Would like to make only one meal that we all eat

[twogirlsmommy]

My dd is 13 months and not only are we in a food rut with her  she is teething.  I am frustrated at the moment because I would love to make one meal  for the 3 of us to eat but I cannot seem to do this.  So I am looking for recipes you make that all of your family eats at dinner.  any suggestions would be great

[squeakersmum]

Have to run as Ben has just woken up, but I'll be back with some of the things we do!

Steph XXX

[Mum-of-Two]

Pasta is the key for us.  I found noodles DS could both pick up and chew on his own, lightly sauced, offer of fork if he wants it otherwise he'll self feed.  Great for left overs, quick warm up, or even cold if her teeth are really bothering her.  Sometimes I'll make meatballs for DH and I to either eat with the pasta or make meatball sandwiches.

With DD, I would make chicken soup.  She would get broth, very very small noodles and mushed up carrots.  She was OK to have someone feed her with a spoon so this worked well.  DH and I then had the chicken and veggies.  Freezes well too so I'd often make more and feed her this while DH and I ate something else.

I know a lot of LOs will eat whatever their parents are eating, we struggled too though.  DD had no teeth and was on baby food forever.  DS won't eat unless he can feed himself.  Both have their own challenges.  Good luck!!  

[twogirlsmommy]

She will eat meatballs and meat loaf 90% of the time however she will not eat any kind of pasta with or without sauce.   She will not eat chicken and I have yet to try soup.  I was going to try that for lunch today.  She lets me feed her yogurt and applesauce but other then that if it comes on a spoon we usually have spoon refusal.  WE shall see.

[deb]

For now you may have to settle with making meals for you and DH and letting her sample what you're having while still giving her her own meals.

I look at it this way: My husband and I both like broccoli, but I can't digest it. I make him broccoli from time to time because he likes it and it's good for him, and the kids'll have a bite now and again. DH does well with red meat but can't eat chicken, but I'm not going to stop eating chicken because he can't digest it; sometimes I throw a couple different meats into the baking pan or on the grill so we can all pick and choose. Neither of my kids can abide asparagus but DH and I love the stuff, but we're not going to either force something down their throat that they hate or stop eating it altogether. So I might make a meal with lots of variety and we can all pick and choose what we like (and have leftovers of it as well!).

I used to be like my mom, the whole "We're making THIS, so you'll eat THIS!" But if one of my kids gags on eggs and mushrooms, is it fair to force it on her, or is it fair to force lima beans on ME (my kids like 'em but DH and I can't abide them!) over that and turn it into a struggle? Easy enough to have something on standby, either make a bit of something or microwave some leftovers I know she CAN get down, than to turn a meal into a struggle instead of a positive experience.

The other option would be for us to ONLY cook what the whole family can agree that they like, but that would limit us a great deal in all food area, including meats, grains, fruits, veg, and even desserts. (I HATE HATE HATE coconut when it's been sweetened, and so does Nat, but DH and Josie love the stuff!)

Wow, I really did blather on, didn't I? But it's something I feel strongly about, having had a mom who wouldn't let me eay anything for 2 days until I ate the damn cooked peas - and finally relented rather than clean up the puke. 

[twogirlsmommy]

I totally agree with you Deb! I just really wish that she would even try bits and pieces of new things.  I feel like she eats the same things over and over and that I am failing her by not giving her a chance to explore other foods. Plus the fact that I am rather picky with food (dh is too even though he would never admit it so I want to make sure she has a chance to try stuff even if we are not fond of it.  An example on this is I hate yogurt and cheese but both dh and my dd could eat yogurt and cheese for weeks and not have a problem with it.  Me I gag on yogurt and will only eat cheese on pizza lol I totally agree with what you are saying I was just hoping of ideas for things so that maybe I might have a shot at introducing something new to her that we all could eat.

[deb]

Homemade pizza, top it the way you like it! You can make it cheeseless; one of my faves is pesto pizza - YUM! Top different sections or make personal pan pizzas!

Clock pot/slow cooker meals can be soups or stews or roasts: add stuff you all eat plus others just for each family member, so those who gag on potatoes can have carrots or meat or mushrooms or green beans instead.

Lots of pureed foods can be mixed into yogurt, and they don't all have to be sweet; carrots, sweet potatoes, and winter squash all taste great sweetened with a bit of maple syrup for a yummy dessert (which also makes a good popsicle! , but they can just as easily be flavored with some garlic or curry power, just a touch, for a more savory dish, and cucumber-yogurt sauce is a common condiment in Greek foods. In Persian cooking, plain yogurt is dolloped over bread and meat as a condiment too.

We do have a "please try one bite and if you don't like it we won't make you eat more" rule, and DH and I follow it too and make sure the kids see us do it. (We do sometimes stack the deck in our favor, to be honest, but the example was important in getting that started with the girls.)

Oh, forgot to mention, one key to getting them to try the stuff was having them help prepare it. Kids can spread or cut soft things with a plastic butter knife, or stir with a fork, and taste the result or even the ingredients that go into something: "Here, let's taste a tiny piece of this carrot to make sure it'll be OK," or "Look, the salad dressing is done, let's dip a slice of cucumber into it and see how it tastes."

[squeakersmum]

I'm back 

Ok - meals that go down well with all of us are
- casseroles either done in the oven or Slow cooker if you have one - chicken and bacon is a favourite here.  I would eat all of the components on their own but DS and DH are picky about their veg usually and eat them happily in a casserole!  When Ben was younger I would mush it up a bit and the meat would be so tender that he wouldn't notice he was eating it.  Now, I leave it in bits and he tucks in quite happily.

 - along the same vein as casseroles  - chicken paprika, goulash, pork and mushrooms - usually with mash.

 - omelettes, although we all have different fillings so I guess that's like cooking different meals anyway!

 - roast dinners, DH and I love them and DS will happily eat the peas, carrots, potatoes and meat so long as the meat isn't too chewy (again can be mushed up with a little low salt gravy if necessary)

 - bolognese (my DS loves pasta, but your LO could have rice or potatoes)

 - sausage and cheesy mash (usually with peas and sweetcorn because DH doesn't like peas and DS doesn't like sweetcorn!)

We don't all eat together everyday because DH gets in from work so late, but we try to on the weekends.

XXX

[Mom to M&M]

Some meals everyone likes here are:

- veggie lasagna: I make it with grated carrot and zucchini, as well as frozen spinach and sliced mushrooms. We all love it and tons of veggies!

- brisket or beef stew in slow cooker. SUPER tender and flavorful.

- soup - DS in particular likes homemade chicken soup (to which I add curly pasta and lots of veggies - it's the only way other than lasagna that he'll eat pasta)

- chicken marsala with homemade sweet potato fries: DS feeds himself the fries and happily lets me feed him bites of chicken, which comes out very soft and lots of flavor

- Pizza: and like Deb said, you can add toppings. DS likes spinach under the cheese, DD prefers olives or mushrooms, etc.

We also don't always eat dinner together as DH is home too late. About half the time I'll eat with DD and DS and the other half I'll wait for DH. We do try to eat together on the weekends.