The question I always ask (silently) is about menu planning.
There are three kids and 2 adults in my family. When I plan our menu I have to consider school lunches (4 altogether, as kids do not get any meals at school), breakfast, lunch at home and dinner. Each of the kids (and DH as well) hve preferences in food, one will not eat this, another won’t touch that…
So DAILY I have to cook at least two types of breakfast, two or three types of meals for lunch and two types of meals for dinner. Sometimes it seems I’ll never ever in my life leave the kitchen, having to transfer into my bedroom, too.
So, the question is: Is there a solution to the problem of having to cook so much and so many meals?(I see that you plan only one meal a day, so you might know the answer! )
Thank you!
Maria
Gosh, Maria, I got tired just reading about all of that cooking.
The truth is that my brother is a fussy eater and I saw my mother cooking two meals (for supper) – one for us and one for him – and at that time, I determined I was not having any of that in my house “one day”.
And I don’t.
Dion and I had a rule before the kids came along.
We cooked one meal – if you don’t like it or just don’t feel like eating that meal on a particular day, no worries or hard feelings – that person just needs to “see to themselves”.
In the beginning of our marriage, we each cooked 3 nights a week and ate out once a week, so the rule worked both ways.
Of course since the kids came along, I now do all the cooking since I’m very particular that we all eat as healthy as possible.
The twins have eaten the exact same food as we do since they were 12 months old (they’re now nearly 28 months old), except when I make a curry, they’ll eat something else, as they don’t like spicy food… yet 🙂
I’m a very strict mother (!) and I don’t tolerate fussiness. My current rule with the twins is that they eat my cooked food or else they can get a sandwich with peanut butter, but nothing else.
Sometimes they opt for the peanut butter sandwich but mostly they eat very well.
I found in the beginning that no options makes them fussy for one meal and by the time the next meal rolls around, they’re STARVING so they polish off their food.
Okay, so that’s my situation.
If I were in your shoes, I’d try a couple of these tips:
- agree on meals for supper that everyone eats, or at least meals where you can easily adapt the ingredients. e.g. someone doesn’t eat peas, take out their portion and then add peas to the rest of the meal for the other family members (this is what I do because I don’t eat peas!)
- cook double so these ones are always available
- involve the kids in meal prep (they eat better when they do the work)
let the kids pack their own lunches and keep it simple (sandwich, fruit/ veggies, yoghurt) - do the same thing with breakfast – set out the cereals and let them help themselves
Who has fussy kids? Any tips for Maria?
Menu plan as a family.
Involve kids in meal prep.
Depending on how old they are, let them see to their own breakfast.
My eldest son is VERY fussy as well. He can have toast with peanut butter if he doesn’t want to eat what we are eating. That is the ONLY option.
There are 5 of us in our house…each with our own preferences. But I will say that our eldest (aged 9) is quite picky. And much of it has to texture. Between all 3 kids, they generally don’t like the same foods. Very complicated.
We too made a choice to not become short order cooks. That being said, we do make accommodations when and where we can. For example, my daughter loves lasagna. The eldest can’t stand lasagna: it has sauce, everything touches, and it is squishy…a trifecta of terribleness! So when we make lasagna we will make a pot of noodles for the eldest, who generally adds cheese and keeps his cheerful demeanor. And doesn’t gag with the texture issues.
We do have a standard answer for the kids that don’t like what is being served…”Plan B”. The child has to make it themselves.
So far it is going fine. Such a challenging situation. Such unique solutions.
Sheila, I do love your ideas! Truly 🙂
With three intense personalities in our house (of the children) plus two parents with our own preferences, we’ve had to think this all through… we have a menu plan for the week:–one meal, since this isn’t a restaurant. But, to make it “work”, we ask around, and feature each child’s favorites at least once in about two weeks. And, we make many meals “modular” so that vegies or a sauce are added at the last minute, and plain rice/meat is available if someone is averse. Finally, if someone really detests the meal, they can either just have a few bites and snack later, or cut straight to the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Although this is very flexible, it has managed to work out, and everyone eats pretty well with no fighting or arguing.
Sometimes, kids will claim “yuck” just to manipulate or try to get a better deal, but sometimes it is a matter of sensitivity to taste or texture, so flexibility allows being sensitive to a childs’ needs without becoming a short order cook.
Kerry, I love how you’ve made the meal quandary work in your home. Truly love it!