Really trying to cut down on wasted food!

I am soooo sick of trying to find things that my boys like to eat and I know it is going to change constatly but COME ON! I feel like I am constantly buying things at the grocery store hoping that they will like them, get it home spend 20 minutes preparing it for them all nice and cut up and then I get them in their high chairs and they just sweep it off their tray into their seat. Or they just throw it on the floor or spit it out if it actually makes it to their mouth.

What are some meals that you like to prepare for yourself that your babies will eat too? I'm thinking that maybe if we all start eating together it may prompt them to eat things. Or not. I really do like to cook so I just need some ideas of things they might like that I can make for all of us?

 

it never fails...as soon as i discover something my girls like, i rush to the store and stock up on it. soon to discover they've changed their mind and don't want it. we also waste a lot of food. i have started offering a larger variety for them on their plates, but in smaller portions.

some of my kids favorites are the traditional macaroni and cheese, hotdogs, strawberries, watermelon. i also found in the frozen section at the store those large soft pretzels. nuke them in the microwave for about 20 seconds and my girls love them. my kids are still picky though...i try to give them a little of what we are eating too, so they will learn that i am not always going to prepare a "special" meal for them everynight. and mine barely eat vegetables...though Reilly eats them better than Rianne does.

it really is hit and miss and yes it is completely frustrating, but "this too will pass". just remember it's a phase...and...they'll never let themselves go hungry. so they miss a meal...they'll remember it eventually. "if i don't eat what's in front of me...i'm going to be hungry later."
it's hard i know and i can completely relate.

good luck,
rebecca

 

Okay, this is not cheap, but at least it is good (mostly organic) food, a snap to prepare, and I like it enough to eat the rest for my own lunch or dinner (or put back in the fridge for a meal later that day) if they reject/don't finish it.
I buy Amy's frozen dinners - these are the only things the girls will eat these days, and Cate is fussy even about this stuff: Amy's mac and cheese, vegetable lasagna, (once I found this out, I made my own veggie lasagna with same ingreds to save money), enchilada (the one with the corn and black beans as a side, the bowl version is a bit too spicy), Amy's pizza (various kinds), broccoli pot pie. That's it! So I nuke it and cut it up into small pieces and that's our rotation of meals. They also get home made french toast, Aunt jemima mini pancakes, Amy's frozen pop tarts, lots of cheese, Sarah will eat deli ham, bread, yoghurt, bananas, frozen blueberries, strawberries and blackberries (defrosted, of course), cheerios, O crackers from safeway, Annie's cheese bunny crackers, toast with jam, Graduates brand fruit roll-up thingies (strawberry), freeze dried fruit (graduates, and safeway has an organic version).
They used to eat everything I put on their trays, now this is all they will eat. No more steamed veggies (sob!), so we sneak the veggies in on the pizza and lasagna.

 

You just have to keep trying and trying- continue putting foods they do not care for on their plate, use the same rule that you did when giving babyfood- make them try it at least 10 times. Try different sauces for them to dip- ketchup, applesauce, honey mustard, dressings, etc., including babyfoods to dip as well. Your twins are still quite young, so textures are more than likely still a problem, as are incoming teeth. I would often start the meal with a veggie, or give them their least liked food first, when they are the most hungry. Then move onto things they do like. Too much food at one time can be overwhelming, so just a few pieces at a time on their trays. You can also try adding pieces of food that you want them to eat to the same type of babyfood (add pieces of green beans, sized that you would normally serve them into baby food green beans.) Try not to fall into the trap of giving them what you 'think' they will only eat- i.e. mac n cheese, fruits, chicken nuggets. If kids are hungry enough, they will eventually eat. I tend to hold the fruit and yogurt back for 'dessert', this way, they fill up on the good stuff, then eat the yummy stuff last. Yes, they may love pop tarts, but we all know they are not healthy, and if you give it to them all of the time, they do not get to practice with other foods. Basically, just try to transition them to toddler foods- add a few cheerios to applesauce or yogurt, some tiny meat chunks to the mashed sweet potatoes and applesauce, etc. They may also want some more flavorful foods- baby food is so bland, no spices...and after having a few tastes of a more adult palate, they will want that.

 

I think it is hard to cut down on the waste. I do try and save what they won't eat and offer it later or the next day (often with the same result ). But it is really true that you need to keep offering and one day they will try it!

I make what ever we want for dinner and give them the same thing or a modified version, if they don't eat it then they don't eat! There have been many a night they eat maybe one bite and thats it for dinner, but I am not worried they eat plenty the rest of the day!

So we do taco's (I roll up a tortilla with cheese/beans), spagetti and meatballs (huge fav), steak w/ asparagus, pizza, bbq w/ corn, roast w/ veggies, etc.
There are still nights when we don't have time to prepare a good meal so they get mac&cheese, just meatballs w/ applesauce, grilled cheese, etc and we eat after they go to bed.

HTH

 

I think if you eat together this will help. Mine still want whatever I am eating, even if they just finished eating. Also, make sure they get something they like wiht the new food.

 

My babies LOVE chicken pot pie (I just cut up the veggies smaller than I would if I was making it for just us), pasta of any sort - with any sauce, hamburgers, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese, oven baked chicken, veggies in fried in olive oil, quesadillas, grilled cheese.

Hope that helps.

 

I just posted a topic on this too, so I guess I'm not the only one struggling with what they are (and are NOT) eating!

Ugh! It's so frustrating because I really want them to eat healthy....but sometimes I just really want them to eat SOMETHING!

I'm looking forward to reading more suggestions!