Tips to Help Picky Eaters

Picky eaters can make mealtimes difficult when you have multiple pallets to please. That means it's time to get creative and find some new strategies to try.

• When trying new foods, have your kids rate them from 0 to 10. You can make this a game and even reward them with points for motivation.

• If your child is sensitive to textures, try asking them to give the texture a thumbs up or thumbs down. This may help you determine what textures they dislike instead of the taste, so you can then hide that food inside another food they enjoy.

• Avoid bribing your child with food. This will move their focus to what they like bypassing their experience of trying a new food.

• Involve your children in meal planning or prepping. Try allowing your child to pick out one item like a fruit or vegetable to include in a meal. You can do this as you are making your grocery list or let them choose from what you have on hand.

• If your child refuses to eat a certain food, don't give up. Try adding it again in a few weeks and continue this for 10 or more tries.

• Don’t fight at the table. Always include one item in each meal that you know your little one enjoys. After they try the new items and decide how to rate it, give them praise for trying and move on.

• Make mealtime fun. Instead of putting all of your focus on how your child will react to a new food, implement something that will engage them, like going around the table sharing one funny thing that happened that day or one thing about their day they enjoyed.

Let’s explore a few recipes with the goal of having that picky eater ask for seconds!

Cheeseburger Pie

Ingredients

• 1 lb. lean (at least 80%) ground beef
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz.)
• 1/2 cup Original Bisquick™ mix
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs

Heat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9-inch glass pie plate with cooking spray.

In a 10-inch skillet, cook beef and chopped onions over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, occasionally stirring, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in salt. Spread on a pie plate. Sprinkle it with cheese. In a small bowl, stir the remaining ingredients with a fork or wire whisk until blended. Pour into a pie plate. Bake for about 25 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

 Ingredients

• 1/2 cup flour
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs (panko or Italian)
• 1 pound chicken breast
• 3 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 3 teaspoons pepper
• 1 cup canola oil
• Optional: 1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Optional: 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

In three individual bowls, separate the flour, egg, and breadcrumbs. Add a teaspoon of seasoned salt and black pepper to each of the bowls and whisk to combine.

Trim off the fat from the chicken breasts. Then, chop them up into nugget-sized pieces. You can also cut them into chicken tenders if you prefer. Dip the chicken pieces in the bowl of flour and shake off any excess. Then, dip the chicken pieces in the egg mixture, making sure to coat both sides completely. Finally, dredge the chicken nuggets into the breadcrumb mixture, again making sure to coat both sides thoroughly. Place the chicken nuggets on a cooling rack over a baking sheet if you are going to bake your chicken nuggets. Spray them with cooking spray. Bake the chicken nuggets in a 425°F oven for 25 minutes. Flip the nuggets halfway through the baking process.

You can also put them in the air fryer and serve them with your favorite dipping sauce.

Tropical Mango Almond Butter Smoothie Pops

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen mango
• 1 banana
• 3 tbsp. creamy almond butter
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 1/4 cups almond milk
• 6 paper straws, cut in half
• 6 small paper cups

Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Divide smoothie mixture evenly among 6 small paper cups. Place 2 straw halves into each cup as a stick for your smoothie pop. Freeze at least 2 hours or up to 1 week.

Healthy Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients

• 1 egg beaten
• 1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder not garlic salt
• 1/2 tbsp. dried oregano
• 1/2 tbsp. dried basil
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1/4 pounds ground Italian seasoned turkey

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line a jelly pan with tin foil and set a cooling rack on top of it.

In the bottom of a large bowl, combine the egg, bread crumbs, garlic powder, oregano, basil, and cheese. Add the ground turkey (casings removed). Mix together until thoroughly combined.

Roll into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls and set them on the cooling rack (You should get about 24 meatballs out of it).

Bake for 15 minutes. Pick one of the meatballs in the middle of the batch and cut it in half to make sure that it is no longer pink inside.

For recipes that hide the veggies leaving kiddos to enjoy them unknowingly, click here.

If you are worried that your child is not getting proper nutrition, talk with your pediatrician. They may have some tips to end mealtime battles and reduce stress over what your children are and aren’t eating.

If you are concerned about your teenager’s nutritional needs, read our blog post here.