Coming up with new supper ideas for any family feeding little humans can be a laborious task! However, coming up with supper ideas for picky eaters is hands-down the TOUGHEST job! It’s not as simple as finding a recipe on a blog that you like and making it. There are a whole bunch of other factors that parents have to consider such as:
- Will they be remotely interested in trying it?
- Will I end up making another separate meal if no one eats it?
- Are they just going to ask for a snack 30 seconds later if they don’t eat it?
- What ‘safe or preferred foods’ can I serve with it?
Why coming up with supper ideas for picky eaters is so triggering!
Working with families for over a decade, I can safely say that supper refusal is the most triggering for parents. Oftentimes breakfast is a simple meal where everyone grabs what they want. School lunches are packed separately, so different tastes or preferences are more easily accommodated without affecting others.
However, when it comes time to supper, parents only want to make ONE meal! On top of that, caregivers put the most time, energy, and effort into making dinner. So, when you combine high effort + end of day fatigue + supper refusal, it’s a recipe for a parental emotional breakdown!
But first … here’s why picky eaters often don’t eat supper
Before we dive into my supper ideas for picky eaters, we need to talk about the elephant in the room … which is why your kiddo has a hard time eating supper in the first place!
Here are 10 reasons why your kiddo may be refusing supper along with specific strategies for addressing those behaviours. Because let’s be honest, solving the root cause of their picky eating is what you really want to do! (P.S. Don’t forget that we can help with that, one-on-one or in our online course).
3 reminders when thinking of supper ideas for picky eaters
#1 Refrain from asking your kiddo “What do you want for supper?”
It’s not wrong to ask for your child’s input to plan supper. In fact, getting your kiddo involved in meal planning can be a great way to engage them and foster excitement about trying a new dish. However, if asked, “what do you want for supper?” your child will only ever request a dish that they know and like. This creates two potential problems.
The first problem is that they will ask for something they know and like – e.g., hot dogs. If you say “no”, then they get upset and it creates more battles and stress around food. Not our goal!
The second problem is that they haven’t lived nearly as long as you have! They don’t know that there are new foods/recipes out there that they like but just haven’t been exposed to yet! That’s why they need you to make new things (and serve them more than once!) to show them what’s possible.
If you want to let them have a choice, try to limit that choice to only 2 or 3 options. For instance, let them choose the side-dish: “We’re having beef burgers for supper tonight. Would you like asparagus, broccoli or corn-on-the-cob to go with our burgers?” Or let them choose the main dish. “Would you like to have spaghetti tonight or tuna noodle casserole?”
#2 Plan suppers that YOU like too!
The goal is to offer food that you want to eat, you know how to cook and you can afford. If you only ever cook what your selective eater wants for supper, then they’ll never get exposed to other foods.
If you’re making something they have not seen before, be sure to include a couple of preferred foods as side dishes. For example, if you make a new chilli, serve it with bread and butter (or cheese and crackers) and a bowl of cucumber slices or milk to drink. This is the concept of being considerate to their food preferences without catering.
There is no special formula that dictates how often you should make something YOU like vs. something THEY like. This depends on many variables including their specific eating struggles and what your families’ goals are.
#3 Don’t feel guilty about planning something easy that they like!
Parents of picky eaters often share with me that they feel extremely guilty when they cook a meal for their child that is ‘easy’ to feed them.
First – let’s all agree to get rid of shame and guilt around feeding kids. What you’re going through is hard. Give yourself a heap of grace.
Second – it’s completely fine (and expected!) that you would plan something easy that your kids like to eat. We in fact recommend this sometimes. For example, if a family has a very active selective eater, they might plan their child’s favourite supper meal on a night when they have a sports game. This helps to ensure they have a filling meal to provide adequate energy for their activity.
Regardless of what you make for supper, the most important thing is that you safeguard the family mealtime together. Put all of the food on the table that’s available for that meal. Sit down (even if it’s only for 5 minutes!) and connect with each other.
There are many different supper ideas for picky eaters that you can find on the internet in a quick search. However, the one supper idea that is MOST successful for families with a selective eater is the deconstructed meal.
Deconstructed dinners for the win!
A deconstructed meal is a meal where a dish or recipe is left in its separate component parts. Each family member can choose to assemble the food available on the table in their own unique way.
The benefit of leaving meals (or components of meals) deconstructed is that your picky eater has greater control over what food they put on their plate. For example, instead of making a salad with all of the toppings mixed into it already, serving the lettuce and the toppings separately allows them to choose what they want and increases the likelihood of them engaging with that food.
Leaving meals deconstructed often decreases anxiety or fear for very hesitant eaters. They know that certain foods have not touched or they don’t have to pick out something they don’t like. When anxiety decreases, they have greater capacity to explore new foods.
