Start healthy habits when they're young

I was always worried that I would get the kid that only ate mac and cheese and chicken nuggets and that either our dinner palate would be limited to these two foods or I would end up making an adult meal and kid meal every night.

The thing I’ve learned, they aren’t as picky as my worst case scenario mind assumed. With that said, I know some children have emotional needs when it comes to food and this may not work with every family, this is just my experience.

Start them when they are young. Do I always have mac and cheese and chicken strips on hand? Yes. Those are great for lunches or when you’ve been debating about going out, spend 40 minutes trying to think of where to go with five kids and then realize you don’t have the energy to spend your entire meal making sure butts are in seats and minimal amounts of food end up on the floor, so you end up staying home. But by now it is 7:00pm, no one has eaten and food not getting to their mouths in 10 minutes will surely lead to a meltdown.

However, on those nights when I have 30 minutes to make a meal, I try to not go straight for the blue box. Try spaghetti with a side salad. We do this once a week and after a while the kids start asking for the salad when you forget. Or rice and beans with sausage that you tell them is actually cut up hot dogs. Or even fish. Yes, fish. My kids LOVE tilapia which is great because so do my husband and I! It is a mild fish and paired with rice and asparagus is a delicious family dinner.

Our kids can be super picky and it can get really frustrating when they suddenly don’t like chicken or pasta sauce anymore, but starting good habits when they are young just makes it easier later down the road. We still have nights where the kids do not want what is in front of them, but as I mention here, fruit and veggies are always okay and hopefully the next night will be better!

And if all else fails, just throw some cheese on it and they’ll gobble it right up.