Do you worry for lack of dinner idea for picky eaters? Young children are fussy and picky eaters more often than others. This trait is something that is innate from ‘caveman’ days. As a survival mechanism during those days, foods which were sour and bitter were rejected, since they could be poisonous, especially plants and berries. Babies are born with an instinctive aversion to sour and bitter tastes and desire sweet and salty foods. For this reason, kids become picky eaters and complain when eating fruits and vegetables.
It is a constant worrying reason for parents when their kids are picky eaters, since they do not get adequate nutrition from the foods they dislike. Trying out interesting recipes with such foods, as the ingredients help in incorporating them in the diet and also changing the preference of the kids. The recipes given below should definitely be tried.
Dinner Ideas for Picky Eaters
The recipes below utilize ingredients which are not favored by picky eaters, but could be accepted due to the way they have been prepared and presented.
Monday: Spinach Squares
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 750 grams spinach leaves
- 1 medium sized onion
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 numbers eggs
- 2 cups milk
- 3 cups soft bread crumbs
- 300 grams ham
- White sauce to accompany
- Salt to taste
Directions:
- 1. Blanch spinach leaves and drain well.
- 2. Cook finely chopped onion in butter till soft and roughly chop the spinach.
- 3. Mix beaten eggs with milk, bread crumbs, ham, onions, spinach and salt.
- 4. Transfer into a baking dish and bake for 40 – 45 minutes at 350 °F.
- 5. Serve with white sauce.
Tuesday: One Pot Meals—Pasta with Vegetables
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of wheat or semolina pasta
- 1 cup broccoli
- 1 cup kale leaves
- ½ cup cooked white beans
- ½ cup sun dried tomato pesto
- Grated cheese
- Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
- 1. Cook the pasta in water with sea salt.
- 2. When the pasta is almost cooked, add the broccoli and then the kale leaves.
- 3. Drain the vegetables & pasta. Ensure that the vegetables are crisp and tender.
- 4. Transfer the pasta, vegetables to a sauce pan along with tomato pesto and white beans.
- 5. Add more pesto if required, along with salt and pepper.
- 6. Garnish with grated cheese.
Wednesday: Taco Salad with Black Beans
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of extra lean ground beef
- 2 cups of romaine lettuce
- 1 cup canned black beans
- 1 cup tortilla chips
- ½ cup corn
- 1 cup grated cheese
- 2 tablespoon mild chili powder
For Dressing:
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ cup tomato salsa
- ½ teaspoon mild chili powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
Directions:
- 1. Cook the ground beef with chili powder and drain.
- 2. In a large salad bowl, place the lettuce followed by ground beef, black beans, tortilla chips, corn and top with cheese.
- 3. For the dressing, mix the mayonnaise, salsa and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper.
- 4. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve.
Thursday: Baked Spaghetti
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 500 grams of lean ground beef
- 1 pack of whole wheat spaghetti
- 2 cups of spaghetti sauce
- 2 cups of butternut squash puree
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
Directions:
- 1. Cook and brown beef over medium heat and drain.
- 2. Cook the pasta in water and drain.
- 3. Mix the spaghetti sauce and butternut squash puree with the beef.
- 4. Pre-heat the oven and lightly grease a baking dish.
- 5. Put 1/3rd cup sauce into the baking dish and mix the beef with the spaghetti.
- 6. Top with grated cheese.
- 7. Transfer into the baking dish and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350 °F.
Friday: BBQ Chicken Quesadillas
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of shredded chicken (barbequed or rotisserie)
- 6 tortillas
- 2 tablespoons barbeque sauce
- 2 teaspoons oil
- 2 cups grated cheese
Directions:
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a skillet and place a tortilla.
- Apply 1 teaspoon of BBQ sauce on the tortilla.
- Add shredded chicken and cheese on one half of the tortilla and fold the other half on the mixture.
- Cook the quesadillas for 1 – 2 minutes or until golden brown, while pressing down lightly with a spatula.
- Flip over the tortillas and cook till the cheese melts.
Saturday: Shrimp Fried Rice
Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 400 grams cleaned, deveined shrimp
- 1 cup peas and carrots
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon groundnut oil
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
Directions:
- 1. Heat olive oil in a large wok and add egg.
- 2. Scramble the eggs and transfer to a bowl.
- 3. Add groundnut oil to the wok and add ginger and garlic to the wok.
- 4. Stir fry for 30 seconds then add the shrimp and fry till it turns pink and curls.
- 5. Ensure that it does not over cooks, remove from the wok as soon as it cooks.
- 6. Add the rice to the wok, stir fry for a few minutes. Add more oil if required.
- 7. Add peas and carrots and further stir fry for another minute.
- 8. Add the scrambled eggs, shrimps and soy sauce to the rice.
- 9. Turn off the heat once all the flavors are combined well.
Sunday: Macaroni and Cheese
Total Time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 3 cups whole wheat macaroni or short pasta
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups skimmed milk
- 1 and ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 and ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- 1/3 cup Greek yogurt
Directions:
- 1. Cook the macaroni in water and towards the end add the broccoli florets.
- 2. The pasta should be al dente and broccoli should be crisp and tender.
- 3. Heat olive oil and butter in a saucepan over medium heat and add the flour while stirring well.
- 4. Cook till the flour is completely absorbed.
- 5. Add the cayenne pepper and milk and keep stirring to avoid lump formation and till sauce thickens.
- 6. Add the parmesan and half of cheddar cheese to the sauce and cook till the cheese melts.
- 7. Remove from heat and stir the macaroni and broccoli to the sauce and add Greek yogurt.
- 8. Transfer all the contents of the pan to a baking dish and top with remaining cheese.
- 9. Bake in pre-heated oven for 20-30 minutes at 350 °F.
- 10. Serve hot.
Watch the video to get more dinner ideas for picky eaters: