Starch: It's what's for dinner

I've never had macaroni cheese from a packet but then, I live in the UK and it's not so common here. We tend to make it properly. ;o) I'm doing it for dinner tonight actually, because I have milk and cheese to use up.

Sounds like your kids weren't interested because they'd only ever had the boxed stuff... the best advice I have for people is to give them a massive variety from a young age, and don't ever stop the wide variation, otherwise they'll only get used to eating certain things!

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I'm not a restaurant. If my son turns his nose up, he can take two bites and opt out of the meal after that. He rarely does. I absolutely will not cater to the irrational whims of a kid at dinner or lunch. Mind you, since it's he and I for lunch, he gets a choice from a short list, but for dinner, no go. I haven't got the resources (physical, financial, time) to make multiple meals. I would say the same to his father.

What do we usually eat?

Mac & Cheese - lots of broccoli and ham baked in

Shepherd's Pie - I put mixed veg into the beef part

Homemade Pizza - lots of veg on top

Mince Stew - easy, fast, cheap, from scratch http://momcast.blogspot.com/2006/11/frugal-recipe-grannys-mince-stew.html

Quesadillas and Rice - usually with homemade guacamole and veggies

5-Layer Tex Mex Dip - again with the guacamole!

Enchiladas and Rice - yet again with the guacamole - I always make enough for a couple of meals

Linzen Suppe - Easy, fast, cheap, from scratch http://momcast.blogspot.com/2007/01/national-soup-swap-day_23.html

Curried Chicken, with rice and Aloo Gobi - use commercially bought pastes and toss chicken quarters into a crock and add potatoes, cauliflower and peas in the last hour or so.

Easy Stroganoff with veg - I use hamburger helper as the base and add about a cup of chopped broccoli and 1/2 cup of shredded carrot

Easy chili - ground beef, onion, green pepper, red pepper, three tins of different beans (red kidney, white kidney and whatever else you like), 2 tins of tomato soup, 1 lg tin diced tomato, chili powder and a couple dashes of hot sauce.

Meatball subs - I buy a box of meatballs and heat them in some fave sauce and put it over chopped onion, green pepper and mushroom on a bun. Save the leftover sauce for spaghetti two nights later.

I could add more but this pretty much covers what we eat most often.

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Just use the elbow noodles! I've had my kids turn up their noses at homemade too, and I found it was the noodle shape. They'll eat homemade if it is shaped right.

For non-starches, I have a lot of success with vegetables sauteed in soy sauce or black bean sauce, especially asparagus and broccoli. They'll also eat things that require effort on their part. For example, they like corn-on-the cob, and like it if I just give them a peeled apple to gnaw on rather than one that's been sliced up.

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My (18mo) son eats anything so long as it has garlic in. He's never eaten ready-made stuff so I don't have a problem of him refusing home cooked food. As his dad is strict vegetarian, I tend to make my son's lunch meat-based and then his dinner is what we had the night before (or viceversa). I therefore bulk-cook some meals and put them in the freezer (my own readymeals!).

His favourite meals:

Chicken casserole (chicken and whatever veg in the fridge, with low-salt stock, apple juice, herbs and GARLIC - throw into casserole in the oven for 1hr)

Bean chili (chili without the meat, I put a variety of beans in there and serve with rice and yoghurt)

Shepherds pie (made with lamb, whatever veg in the fridge, regular/sweet potato topping and plenty of cheese on top - I used to hate this as a kid but now I sneak portions of it for my lunch!)

'Scrabble Soup' (minestrone made with whatever veg in the fridge, red lentils and alphabet mini-pasta, served with parmesan. I make this for my husband and I and freeze the leftovers for my son's meals)

Chicken/Turkey nuggets (made at home with seasoned breadcrumbs containing mild chili and parmesan - he loves these even when really spicy! Served with whatever veg are in season, potato wedges. Freeze very well in portions)

Chicken & Apple balls (this couldn't be easier - in a food processor, put grated apple, chicken (I use thighs as better meat), breadcrumbs, fresh herbs, salt, pepper, a tablespoon of apple juice, and process until minced and balling-up. Use a teaspoon to make small round balls, coat in flour and fry gently until cooked. Serve with veg/potatoes. Mmm! Freeze very well)

Mini-quiches (make standard quiches in mini-flan cases or I use yorkshire pudding tins. I use readymade pastry. Fry up mixed veg and/or bacon, top with cheese and pour over cream/egg mix. Freeze very well)

I sometimes resort to fish fingers (Birds Eye in the UK don't have colourings or flavourings, and use good quality fish) when in a rush.


He's not so keen on:
[Homemade] pizza(?!), baked beans

As you can see, all these meals don't really matter what vegetables are in the fridge, so we tend to buy whatever is in season - cheaper, easier and much better for the environment!

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I'm with you, Julie - my 2 yr old will eat pretty much just starch-based foods... PB or grilled cheese sandwiches, pizza (but until recently, only pizza from restaurants, not homemade!), pancakes, any sort of bread - and that's about it.

I've started making muffins or breads (in my bread machine!) and sneaking fruits or veggies into those. He's eaten apple-pumpkin muffins (with the apple diced REALLY small), and zucchini-carrot bread, spinach-cheese bread, and others. He can't tell its good for him! I got a bread machine cookbook, it had lots of ideas.