Most meals can be deconstructed but some meals are easier to do this than others. Let’s take a look at 8 easy deconstructed supper ideas for picky eaters.
8 Deconstructed Supper Ideas for Picky Eaters
1) Charcuterie Boards
This is a classic no-cook meal where you simply pull out a serving tray or cutting board and fill it with anything and everything from your fridge and/or pantry! Families often include leftover cooked meat or deli meat, cheese, crackers, veggies, olives, dips, fruit, dried fruit, seeds, nuts etc. Kids can pick and choose from what’s on the board. You can also try theme boards where everything is green or rainbow-coloured. The sky’s the limit!
PICKY EATER TIP! To spark their interest, place kid-friendly food picks in the different foods and watch them get adventurous!
2) Smoothie Bowls
Smoothie bowls were quite trendy a couple years ago. Though they may have lost their minute of fame, they’re still a fantastic no-cook deconstructed meal for a busy weeknight. Make a LARGE batch of your family’s favourite smoothie. (3 different flavours you can try that don’t require protein powder). Make sure it’s a thick consistency so it can be eaten with a spoon. Pour the smoothie into cereal bowls and let everyone top their bowl with fun toppings! You may want to try:
- Diced fruit – e.g. berries, bananas, peaches, cherries etc.
- Dried fruit – e.g. raisins, craisins, dried cherries, dried blueberries, dried mango, dried apple etc.
- Seeds – e.g. flax seeds, chia seeds, hemp hearts, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds etc.
- Granola – purchased from the store or homemade
- Nuts – e.g. walnuts, slivered almonds, pistachios, peanuts etc.
- Nut butters or sauces – e.g. natural peanut butter or almond butter; drizzle of chocolate sauce
- Other fun toppings – e.g. mini chocolate chips, mini m&ms, chocolate sprinkles
PICKY EATER TIP! Have a family-friendly competition and let your child judge who made the most creative or vibrant smoothie bowl. Fun competitions in the kitchen can help bolster a kiddo’s interest in experimenting with new foods!
3) MYO Sandwiches, Wraps, Subs, Pitas
Sandwiches are another classic that can be especially helpful on nights when everyone needs to eat at a different time. The key to making sandwiches more exciting (and enticing) is switching up the base and the toppings. Spread out everything you’ve got on the counter and let everyone assemble their own. Here are some ideas for different breads and toppings:
- Base: sub buns, various types of bread (whole grain, rye, sourdough), tortillas, flatbread, pitas, etc.
- Protein: leftover roast meats, pulled pork/chicken/beef, bacon, deli meats, ‘salads’ (e.g. egg salad, tuna salad, salmon salad, chicken salad, tofu salad), nut butters (e.g. peanut butter, almond butter), seed butter (e.g. tahini, sunflower seed butter), cheeses (e.g. cheddar, mozzarella, feta)
- Veggies: lettuce, spinach, arugula, tomato, cucumber, peppers, olives, avocado, grated carrots, pickles, sprouts, micro greens etc.
- Sauces and spreads: vinaigrette dressings, cream dressings, mayonnaise, mustard, cream cheese, chia seed jam, pesto, tzatziki, hummus, guacamole etc.
PICKY EATER TIP! If cold sandwiches aren’t a hit, try heating them up in a frying pan or invest in a panini press. Food refusals might be due to the temperature (which influences the texture, taste and consistency of a food).
4) Make Your Own “BOWL” Meals
My kids both learned how to like black olives, feta and tzatziki by making Greek chicken bowls on repeat last year. At first they stuck to rice and chicken only in their bowls. Then, as we made them again and again, they got more adventurous with the other toppings on the table! Buddha bowl recipes are on our menu almost weekly as they are incredibly easy to throw together and everyone can choose their own ratios for toppings.
Our family’s favourite bowl meal recipes are:
- Greek Chicken Bowls – This recipe by Two Peas and Their Pod is our go-to!
- Beef Bowlrito – This recipe in the cookbook Yum and Yummer is easy and awesome!
- Sushi Bowls – This recipe is by Budget Bytes is delicious and budget-friendly!
- Tofu Bowls – This recipe is a kid-friendly bowl with tofu if you’re looking for a plant-based option!
You can also make your own bowl too! Simply choose between a grain base or lettuce base, choose your protein, add some veggies (or fruit) and a dressing or sauce.
PICKY EATER TIP! Start by making a bowl with something that they like already. For example, if your kiddo likes taco meat, make a bowl with ground beef at first before introducing bowls with other proteins.
5) Tacos, tacos, tacos!
