HATE dinner time!

I HATE dinner time - it seems, most times I need to make 3 meals (1 for the twins, 1 for my toddler and 1 for my husband and I). Like last night...me and my husband had fajitas (easy for use to make), however, my 4 year old won't touch them (so nuggets for her) and the twins had mac and cheese.

Seriously...I'm so frustrated! I know I need to stop doing this and only make things we can all eat, but I don't see my twins eating chili or fajitas (for example) anytime soon. Too spicy.

I'm like a crazy person making 3 dinners...I HATE it, but don't really see another way. Granted, there are times I make pasta and we all eat it or I can make 2 dinners (and the twins will eat what me and my husband eat), but my 4 year old...well, that is another story.

Anyone else in the same boat or was in the same boat and found a way to make it work?

 

Mealtimes can be tough. I'm a huge stickler for making only 1 meal and everyone eating it, which often means a compromise. And last night I totally caved; the boys refused to touch the eggplant parmesan I made (even though they usually devour it) so I gave them slices of kielbasa with their meal. :blush:

Like I said I usually compromise on meals. I *love* spicy foods (I make a mean chili :spiteful, and things like salad, but I know my boys won't like those. So I either make something that we all can like (any kind of chicken, brats, burgers, lasagna, etc.) or I make several dishes to pass, at least some of which I *know* they will like. So if I'm feeling like salad, I'll make one, but have fruit, bread, and grilled chicken that we can put on the salad and the boys can eat. I always offer them a few pieces of salad, but they rarely touch them. Maybe someday.... Or if I make something like fajitas, I'll do chicken and steak (DH and Nate like steak, Jack and I don't so we'll eat the chicken), refried beans (hit-or-miss with the boys), Spanish rice (a huge hit with everyone) and do sides like sour cream (which Nate eats with a spoon) and salsa (Jack likes this).

This winter I'd like to make chili again. If I do, I will probably under-spice it and have some cayenne pepper or Dave's Insanity sauce on the table so DH and I can heat it up. I'll offer some to the boys, have bread, cheese, sour cream, fruit, and maybe some bologna and let them eat whatever they want.

It's not always easy. Even before kids, DH and I talked about the "dinner accords", which is the negotiation you go through on the drive home, discussing what to eat. :laughing: When I'm feeling stressed I usually keep it simple and do something like a rotisserie chicken, sweet potato fries, bread, and a veggie; this way we can all have something tolerable. :good:

 

Now that are twins are older, I usually make one meal and let them eat or not. We may offer a yogurt, applesauce, slice of cheddar cheese, etc. towards the end of the meal just to put a little something extra on their tummies. But for the most part, dinner is dinner, take it or leave it. When they were younger I think I always made two meals or we just at what they ate. Quesadillas, spaghetti, lasagna, chicken and pasta, etc. I think I planned our meals around their likes at that time. I'm sure that's not the way you're supposed to do it, but I'll eat a chicken nugget or quesadilla any time if it means we get 15 minutes of peace and quiet! You could always try to make a meal that you know your 4 year old and your twins will eat and then one for you and your husband OR try a "one-pot" or "one-skillet" meal that has a variety of ingredients so everyone can pick out what they like. I find if I bring my lo's to the table a little hungry, they'll eat almost anything, even if it's not very much. Hope that helps!

 

I agree with Valerie, dinner around here is a compromise. For example if we are having something they won't eat or we are not sure they will eat it, we will make sure to include something they definitely will eat. My kids are like me, they don't like spicy food so if we are making tacos, we will cook the meat without the seasoning for the twins and myself and put seasoning on the meat for my husband. Today, we are having crab cakes and aren't sure if the twins will eat them but my husband also made fries and I will steam some broccoli because I know if they don't eat the crab cakes, they will definitely eat fries and broccoli.

 

You might be surprised as to what a 1 year old would eat. I know when they get more toddler-ish (ok, stubborn :laughing they get pickier, but mine love chili and fajitas. When we do fajitas, I separate everything into little piles. I give them a little bit of avocado, then some cheese, then some tortilla, then some meat... repeat. They ate quesadillas last night.

If they really don't like these foods, then a couple times a week, how about making the chili for you and DH after they go to bed and an informal date? We do that with stuff that I know mine won't eat. But those times are getting fewer and fewer.

 

i recently talked to my pedi about this due to my DD becoming overly picky..He said to make 1 meal...offer it to her...if she throws it on the floor 3 times....take her out of her chair and let her play....he said do not make her something seperate...........

 

I only make one meal, but I do try to toddler it down if necessary. The other day I made some chicken burritos. The mixture was somewhat spicy and had black beans, salsa, and corn as well as the chicken. So I put some in a bowl for them and added plain yogurt to take the spicy taste out. They ate it like soup and loved it! I would do the same thing with chili, add yogurt or sour cream. With fajitas I would cut the meat into pieces and just let them eat it all separately. It's sometimes hard coming up with a solution that will work for everyone, but 99% of the time I would say we find it. I try not to stress as much anymore when they don't eat a lot too. Dinner time is hard! Hope you find a solution that works for you