We’ve all done it. You’re scrolling on social media with hopeful excitement and see a super healthy meal that any picky eater will supposedly eat. You decide it looks promising and are going to try it.
You quickly realize that this is anything but simple. There are ingredients you need to buy, and time you need to set aside to set up and prepare. Eventually, you carve out the time one evening to make this magical recipe now that you’ve acquired all the ingredients.
Then, your son starts running around the kitchen as you desperately try to find the next step in the recipe on your phone. This is going about as well as all the other recent attempts at making a healthy meal for your picky eater.
Kids Lunch Ideas
The recipe says 20 minutes of prep, you glance at the clock and notice that it’s already been 30, and you’re only half way through. FINALLY, miraculously, you get the recipe made, collapse into the couch for a second.
You serve dinner, nervous and beyond hopeful that they’ll devour this whole delicious healthy meal designed for picky eaters. Instead, they refuse to even put it on their plate.
The last time this happened to me it was a recipe for cauliflower bread sticks. As a mom to a picky eater or two, and a pediatric occupational therapist, I do have some tricks to plan healthy meals for picky eaters WITHOUT losing your mind!
Healthy Kid Friendly Dinner Ideas
Plus, lots of ideas that are easily adaptable and simple to make as part of a picky eating plan that your whole family will enjoy.
No matter what recipes and food ideas you gain here, it’s critical to follow a few steps before you plan a healthy meal for picky eaters because every child is different and what one picky eater might eat, the next might not.
They will have much less hesitation when they see a familiar food as they sit down to eat. Read about some basic strategies in The Best Eating Habits for Kids.
What Makes A Picky Eater, And How Parents Can Help?
If we get to obsessed with healthy meals for picky eaters, we may make the picky eating problem worse because they feel so pressured to eat better and start to associate negative thoughts about some foods.
Throw the idea of “no playing with your food” out the window; lightening the mood can make all the difference for a picky eater.
I’m going to break down all my suggestions into some different categories so you can pick, choose, and be inspired by foods that your child is most likely to eat or be interested in.
Healthy Recipes, Fun Food Ideas For Picky Kids & Families
Deconstructed meals are my favorite way to have a peaceful healthy meal with a picky eater. Read about why it’s so effective here.
Basically, instead of mixing everything together like a casserole, you serve it all separately. Instead of a big bowl of spaghetti and meatballs, you have noodles in one bowl, sauce in another bowl, and meatballs in a bowl.
I try to bring pans right to the table to cut down on dishes or I’ll put the food in the plastic containers the leftovers will end up in anyways. Here’s are some of my favorite healthy deconstructed meal ideas:
Creating Healthy Meals For Picky Eaters: Kids And Adults
8. Charcuterie Bar (Various crackers, deli meats, cut up veggies, dips, pickles, olives, even sweet treats laid out on a cutting board or platter)
Oh, most picky eaters LOVE breading! It’s often a familiar texture and it helps to mask the strong flavor or texture that they’re avoiding beneath.
After your child eats foods that are breaded consistently, you can pull back from them. This list is mostly one idea for you to build the rest of the meal around. For more fun breading options, click here.
Recipes For Picky Eaters: 12 Ways To Add Secret Fruit & Veggies
Make sure you grab the free healthy meals for picky eaters printable because you’ll get a cheat sheet that allows you to plan your meal easy peasy!
9. Healthy Homemade Mini Chicken Medallions, noodles with olive oil, and broccoli (If you want to buy Sam’s Club Dino Nuggets, (I don’t get a penny for saying that) they are one of my favorite brands because they are thin and picky eaters love that too!)
A large portion of picky eaters prefer crispy textured foods. Building on the preference can lead to more healthy meals for picky eaters!
Kid Friendly Dinners For Picky Eaters
18. Pan fried ham, baked potato skins, and sliced pineapple rings (My kids love homemade potato skins. Simply bake your potatoes, empty the filling (serve as a side) and paint with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake again in the oven till crispy!)
19. Crispy chicken wings (sauce on the side), rolls, and corn on the cob (Break the corn on the cob in half and put it on a Popsicle stick for extra fun motivation!)
