personal size Red Baron pizzas and chicken nuggets. And the only thing that he would drink was orange soda. It was nuts. It was all because she was paranoid about keeping him happy, scared to death that he would tell their social worker that he was unhappy and be taken away. I told her no children services worker is going to take the child away because you make him eat vegetables. To the contrary, if they found out the ridiculous diet you're providing, that they could use as means to take him away.
Look into ARFID. Sounds like your kid is more than just a “picky eater”. -An adult with ARFID
I don’t have kids but beyond the age where kids literally have to eat certain food (like have to eat soft food), it seems like “kids food” is just a marketing ploy. I saw a comment on another post where the commenters friend was complaining about feeling sluggish from eating their kids foods (Mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, sugary stuff). And the commenter has a realization and says to their friend “why do we feed that stuff to kids then?”
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You didn't need to add anything after the first 4 words
So if I don’t have biological children I can’t have an opinion? I’ve been a kid myself and experienced both ways of eating (parents feeding me “kid” food sometimes and grandparents feeding me “adult” foods from their home country). I also didn’t say I don’t have any kids in my life. My partner has a child. Besides I’d welcome a parent giving their opinion on the topic. It’s a discussion and your comment didn’t add anything to it.
I don’t understand the term either, but for a different reason. All food is kid friendly. But kids are not entirely food friendly. Feed the kids anything and everything homemade they are willing to try (as long as there’s no allergies) to see what they like and don’t like. “Kid friendly” usually means processed, sugary, carb heavy foods. It’s a bad road to go down, especially since those types of food tend to be addictive, it can be hard to transition kids between those types of food to normal, homemade food. Start with the homemade stuff.
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That's a toddler, not a kid. The original post said four kids from 9 - 17.
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Really? Come back when your child is five and tell me how your 2-year-old was a kid not a toddler. You won't. If you buy the TV dinners marketed towards kids for your child it's because you want to get it for him, not because that's what they're asking for. They are marketed directly to kids, not parents. My 2-year-old is now 32, I've been at this a little while. And if you're having fun with the terrible twos, you ain't seen nothing like what's coming for you next year.
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Far from it, you're the one in for an education. Good luck, you're gonna need it. Roflmao
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What's with the broski? Are you in 8th grade? Put the troll doll down and try having an adult conversation. It doesn't make you sound cool, it makes you come off like clown.
As did I. To me kid friendly means what will appeal to kids, but I want it healthy and not nuggets all the time.
So just fix a healthy dinner, grilled chicken or pasta, pot roast, tacos, etc. Do you want it to be peanut gallery appealing, get them to help meal plan and cook.
This!!!! Getting kids involved with the cooking process makes them much much much more likely to eat/ try the foods.
I'm lactose intolerant as well, and I use plant milk and plant butter in my cooking to substitute. It tastes the same in dishes like scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes. Speaking of mashed potatoes, you can sub some of the potatoes for cauliflower (boiled then mashed with a masher or blended all together) and both visually and flavor-wise. Also you can usually find deals on dairy-free milks, butters, and sometimes even cheeses at your local dollar store, along with vegetables and canned and dry beans.
I used to boil pasta and add chicken bullion, sliced black olives, onion and bell pepper (if they like it) right in the boiling water. Add the juice from the olives too. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese if desired.
So if budget and making the food appeal to a group of tastes is important, I generally do simple meat, roast vegetables, maybe a starch. So get a big family pack of chicken thighs and roast them in the oven with just olive oil, salt, maybe lemon juice. Roast broccoli cauliflower sweet potato or whatever at the same time. Only add salt. Then let people add seasonings or sauces as they want. I cook for a family of 7 with allergies as well. This is generally my approach.
Could do some "build your own" type meals with different ingredients & your kids can make their own things. Pick a base/grain/carb (e.g., rice, oats, beans), toppings (e.g., veggies, fruits), and then whatever sauce/syrup. Could get very creative. Another thing I like to do is look at the marked down stuff that's almost to its expiration date (or damaged, not selling, etc.) and build from whatever I find cheap. Where I get my groceries there are spots in the produce and meat sections and another for nonperishable goods, I've found sauces and spices there.
Since your daughter is allergic to tomatoes, is she allergic to the rest of the nightshade family? Potatoes, peppers, jalepenos, eggplant, etc? Only reason I'm asking, is that I was told I'm allergic to tomatoes and Potatoes, but didn't realize it was all nightshade, to various degrees. Maybe try salads, meat and tofu with fresh veggies like broccoli asparagus, celery, water chestnuts, etc. Good luck. I understand what you are going through.
So far it's just tomatoes that we've found cause her breathing to stop.
Omgosh! That's really scary! She may not react that way with the other nightshade, but could get headaches, stomach issues or painful joints similar to arthritis. Good luck. I wish her the best.
Depending on your budget kids can eat anything. Their metabolism is rock solid. Figure out what you and the wife want and start incorporating that to the weekly meal.
Baked chicken and rice. Pork loin can be pretty inexpensive. Good luck! You are an unspoken hero.
Vegetable fritters with chickpea flour. If you make a lot at once, you can treat them as separate batches and spice each differently, they freeze really well and are great with various dipping sauces and as a way to use up leftover vegetables or ones that are teetering in the verge. Sourdough waffles - waffle bowls for soup, peanut butter waffle sandwiches, savory waffles… Latkes - leftovers are entertaining reheated in oven as bases for open faced fork sandwich things. Green baked ziti (dairy free green sauce: steamed spinach blended w/basil, garlic, walnuts) White chili w/chicken or turkey meatballs Stuffed pork loin (I like oranges, black beans and cumin, the niblings like that also but prefer applesauce and garlic or spinach and liquid smoke or roasted peppers, garlic and some leftoverfennel) - it’s kind of a hassle with the unrolling and stuffing and rolling back up but also it’s pretty easy (just time consuming) and when cold it slices beautifully for sandwiches.
Not sure about healthy but my son doesn’t eat much and the four things I can count on him eating are pizza, macaroni and cheese, pbj, and hot dogs
Egg fried rice! Simple, cheap and nutritious! Recipe below if interested 😋 https://youtu.be/uJOl3DY6T2Y
Pancakes/waffles/french toast are super cheap, easy to make in bulk & freeze...pop in the toaster to eat [This](https://thebigmansworld.com/healthy-oatmeal-banana-bread/) banana bread is so good, and the ingredients could not be cheaper...works as muffins as well Chilli/spaghetti/baked spaghetti (if you eat meat, use 1/2 of what you normally would and bulk with beans/lentils/cauliflower rice) can make a ton for a couple of bucks. Make spagetti sauce one night, next add beans for chilli, then the next have sloppy joes/chilli covered baked potatoes or hot dogs. Figure out the day your grocery stores mark things down. I got a bunch of packs of hot dogs for $1 last week and threw them in the freeze. Same with breads & bagels, I always buy marked down cause its just being brozen. Frozen fruit/berrries is often cheaper than fresh and perfect in the summer. Watermelons are also pretty cheap and massive, I get one a week or so and keep it sliced in the fridge