I'm ashamed to admit, I cater. . I've tried making one meal and insisting everyone eat it but either we end up in a power struggle, or they don't eat their food and are grumpy and asking for snacks right before bedtime.
I'd rather that I make a healthy version of what they like and everyone is satisfied, full and content with no arguments. . Bedtime goes much more smoothly when they are full. I do give them about 3 choices- I don't just take orders. And just to clarify- this hasn't made for picky eaters. I find that when we can agree on a meal and there is no fighting about what they will and won't eat, they are less defensive at meal times and more open to occasionally trying something new.
As for veggies, my kids love to dip raw veggies in different dips. I like the Newmans own and Annies dressings for them to dip veggies in. They love grape tomatoes, raw strips of bell peppers, baby carrots, and sometimes snap peas. They also love steamed broccoli and green beans with butter and salt on them. I usually prepare the veggies and set them next to them in a separate bowl or plate. I tell them to try a little but if they don't like them they don't have to eat them. I find they scream less when the suspicious food item is not next to their preferred food.
Last edited by gatorsmom; 06-29-2013 at 12:38 AM.
" I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent." Mahatma Gandhi
"This is the ultimate weakness of violence: It multiplies evil and violence in the universe. It doesn't solve any problems." Martin Luther King, Jr.