I keep sticking other foods in front of him, and every now & then he'll surprise me & try something. He used to not even let me put "weird" foods on his plate, so we've made major progress!

On the other hand, his 1 yr old sis will eat pretty much anything she can get her grubby little hands on! Its actually helped, because he sees her eating & sometimes that gets him to want what she's got.

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I'm the exact same way.. I try and try, but in the end, it's dino nuggets or PB&J. My son (3-1/2) will eat veggies but he's a hard one to please. My daughter (20-months) will eat a better variety but that's starting to shift.
They both consume large amounts of milk... in fact, I think they survive on it. They come by in honestly because my brother and I did the same thing in our youth.

I've stopped trying but maybe that's a bad thing. I should try but in the end, I just make them something healthy and I know they'll eat.

I refuse to make more than one meal so if they don't eat it... that's it.

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I wouldn't assume that "home-cooked" is automatically more nutritious than "out of the box." At least you have measurements of the good & bad stuff if you make it out of a box. Unless you're a nutritionist, your home-made meals may contain more fat, sugar, cholesterol, etc. than is healthy. Of course, I'm not saying home-made is worse, just that we shouldn't automatically assume it's always better.

There are lots of great, nutritional, fun options that require little or no cooking. But for our generation, most of that isn't "comfort food," so it's nice to have a home-cooked meal sometimes. To get your kids to appreciate home-cooked meals, you might want to make it a weekly or monthly tradition and make a big deal out of how wonderful it is.

And I agree with some posters above - you make what you think the family should eat (hopefully stuff you personally love), and don't let the kids think they get to decide if it meets their standards. You are not their servant, and deliberately wasting food is a sin. If they absolutely won't eat what you serve, they can wait until the next meal to satisfy their hunger. I assure you that won't happen often.

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As far as mac and cheese goes, my 2 yr old loves this recipe, its as fast as boxed, but its homemade.

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oops http://www.parenthacks.com/2007/02/homemade_macaro.html

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SKL - I would bet you that despite higher levels of fat and sugar that may be present in "from scratch" versions of food, they are ALWAYS more nutritious overall than boxed. There will ALWAYS be higher levels of nutrients in foods you make yourself than foods that have been pre-processed. And, I'd take the sugar I add to food over High-Fructose Corn Syrup anyday. And, I don't put it in savoury foods, while manufacturers do.

And, yes, I've discussed this with a nutritionist who agreed it was better to eat whole foods, even with slightly elevated levels of fats than it was to eat pre-processed foods.

And, my tidbit about the mac and cheese: get whole wheat elbows. You cannot taste the difference.

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Well I was lucky my little one loved veggies and didnt care for meat.

As for the mac and cheese... I personally think it is a bad example because from scratch is WAY different than boxed and when I was younger would have cried if it were put in front of me expecting actual macaroni and cheese. LOL. It doesnt mean I wouldnt eat homemade stuff.

I would try stuff that they havent seen another way because you guys must know that when you are expecting something to taste a certain way and you put it in your mouth and it doesnt... well even if it is good, it makes it bad. I think that the bait and switch on mac and cheese is just, like I said, a bad example. Maybe if you had called the homemade mac and cheese something else it would have gone over better because it wouldnt have triggered a taste expectation. LOL. Though... it IS an aquired taste... isnt it? Homemade mac & cheese?

I just think it is unfair to do that to a kid. (Now if they had never had the boxed kind, that would be different.....)

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Mamaloo,

I'm an organic food / whole food fanatic so that's the perspective I'm coming from when I make my observations. I don't buy foods made with corn syrup and such ingredients. I do buy a variety of "pre-processed" foods that are made with whole, organic ingredients. That includes my favorite mac-n-cheese. That's my "comfort food" but I also fill my fridge/pantry with whole fruits, veggies, organic milk, whole-grain bread, etc. It is possible to have a great diet with or without a lot of cooking.

I absolutely disagree with each of your ALWAYS comments.

Many families' "from scratch" meals are made with fatty red meats and cheeses, salt, vegetable oils, etc, in amounts higher than is nutritionally optimal. If kids eat like that on an everyday basis, unless they are highly active, this is really not good for them. That said, if you use whole foods, a moderate amount of healthy oils / fats, and a more vegetables / whole grains than meat, your "comfort food" meals will be very healthy. But many parents don't know enough about nutrition and foods to plan their meals that optimally.

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I use to think that offering the kids variety is what makes them good eaters. That is so wrong. It worked for my dd. But my son!
I wish that worked on him. We always offer variety, he just isn't interested, he has always been a picky eater, if he could have noodles, chicken strips, or meat balls everyday he would be perfectly fine.

His grandfathers are both the same way. Neither one likes variety at all. I honestly think some of it is genetic and no matter what you do they just won't eat it. I didn't like to try new foods either. I remember meals at grandma's always ended with me sitting for 3 hrs " til I ate what was on my plate" I never did and grandma always lost that battle. You could try and bribe or threaten it wasn't happening. I am ok now but his grandpa's are still both stubborn about food.

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