It can be a challenge to feed your family, especially when everyone wants something different! And it doesn’t seem to matter whether your kids are young or older. Feeding a family can present a variety of challenges, ranging from accommodating different tastes and preferences to managing dietary restrictions and cultural differences.
Toddlers are preferential and finicky by nature. Meanwhile, Tweens and Teens are seeking out fast food and sometimes judging what is being made. Usually, when given a choice, everyone wants something different. It is human nature to want a choice in what is eaten, but this can make family meal planning a tough task.
The Basics
For children and teens, appetites fluctuate from day to day. In reality, typical, healthy children with adequate growth have internal feeding cues that will not let them starve. So one day they will eat everything in sight and the next day, they might just pick at their food. So don’t feel compelled to short-order cook separate meals. Depending on the child’s age, offering 3 meals and 2-3 scheduled snacks (that are not too close to mealtime) will ensure there are plenty of opportunities to eat throughout the day.
How do you plan a meal that has something for everyone? Engage the whole family in meal planning, shopping, and preparing meals. And most of all, make it fun!
Some Ideas We Love to Feed Your Family:
Get Family Input
When meal planning, get family members’ input for the menu. Sit down together for a family meeting to plan. Or have everyone write their favorite meals on paper, put them in a jar, and select randomly from the jar throughout the week.
Have a Mini-Buffet
Include a variety of cooked ingredients, and allow family members to assemble their own plate based on what they like. For example, have a burrito bowl night by offering black beans, shredded chicken or ground beef, brown or white rice, tomato, onion, cilantro, greens, and cheese. Apply the same concept for pasta dishes, salads, baked potatoes, etc. Repurpose leftovers for lunches, soups, stews, and salads.
Build Your Own
Kids of all ages love this! Provide a variety of toppings to choose from, and let each person top their own personal pizza. The same concept works for grilling skewers. Offer a variety of veggies and one or two protein options to skewer to have them build their own. This is a nice, easy way to feed your family!
Thinking Outside the Box
Often we get stuck in a rut and plan meals around what “goes together” or what time of day it is. It’s time to think outside the box to feed your family. Serve “breakfast for dinner” by offering whole grain waffles or omelettes. Serve lunch for dinner with a BLT or other sandwich. And it’s ok to ditch traditional sides, like green beans and applesauce with pork chops. Instead, let family members each pick a side dish or veggie.
Theme Nights
Rotate through different cuisine themes each night of the week. Everyone loves a themed night! Our favorites include Italian, Mexican Fiesta, Asian Fusion, and Comfort Food Classics etc. This way, everyone gets to enjoy their favorite type of cuisine throughout the week. Make it fancy and pick up a themed table cloth or plates to make the night memorable!
Mix-and-Match Meals
Prepare a main dish and offer different side dishes or accompaniments that cater to individual preferences. Choose a protein such as grilled chicken, fish, steak, tofu, or shrimp, and pair it with a variety of sides like roasted vegetables, steamed broccoli, mashed potatoes, rice, quinoa, or a side salad. Each family member can pick their preferred protein and sides.
Rotating Responsibilities
Assign each family member a night to choose the meal or help prepare it. This way, everyone gets a chance to have their favorite dishes and feels involved in the meal planning process. Take time to acknowledge and appreciate each family member’s efforts in the kitchen. It can give them the motivation and confidence to cook dinner again!
Compromise
Sometimes, you may need to compromise and find a middle ground that satisfies everyone’s preferences. Look for dishes that have elements each family member enjoys, or try to incorporate small adjustments to accommodate different tastes. For instance, if one family member doesn’t like onions in stir-fry, you can cook the onions separately and add them to individual plates as desired.
Keep Staples on Hand
Always have staple ingredients available that can be used to quickly whip up a meal, such as pasta, rice, canned beans, frozen vegetables, etc. This ensures that you can easily throw together a meal even if everyone wants something different. They provide a solid foundation for creating balanced and flavorful dinners without having to make a last-minute dash to the store. This list can be helpful to keep things organized!
These concepts help foster food acceptance and independence while giving you a break from coming up with all the ideas on your own. With consistency and time, your family can become more accepting of a variety of foods. Mealtime challenges and struggles can eventually become a thing of the past and can feed your family well!
Like These Ideas to Better Feed Your Family?
Book an appointment with one of our Registered Dietitians! We help families that have picky eaters, texture-related issues, and more. The best thing is that insurance may cover 100%! We also have a robust Meal Planner that will give you delicious, healthy meal ideas every member of your family will love!
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