Meal Suggestion for 3 &4Yr

Try having your boys help make their own dinner. Even helping toss a salad is enough. My oldest (she's 5)is a great eater, but she still doesn't like to eat kidney, white or black beans. that is really the only food she won't eat. My second child (3)is picky. But she is getting better. I don't make them a different dinner than what we are eating. The girls have to at least try one bite of everything I serve. I always have a protein, veggie/fruit and starch at each meal. Now if they at least take one bite and don't throw a fit and truly don't enjoy it I will let them have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This luckily does not happen often. It usually only happens when I make chili. And I won't give them seconds of anything until they have at least taken their one bite of everything. For the most part we have very quite dinners, but every once and awhile my 3 year old will have a fit and then she will have to leave the table until she calms down. We had tacos last night and both girls made a taco pizza instead of rolling it up they both had refried beans on the bottom with taco meat, of course smothered with cheese. They gobbled it up. I will usually make them a quesadilla with refried beans and cheese and both will pick at it. So maybe try presenting food in a different way or let them prepare it themselves.

Hi M.,
I chose early on that what we eat my daughter eats. She is 3 and I have to say it has made a difference. Except for food allergies, that should be how it is. I am reading a great book , Mom what's for Dinner?, where the author gives ideas on meals..
I am not a fancy cook but we don't eat mac and cheese or hot dogs as a family.In fact I have never made hot dogs or mac and cheese for her.( nitrates) I will grill chicken then I make several meals from it. Do you have a trader joe's near you? They have fab beginnings to a meal that can be made quickly and i add chicken or shrimp and have a salad on the side. Lunch is always pbj (natural, organic jelly, ww bread) and carrots brocc and seasonal fruit or ww english muffin pizzas.
I have learned that my daughter does have her fav's but she still eats what we eat.
We always drink water with meals too. That eliminates them from being too full from the drink to eat the meal.
I also have been teaching her to look at her plate like a rainbow. There is a great book..by Dr Sears I use to teach kids about that.
If we don't give in and stay strong they will benefit.
any more questions for me feel free to contact me. This is my second job, mom and wellness educator.
in health,
C.
sahm 3yr old and 5 mth old
____@____.com

I'm right with you. I have 3 and 5 yr olds. Neither are big red meat eaters, my daughter really doesnt care for ground beef, so we are stuck mostly with chicken and occasionally pork chops. The good thing about chicken is that there are so many different marinades out there, you can do a different one each day if you wanted. I personally like Lawry's Teriyaki and mesquite flavors.

For sides, I used to do alot of Lipton pasta sides, but they are not that great nutritionally, so I make it rarely. Instead, I make either potato nuggets w/gold potatos or fries with red potatos. We also have either fresh or a canned veggie with each meal.

I try not to play restaurant unless we want something that we know the kids don't like. I will make something different, but a simple meal if we decide we want Italian sausage or steak or tacos, for instance. If it's something they should like or have eaten before, I don't let them just opt out.

M.,

I don't make a "special dinner" for my child. I fix dinner for all three of us. I usually have 3-4 items on her plate. I make sure I have 1-2 items I know she will eat. If she chooses not to eat the rest of her dinner that is her choice. I do not play restaurant. I make sure she has healthy choices all day long. If she doesn't dinner she must not be hungry! Jessica Sienfeld has a good book out with relatively easy recipes. I also have a few simple meals my dtr likes. Here are few items my dtr really likes:
Black beans and rice
Chicken and cheese quesadilla (whole wheat tortillas)
A side of natural applesauce (no sugar added)
Veggie pizza (make with Boboli wheat or regular pizza dough)
Sweet potato pancakes (J. S. recipe) with blueberries and almonds (sometimes breakfast for dinner works great!)

You can also search different websites for easy meals. Campbell's, the Other White meat, ect. I occasionally adjust the ingredients to using low fat, low salt options. I also try to add more whole grains. Hope this helps!

I have two girls 4 & 8 that absolutely love the chicken and rice meal that is listed on the back of the campbell's cream of chicken soup. You can also add vege's right to the casserole, it only takes about 5 minutes to throw together then in the oven. You could also substitute the white rice for brown rice - my kids don't even notice the difference! Good luck!

Hi there!

I have one 3 and a half year old boy, and lucky for me he is not a picky eater. I love feeding him good food, knowing that is one thing I can control at this point!

I buy tons of ocean caught salmon at my local health food store. It is SO easy to make and you wouldn't believe how good it tastes and also how good it is for you. My son loves it. You simply put a few drops of olive or coconut oil in the pan and cook the fish on the stove for about 4 minutes per side, or until it flakes. Trust me, try it and you will love it. Make some whole grain rice with butter and a salad, and see how good you feel after eating a dinner like this for a week!

I buy lots of grass fed red meat. It is extremely good for you and SO much better than the grain fed meats. We eat this about 3 times per week in the form of meatloaf, burgers, etc. I add green peppers and onions to the meatloaf to incorporate veggies, as well as tomatoes etc to the burgers.

Letting your kids help you prepare dinner might also be a good way to get them to eat everything you serve. It is not always the cleanest way to go, but my son loves to help at this stage!

Also, do not feel bad if one day in the week you come home and are exhausted and simply do not feel like cooking and order a pizza! As long as you are feeding your family healthy foods most of the time, cheating every now and again is not going to hurt!

Email me if you would like some recipes....I have TONS!!

Maybe have them help with dinner. Simple things like pizza, and letting them add healthy toppings. Salad bars work well, bowls of healthy ingriedients. Add brockoli (spelled wrong?)to pasta like mac and cheese. Wraps are a good option. Anything you can dip! (Fish and chicken sticks, carrot sticks in lowfat dressing, apples in lowfat carmel.)