Seriously, what can moms do with picky eaters? Are you like me when you see how well other children eat?
My biggest frustration as a homestead mom is probably having picky eaters. One of the things that attracted me to homesteading is as a way to provide organic food for our family. Unfortunately, I have picky eaters.
I will be honest, it is really sad growing beautiful food that my kids won’t eat. Spending hours preparing food to have them turn up their noses and walk away. So what do I do?
Accepting It
First, we just have to accept that some kids are picky eaters. For that matter, some adults are picky eaters too. In our case, we have one child with sensory issues and food is one area we are working thru. Having picky children, does make it more challenging to find meals that everyone will eat. Especially when they are picky about different things.
I used to get so upset that my kids wouldn’t eat what other kids eat. Watching a YouTube mom and seeing her kids eating stuff my kids won’t even put in their mouths. I finally had to accept where we are on our food journey and that everyone is different. And that it is okay!
Some parents share how they just let their kids not eat until they eat what they want them to eat. That may work for some families but it really doesn’t work for ours. I have just had to accept it. Personally, I think that works better with younger children. If your family hasn’t always eaten healthy it is going to be a longer journey. But it can be done.
With full disclosure I am not at my healthiest but I work every day to get a little bit closer. I have come to realize that getting my kids on board is key, and that is now my focus. We are by no means 100% there but I want to share some of the things that are working for us.
Start Where You Are
The first step I took was just to replace the things my kids do eat with healthier versions. They honestly are not going to notice the difference in some foods. I also believe the more nutritious foods we get into their bodies, the more they will crave the good food.
As I mentioned on my About Page, ideally we would follow the Weston A Price Foundation recommendations for eating. That means nutrient dense foods including soaked legumes and grains, grass fed meats, bone broth, raw dairy, and organic when possible.
I started by replacing the fruits and veggies my kids eat with organic versions. They love bananas, oranges, and strawberries. I now buy only organic bananas and oranges. In the case of strawberries, we are growing our own. When the strawberries are ripe, it is one of the most popular places to be in our garden.
The same goes for dairy and meat. I buy grass fed meat, raw milk, eggs, and butter from a local farm and again my kids don’t know the difference. Actually my youngest, who is my biggest milk drinker, loves the raw milk more. My daughter also loves all the different colored eggs and how deep yellow the yolks are.
Another great place to start is with baked goods. Who doesn’t love a good homemade chocolate chip cookie. All I did was switch out some of the ingredients in my mom’s recipe. I am now using einkorn flour, organic cane sugar, and free trade chocolate chips. However, to my kids all they see is that mommy made us chocolate chip cookies. Doing this creates memories, gets the kids involved, and I think makes them more open to healthy foods.
Get The Kids Involved
I really have found that getting the kids involved helps. For us, we start the process with ordering seeds. When the seed catalogs come in the mail, I will let the kids look through them and pick something they want to try and grow. Its not even really about eating it at that point. They might pick one of their favorite vegetables or they might pick something because it looks crazy.
Then we move to working in the garden. All three of my kids like to help plant. My youngest likes to pull weeds, and my daughter likes to water. I also take them along as we harvest and talk about getting them to try new things. This also helps them see how things grow.
We also do the same thing when we grocery shop. Any more, most of my grocery shopping is done at a local farm or online deliveries. However, I do still include the children in picking out items they really like and things they might like to try.
Lastly, get them involved in cooking and meal planning. Having them learn to cook, helps them learn to eat. Meal planning is another important piece. My daughter is 11 and a very picky eater. A couple of months ago, she discovered Pinterest and it has really helped her open up her palate. I now call her the queen of Pinterest. She loves to sit down and look for new recipes for us to try. Here are some of her favorites. She is even finding treats to make for our dog Buddy. It all started because of a conversation on finding a copycat recipe for Chick-Fil-a nuggets.
Talk About Healthy Eating
In fact, talking about healthy eating and ways to swap items is very important as well. I have seen a change in our eating habits, because the kids want to eat more healthy.
My kids are not homeschooled at this point, although we are very close to making that jump. In school, they learn about the dangers of smoking, drugs, and internet safety. They also supposedly learn about “healthy eating”. Then why not talk to our kids at home about what healthy eating means to us.
For example we have seen first hand the side affects of food dyes and artificial flavorings on my boys who have ADHD. At 9 and 10 they even recognize how these things change how they feel. They can’t drink anything with red food dye or they will become very hyper. We don’t buy them at home. However, because we talk about it they are also empowered to make the right decision when out with friends.
Hide The Healthy Stuff
Okay, let’s have a real moment here. If all else fails, it is perfectly fine to hide the healthy stuff. I do it all the time. Even once my kids get more on board with healthy eating, I still will. Because why not add more nutrition every where you can.
Here are a few ideas on how I hide or add nutrition to our food. I like to finely grate zucchini and carrots into taco meat, chili, and meatballs. In fact, I looked up the chili recipe from our favorite LA restaurant after we moved, and they actually add carrots to their recipe. They say that is why everyone loves their chili.
Bone broth is another inexpensive way to get nutrition into food and no one will know. Every time I bake a chicken, I save the bones and pop them into the Insta-pot with water, salt, and veggie scraps. Then when I cook anything with a sauce I will add some bone broth to it. For example, when I make ground beef for tacos, after browning the meat, I will add bone broth and my spices and let it cook down.
Dehydrated garlic and onion is another good way to add hidden nutrition to your food. My kids are not going to eat onions if they find them in their food. However, by dehydrating them, they are eating them every day and don’t even know. Carrot and beet tops, zucchini, and greens are something else that I dehydrate. Then I will take them and make a veggie powder which I add to our food. This veggie powder is something everyone who gardens should make. I mean using carrot and beet tops is practically free.
A Few Final Thoughts
I can’t finish this post without mentioning this. You will see that I use mainly organic whole foods in any cooking I do on this blog. I know that organic foods are more expensive. I’m finding ways to save money on them and will be sharing my money saving tips as I go forward with my blog.
While I believe eating this way is best for all of us, I do know that not everyone has the ability to shop organically. It breaks my heart that our food chain is letting us down with pesticides and processed foods. It is my greatest wish that everyone have access to fresh, organic food. I would never want to make anyone uncomfortable by always advocating for organic food.
However, I do believe with a little bit of effort we can at least cook from scratch. And it can actually be cheaper. A first great step is making your favorite store bought meal from scratch. It doesn’t have to be organic, it will be better for your family either way.
I hope you will stop back again and see what I am whipping up. With Small Steps we can get our families eating healthier even if they are picky.