Picky Eaters

One of the biggest challenges in my house is dinner. Four nights a week my husband is at work so dinner is eaten by just me and my two little ones. My problems are two fold: making a meal small enough so that we don't have a ton of left overs that will more than likely not get eaten, and making something both the kids will like, I can enjoy, and is moderately healthy. This turns into a weekly event of sitting down, scouring Pinterest and Parenting magazine for recipes, coming up with a menu, figuring out the shopping list, and finally curling up with a book being thankful I have six days left before I have to do it all again!

We have done pretty good in my house of sticking to the menu, helping us control the money spent on groceries as well as preventing us from eating fast food more than once a month (which most of you know is getting harder these days). But it is still difficult to find new recipes so that we are not eating the same four meals every week!

So I have decided to share some of my recipes with all of you! I will list on here the ones that we have liked as well as some that didn't catch our fancy, because you may end up enjoying them. Welcome the new recipes section! Keep in mind that these are made for one adult, a growing, athletic seven year old, and a finicky two year old, I will tell you how much it made for us with the servings, but adjust to your needs.

Now, one thing I hate most is looking at a list of meal ideas for other people's "picky eaters", so I get that some of the stuff I make your child still might not like. Trust me! My main rule in the house is that my son has to try something at least once, chew and swallow, and if he doesn't like it than he doesn't have to eat it. But I try to always make something he will eat.
So among my recipes you will find:
*Dishes with veggies, but they will be cut into big enough chunks that he can pick them out because he doesn't like bell peppers but everyone else does.
*Mac'n'cheese that does not look like Kraft because he loves noodles and cheese but not together!
*Meals that can be modified for half, i.e. a pizza that you can put mushrooms on only half so he can have only cheese while you get veggie goodness.
*A lot of finger-type foods, things that would appeal to a toddler.

I hope some of these recipes will help other moms who think they have the only kid in the world that does NOT like french fries! (Jareth is the only one I have heard of that can't stand them or mac'n'cheese)!

And please, if you have an idea for a new recipe that your picky eater absolutely loves, feel free to share! I am always looking for new things!