What Do I Feed My Children?

Veggie burgers and salad are healthy, but a 6 year old should be eating normal meals. Your kids will learn to eat other foods if you don't offer them an alternative. It makes parents crazy not to see their kids eating a huge variety of foods, but if they are getting a good source of protein, a fruit, dairy, a leafy green and a yellow/orange veggie, and one good whole grain source, their nutrition should be fine. They don't need to eat 6 green veggies to get the nutrients
For picky eaters, I say serve a main course at dinner - something YOU want to eat, whatever type of meat/fish/chicken/pasta dish. Then serve a lot of sides - some that you know they like and others are new things. Then let them choose what they would like - do not wheedle, bribe or ask "Wouldn't you like to try just one little bite of..." So along with serving the veggie burgers, put out salad, a cooked veggie, some melon, bread with butter and cheese cubes, or something along those lines. You can also go the hardcore way - dinner is pork chops, brown rice with butter, salad and peas. They eat what they eat, and if they don't eat acceptably, no snack or dessert, nothing til breakfast
Good luck

I think it's great that some of the food they do eat is at least healthy. If you want them to branch out a little then stop buying the regular stuff and switch it up with other more nutritious food. Instead of cold cereal try french toast on some mornings or quiche that you can make in advance. Give them scrambled eggs or hard boiled eggs. Also, start putting other veggies on the salads. Different colored peppers, tomatoes, avacodos, olives, beans, cucumbers. They will most likely at least try some of it and maybe develope a taste for that stuff.
You can also encourage them by telling them that things prepared different ways taste differently and try preparing veggies sauted, grilled, raw, and steamed with some seasoning.
I think it's great that you've noticed the problem and are trying to rectify it while they are still fairly young. Just be consistent! Don't make special meals for them. Trust me when I say this works...give them what you've made for dinner and nothing else. If they choose not to eat it, they don't have to but will get nothing else until the next meal time (in the morning)...they will be so hungry by then that they will try almost anything you put in front of them. I know people think it sounds mean, but you love your kids and your trying to instill healthful eating habits into them early...good for you!

Just make regular foods and offer them small amounts. They either eat it or they don't. (Spaghetti, tacos, tuna noodle, grilled pork chops, grilled chicken breast or thighs, etc.) It sounds mean but really it's not because they won't let themselves starve and you are showing them that you are not a short order cook and you rule the house, not them. You are also getting ready to play a double role in the house-mom and dad! If you don't make/buy it, they can't eat it.

You've gotten great advice on how to sneak veggies in, but they won't learn to try something new (in which they might like after all). Put small amounts on their plates and the rule is they have to have 3 bites of each thing. No snack or dessert in the evening if they don't eat it. For lunch though, keep it simple-sandwich type stuff with fresh fruit or leftovers of something they liked from dinner the night before.

Is this going to cause battles at the table? Yep. But you are the parent and you set the example by eating and buying the good foods.

Good luck and hope your hubby has a safe deployment!
S.

Well, it never hurts to add a multi-vitamin, to help fill the gaps, but I have to agree with Mallory - if your 3 year old is eating hummus and salad, you're doing fairly well. There are *plenty* of kids your age that only eat "white foods." (I remember a very funny account by a woman who was the editor of Gourmet magazine - she would take her son to all kinds of great restaurants with her and he would eat nothing but rice. And he was older than either of yours.)

And you should never underestimate the powers of peanut butter - there's lots of protein and the fats in it are fairly healthy (no cholesterol - low saturated fat.) Peanut butter flavored with cinnamon sugar and thinned out is an excellent dip for apples. Or make a grilled sandwich with cinnamon peanut butter and slices of super-ripe peaces. Heavenly!

Get them in the kitchen with you! Maybe they can help find some kid-friendly recipes, either online or in a kids cookbook. Keep it simple.
My kids like anything that involves dipping. Tortilla chips and cheese dip, good bread dipped in seasoned olive oil and parmesan, carrots and ranch dip, fruit and yogurt dip, etc.

If they like spaghetti, branch out slightly and try different kinds of ravioli, tortellini, or lasagna. Or how about quesadillas? Start off with just cheese, and if they like that, you can *gradually* add a little bit of refried black beans.

If you like ethnic restaurants but they're too wary, start off with low expectations - only put food on their plate that they know and trust (for give them the feeling of safety) , but offer to let them try some of yours (some risk-taking) and always bring along some back-up snacks (for your fallback plan.) You don't want them to view the whole dinner as a negative experience just because they didn't like the new flavors. For instance, I take mine to an Indian restaurant, and I get them a mango lassie (basically a smoothie made with mango and yogurt - that's kind of a no-brainer) and just put the naan (indian bread) and rice on their plates. If they aren't *forced* to try something new, they're more likely to do so out of curiousity. (And if they hate everything, I'll usually have a Larabar or something in my purse so they don't starve.)

If it makes you feel better, there's a very good biological reason for "picky eaters." For most of human history, 3-6 year-old children would begin to start wandering a little ways from their mothers. If they continued to "put everything in their mouth", like babies do, sooner or later they would eat something poisonous or dangerous. Instead, at this stage, children have a very strong biological drive to only eat things that are VERY familiar - it's how humans made it this far. :)

Your kids eat salad and veggie burgers and hummus??? They are NOT picky eaters! My kids would not eat those in a million years not even if they were starved! I bet your kids will eat more than you think. I would say for you to get an easy cookbook and experiment. I know that Kraft, Campbells and other food companies put out these and they seem to include very easy and family friendly ideas (I have seen lots in the Walmart at the cash register).

Even if they eat only what you mentioned though they will still be meeting their nutritional needs so try not to stress.

if they like spaghetti - put veggies in the food processor and put them in the spaghetti sauce! :)
you could also do the same thing with pizza sauce - i know zucchini is a non-detectable veggie in sauces

How about steamed baby carrots? My 3 yo LOVES them, and now so does my 12 month old.

My older son also loves hummus, so I've found that if I cut up red and green peppers and have him dip it in the hummus he'll eat the peppers. I also am sure to add extra veggies to anything I am making. If it's spaghetti, I'll dice mushrooms, we also do lots of chicken stir fry in my house (Costco has a great big bag of stir fry veggies). I've even made his mac & cheese with diced tomatoes and chickpeas, but when he looked at it he wanted nothing to do with it, so I mixed it up better and after I spooned a little into his mouth he gobbled it up.

I hide veggies in everything I can. I make tacos and in the lettuce that we put in our tacos, I chop up veggies really fine, like broccoli and cabbage and carrots. I make chicken salad for lunch and put lettuce and other veggies in it with mayo, mustard and relish. I will put this on a rice cake or they eat it with chips. Good luck to you and I wish you and your family the best! Thank you for your service and sacrifice!

Don't beat yourself up. Your kids are doing way better than mine.

get a bunch of good fresh veggies, steam and puree them, and freeze them in ice cube trays. then you can add them to spaghetti, dips, burgers, soups, all kind of things. get some lovely fruit, freeze it and make smoothies.
what's wrong with bread and peanut butter?
khairete
S.

I always put out a small plate of veggies or fruit about a half an hour before dinner, when the kids are super hungry. I would try pieces of watermelon and cantaloupe. Do not say anything about them trying the fruit. Just leave it out. It takes several introductions to foods before kids will eat them. (Also, I mash steamed cauliflower in my mashed potatoes).
***We went to a farmer's Market last week. The produce was fabulous !!!!