Remember I told you to think outside the box! Think untraditional to have a successful fun meal. Here are some of my favorite ideas, but don’t stop there, think about what else you can add to the list!
How To Make Healthy Dinners For Picky Eaters (and Expand Their Palates!)
22. Made your own way quiche with side of crackers (Quiche is a mixed food/casserole type food which usually doesn’t go over too well, but with a few amount of mixed ingredients that your child chooses it could be a winner.)
I do like to keep simple, but there a few fun items that I’ve used with my own kids and those that I work with that give kids a little extra motivation to enjoy their food. If you’re looking for some tools and tricks, I’ve got you covered!
Construction or Garden Fairy Utensils (We’ve had the bulldozer and digger fork for years. More than a few times they’ve saved a meal)
Easy Toddler Meals Huge List With Free Printable
Fun kid friendly mini forks and pics to stick in food (Perfect for little hands or just to make food a little more exciting!)
Now that you’ve got over 25 ideas for healthy meals for picky eaters, it would probably be helpful to access them again quickly, right? Well, I’ve got you covered because I’ve taken all the foods here and placed in a printable you can download and print.
Get inspired, plan your meals, or just copy the done for you meal ideas with this awesome printable for toddlers and babies!If you are trying to feed picky kids and you're on a hunt for healthy recipes for picky eaters - look no further! I've rounded up 31 of the best easy, simple, and healthy meals for fussy eaters. Each of these easy meals is delicious, filling, and nutritious, and is approved by even the pickiest eater!
Why Recipes For Picky Eaters Won't Solve The Problem
It's not just toddlers, kids, and babies that are picky eaters - adult picky eaters exist also! If you've ever struggled to help feed your family nutritious and healthy foods that they will want to eat, you are not alone!
I began this blog to share healthy recipes for picky eaters that my family enjoyed. There is nothing more frustrating than setting a grocery budget, planning family dinner ideas, shopping, and making meals just to have no one eat them!
That's why you'll find kid-friendly and healthy comfort food recipes right here! Check out these 51 healthy recipes for picky eaters that I've collected from our archives and friends across the web!
Quick And Healthy Toddler Meal Ideas And Recipes
These recipes are tried-and-true family easy dinner favorites that will help to make mealtime easier, no matter how picky your eaters are.
Make a simple and healthy dinner with these thinly sliced chicken breasts and a side of sweet potatoes, like these sweet potato slices.
Turkey is not just for Thanksgiving! This juicy meat is great for even young kids, thanks to its great texture and flavor.
Healthy Recipes For Your Picky Eater
Making pizza at home is a fun activity to get picky eaters involved in cooking! They can help make the dough and choose the toppings.
This slow cooker hidden vegetable pasta sauce has the vegetables all blended up in to it, so you won't even know there are there. 5 different vegetables, easy to adapt, vegan, and freezes well too.
It can be difficult for most of us to get enough vegetables into our diet, but it's even harder if you don't like vegetables at all. This hidden veggie recipe is one of the easiest healthy recipes for picky eaters because it hides the veggies so well!
Best Recipes For Picky Eaters
These air fryer taquitos are a kid-friendly, healthy recipe that is great for picky eaters (and includes hidden veggies!) Make straight from the freezer to the table in less than 25 minutes!
Pasta is a great choice when getting fussy eaters to try new things! This recipe is simple and easy to make and even throw in a few veggies if you want!
These healthy chocolate zucchini muffins are made with simple ingredients, have no refined sugar and are dairy free. Super moist, fudgy and delicious with chocolate flavor, they will be a hit in your home!
Healthy Dinner Ideas For Your Picky Eater. Yes, Really!
This healthy taco recipe is made with lean ground beef tossed with homemade taco seasoning and shredded fresh vegetables. They are an easy-to-make healthier version of homemade taco meat that the whole family will love.
Serve these healthy tacos for taco Tuesday or any night with your favorite taco toppings; they are not only quick but also full of flavor.
Made with ground turkey, cheese, noodles and spices, this homemade cheeseburger macaroni tastes
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