My Picky Eater

I too love the Deceptively Delicious cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld.
I put pureed cauliflower in mashed potatoes, tuna salad. Pureed butternut squash in mac n' cheese and applesauce muffins, carrots in spaghetti'os. Pureed sweet potato in pancakes, canned pumpkin in oatmeal, etc.
My 3 and 4 year old (and even my husband) don't notice it. In fact my husband, who hates eating veggies too, has said our meals seem to have more flavor to them.
My 4 year old likes to help me cook and I don't keep it a secret that we put extra veggies in the food. She now asks "what all goes in this meal?"
I cook and puree the veggies ahead of time, then pour the puree into ice cube trays, freeze them, and place the cubes in a freezer bag. 4 cubes is approx. 1/2 cup. I can easily grab the amount that I need and quickly thaw them for the meal. One butternut squash will usually fill two ice cube trays which can last me 3-4 weeks, so it's not like I'm constantly cooking and pureeing veggies. I do maybe one veggie once a week. Right now I have bags of cauliflower, sweet potato, carrot, butternut squash, and spinach cubes in the freezer.

1 mom found this helpful

my daughter is a 3 yr old picky eater and always has been. her brother on the other hand is 9 months and will eat anything and everything you put in front of him. I wouldnt worry about him not always eating veggies and fruits. It sounds like hes doing pretty good with what hes eating already, dairy, protien in the pb&j and the fruits. The days my daugther wont eat well shes takes her flinstone vitamin. i'd let him pick out his own character vitamin at the store and have him take it everyday until hes eating more healthier meals.

I have had good luck using the recipes from a book called Deceptively Delicious. It shows ways to sneak pureed veggies and fruits into other stuff such as Mac and Cheese, muffins, cookies, etc. You might have luck with that.
B.

kids are like that....carrots celery, califlower cut for thier size then peanut(if not allergic) cream cheese ranch dressing .for the healthy snacks seemed to always work for my grandkids 2 and 4.... like my grandmother use say you have to put your foot down picky eating is form of manipulation let keep going and you are the one that is got. eat or starve... that usually get the picky right out of them.

I agree with a lot of the suggestions, try fun ways to give fruits and veggies or try the Deceptively Delicious cookbook, I found it cheap at Sam's and also checked it out at the library! As a dietitian I am very concerned about what my children eat. I have found Juice Plus and give it to them daily. You can check out my website at www.Stubbs4Health.com. Let me know if you have any questions.

Hi M.!

I am in the same boat. My son is 4 yrs old and has been a picky eater since he was a baby starting on solids, which came late too. I have to really be careful, because he has a bad gag reflex, and if he doesn't like something he tries, everything comes up, and it's all over for everyone! I always cook a meal and encourage him to try things, and he has gotten better about it. But I surely don't push the foods he detests, otherwise I'd have a big mess on my hands, not to mention a fight not worth it for me. Meats, fresh veggies and fresh fruits are things he doesn't care much for. Anything dairy or starchy (except potatoes...he despises!) he'll eat no problem. He will only eat fruit from a can or applesauce. The only fresh fruit he eats is bananas. He won't eat ANY fresh veggies, but he will eat cooked corn, peas, green beans and broccoli. I love the idea of hiding things in foods. I wish he liked mashed potatoes, like most kids. The idea that Carolyn gave of pureeing and freezing into cubes was awesome! How ingeneous! I wish you luck in getting more healthy foods to your son, but know you are not alone! I, myself, might check out that book!