[Bekka]

My kids ate oatmeal for dinner tonight because I just couldn't do pasta again, and they wouldn't eat rice. I have 2 dds, 2 and 4, and they eat grains, fruit, and egg whites, 1 kind of fish, chicken, and cheese. That's it. I am really struggling with creating meals that don't feel redundant for myself and dh, but that they will eat part/all of, and I really have issues with preparing two (or three!) different meals at one mealtime.<br><br>
Does anyone have any ideas? They like pasta (not whole grain), rice sometimes, cereal, bread, toast, etc., most kinds of fruit, 3 kinds of raw vegetables, chicken, and cheese (another foodgroup). I get really tired of this diet ...

 

[mamaduck]

No beans? My kids love beans. Even the picky little one. Something about being able to pick them up and squish them between his fingers....

 

[Greenfrogs]

Bekka,<br><br>
I had a similar problem and it was beginning to affect my health. To much pasta and cheese. I needed to get more varity in my diet, but did not want to cook multiple meals. So what I started doing is making something that I knew ds would eat (chicken, pasta, eggs, cherry tomatoes and fruit (frozen no sugar added)) and I would also make a big salad or soup and maybe some sort of vegetable stir fry or stew. I will give him say the chicken and tomatoes and a little bit of what ever I am having. Slowly he is beginning to eat "my" food. My goal is to show by example a healthy diverse diet and hopefully he will take it on as he gets older. My belief is that small children are hard wired to crave high carb/protein diets. That is why so many of us have trouble diversifing their diets. However, they also like to immitate their parent so eventually they will eat like you do (I hope). Anyway it seems tobe working.

 

[srain]

There's nothing wrong with oatmeal for dinner! Maybe if you tried other grains, you wouldn't get as bored and they would eat them? Polenta, quinoa, barley?