Need I say more?! Tacos are the quintessential deconstructed meal! Don’t forget to leave the taco entirely in its component parts and let your kiddo choose what they want to put inside their own. Here’s what you will need!
- Taco shell: try soft flour tortillas (whole grain, white, tomato or spinach flavoured) or hard crunchy shells (usually made from corn flour)
- Protein: ground meat is the most common (use ground beef, chicken, turkey or pork) but you can also experiment with white fish, shrimp, tofu, buffalo cauliflower, black beans, lentils and more!
- Toppings: tacos are often served with shredded lettuce, diced tomato, diced pepper, grated cheese, sour cream, salsa, and guacamole
PICKY EATER TIP! Hard tacos can be challenging for selective eaters who don’t like getting messy as they often break unevenly when you bite into them and toppings can fall out! Start with a flour tortilla that you can fully wrap together before progressing to more challenging (or messier) shells.
6) Loaded Baked Potatoes
Potatoes get a lot of bad PR for some reason. I think potatoes are the most underrated, yet nutrient-rich and filling foods for kids. Potatoes are a fantastic source of vitamin C (oranges aren’t the only food with vitamin C!) and potassium. Not only are they easy to make but they’re also budget-friendly. You can easily find a recipe for loaded potatoes but you really don’t need any recipe at all!
- Buy one large potato for each person in your family (experiment with white-flesh or yellow-flesh potatoes and sweet potatoes too)
- Scrub the potatoes with water and dry them. Poke holes all over the potato with a fork. If desired, rub a bit of oil on each of the potatoes and sprinkle with some salt and pepper.
- Wrap the potatoes in tin foil (I use two layers) and bake or grill at high heat (450 F) for 45-60 minutes until done. Don’t forget to flip the potato half way through so it cooks evenly.
- Add your toppings! Here are 50 loaded baked potato topping ideas!
PICKY EATER TIP! If baked potatoes aren’t a preferred texture for your kiddo yet, you can also choose to dice or slice the potatoes and make them more into a French fry shape. Once baked, put them in a bowl and let your kiddo choose toppings to place on them or different sauces to dip them into.
7) Homemade Pizza
Pizza is a wonderful vehicle for your learning eater to learn to like new foods. You can start by adding one tiny piece of a veggie on their pizza and slowly build from there. Though it’s great to make your own dough from scratch, save that for days when you have time and capacity to do so. There are LOTS of other options to use as a pre-made base that can make your life a whole lot easier on busy weeknights!
- Base: you can let your kiddo help you make your own large pizza base (here is my favourite white pizza dough and whole wheat pizza dough); if you don’t have time to make your own, try using flatbread pitas, naan bread, English muffins, bagels, or any store-prepared dough
- Sauce: tomato sauce is the classic option but you can also experiment with basil or tomato pesto, barbecue sauce, Alfredo sauce or anything else that suits your fancy!
- Cheese Toppings: mozzarella is the classic option but you can literally put ANY cheese on pizza!
- Protein Toppings: any sliced deli meats, cooked chicken, ground meat, sausage, bacon, tuna etc.
- Veggie Toppings: try various colours of bell peppers, tomatoes, white and/or red onions, olives, pineapple, broccoli, spinach, arugula, artichoke, hot peppers, roasted red peppers, eggplant, zucchini etc.
PICKY EATER TIP! Don’t forget that your job is to expose them to new foods. Even if they don’t ask for veggie toppings, still cut up a bunch that you want on your pizza and put them in little bowls on the counter where you’re assembling the pizzas. Any leftover veggie toppings can be thrown into a salad. Complete the meal with some raw veggies and dip and/or a glass of milk.
8) Make Your Own Pasta
Instead of mixing your pasta dish all together (noodles, sauce, protein, veg), why not serve that exact same meal, except keep it deconstructed?! Bring everything to the table and let your kiddo choose what they will add to their pasta. If they are stuck on plain pasta with butter, switch it up by trying olive oil. If sauce is an issue, start by stirring in the smallest amount of red sauce into their bowl of pasta (I’m talking like less than a teaspoon!). Then, gradually increase the amount each time in 1/2 to 1 tsp increments.
PICKY EATER TIP! If your kiddo is stuck on one brand of boxed macaroni and cheese, start by changing one small aspect of what they’re used to eating. For example, if they eat an elbow-shaped macaroni and cheese, buy a shell-shaped macaroni and cheese or a different cheese flavour. If that goes well, you can expand into making your own noodles and using a combination of cheese powder with real cheese and progress to an all-homemade cheese sauce from there.
If you are looking for some more support getting to the root cause of your selective eater’s struggles, don’t forget to reach out – we provide customized one-on-one support in our Feeding Fix Program and support through our child nutrition online courses.
