So, as long-time followers of World of Julie know, I am sick of making dinner for people (children) who burst into tears when I put dinner in front of them. I am sick of making a seemingly kid-friendly meal, like spaghetti and meatballs (something I don’t particularly care for) only to have everyone burst into tears and reject it.
So a while ago, I mostly decided to completely ignore what they might want to eat, and just make what I want for dinner. If they’re going to get mad about it either way, it might as well be stir fry. (Note that I forget this sometimes, and still stupidly make something that none of us likes.)
For the month of October, we’re going vegetarian. If I didn’t have these meat-loving kids (except Henry, who isn’t that into it), I would be vegetarian all the time. So we’re trying it out.
Eli: “We need to get some of those meatballs.”
Julie: “Actually, we’re going to try to be vegetarians for the month of October.”
Eli: “WHY?!?”
Julie: “To see how we feel. To see if we feel better.”
Eli: “I FEEL GREAT RIGHT NOW!”
So I made bean and hominy pot pie for dinner. Either the girls are starving, or they are warming to our new eating plan.
Zuzu helps herself to raw squash.
Ramona helps herself to raw onion.
Yeah, honey, when you eat raw onion, it's going to make you cry.
How do you all do it? Do you eat what you want? Do you make five different dinners?
Gosh, I’ve worked a lot on this. I find that simply by posting a weekly menu for dinner and breakfast that I know longer have the “Complainer’s Club.” You know if it’s on the menu, thats all there is!
Food was always an issue in the Banks abode. A vegetarian of about 15yrs(me), a picky daughter, boy with food allergies and huge eater(hubby)…yup, sad I know. I do my best to make one or two pieces of the meal safe and appealing to all like salad or veggies, add safe foods for Colin like soy cheese for “make your own pizza” night, extra sausage for meat lovers. Works most of the time..always well rounded and healthy?..nope. It is what it is..:)
Julie, I do the menu for the week. It’s for me as much as for them, because I can’t mentally deal with not knowing what’s for dinner. But it doesn’t make them like or eat what I serve.
Monica, I don’t know how you do it! You are awesome. I’m tired just thinking about it.
Eli just said to me, “You know what would be great on a pizza? Cheese, bacon, meatballs, and beef jerky.” He’s having meat withdrawal, clearly.
I too would love to be a vegetarian- or at least have meat only a few times per month. But both Erik and Nora are major animal protein lovers so I cook for their tastes. We have red meat about once a week, I try to have salmon once a week too and then I rotate through the lean chicken/turkey/pork options with a veggie night most weeks (usually pasta). I don’t really have any advice about the picky eating though- gosh that’s hard and I know when Nora doesn’t like what I have just spent an hour making and tells me so, it does tick me off. I just make one meal for everybody though and if she doesn’t like it then she can eat some goldfish crackers, some fruit and some nuts. And she does have to take a few bites of what I’ve made (unless it’s something that makes her actually gag or just appears to really hate).
Hello? Hate to be “back when I was a kid” type, but, we used to have to set the table and sit down and have the meal, there was no “Oh, I hate this or whatever”. My Mom used to make this tuna fish/potato chip topped casserole that was absolutely vile, but I would push it around my plate and that was that.
As you said, Julie, they will eat it or not. Studies have shown that kids take what they want from meals. But I would cook what I want and serve it. If they don’t like it….tough beans!
Advice from a very old (as Eli keeps saying) grandmother.
Christina, I am lucky that Dave is on board with not eating meat. He does like it, but he either gets something himself at lunch, or cooks something for dinner on the weekends.
If our kids don’t eat dinner, they don’t eat. I’m fine with them not eating (they don’t have to clear their plates or anything), but I feel like if I just made dinner, I’m not getting up to make them something else just because they don’t like lentil burgers (ok, for the record, none of us liked the lentil burgers).
I pretty much fix what I want (within reason) because like you, it does me no good to pander to my children’s taste. They usually have some veggies before dinner and can have plain bread if the meal is not to their liking.
My kids used to beg me to taste raw onion when they were toddlers too. Wierdos.