Come up with all the healthy recipes that you want, but if the people in your families are picky eaters they just won’t eat any of it. My one son Sean really doesn’t ever eat any tomatoes of any kind, BUT he will eat tomato sauce for some reason. This presents a problem with any recipes I make that include tomatoes. My two grandchildren have an aversion to eating anything except chicken tenders and pizza. The challenge there is to get something that tastes sweet!
It’s always great when you get a picky eater to try one of your recipes and actually like it. It’s like you opened their mind to the possibility that any new recipe could taste good as well.
Here’s some recipes to do just that.
22 Healthy Recipes For Picky Eaters
If you want to view the full recipe for any of the following, please click the link below each one.
Green Monster Veggie Muffins
Green muffins that children eat because they look like a joke rather than a vegetable. Spinach disappears completely into them.
Recipe from Charisse Yu.
Healthy Applesauce Muffins For Kids
Applesauce keeps them moist without much sugar. Good in a lunchbox and good for breakfast on a rushed morning.
Recipe from Involvery.
Cauliflower Egg Cups
Cauliflower and cheese baked into egg cups, which is an easy way past a vegetable objection. They reheat in seconds.
Recipe from My Kids Lick the Bowl.
Fruit and Veggie Muffins for Picky Eaters
Fruit and vegetables in the same muffin, and the fruit wins the argument. Make a batch and freeze them.
Recipe from Super Healthy Kids.
Mini Egg Muffins with Cheese and Veggies
Small enough that a wary child will try one, and there is cheese in every bite. Change the vegetables to whatever they will tolerate.
Recipe from Yummy Toddler Food.
Guilt Free Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potato is rarely the battle, so this one is about making the side dish worth eating. Plenty of garlic.
Recipe from Picky Eater Blog.
Freeze Ahead Homemade Uncrustables
The shop bought ones by another name, made at home and frozen in batches. They thaw by lunchtime.
Recipe from Working Mom Magic.
Fruit and Veggie Smoothie Pops
Frozen into a lolly, which is the single most reliable way to get vegetables into a child. They never notice.
Recipe from Simply Today Life.
Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
Tomato soup with cheese tortellini and spinach, ready in under half an hour. This is the one for the child who refuses tomatoes but eats sauce.
Recipe from Tastes Better From Scratch.
Taco Stuffed Shells
Taco filling inside pasta shells, so it reads as pasta rather than as tacos. Cream cheese keeps it mild.
Recipe from Instrupix.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Baked Penne
Chicken, bacon and ranch through baked pasta, which is very hard for anyone to refuse. Makes a large dish.
Recipe from Life in the Lofthouse.
Cheesy Quinoa and Black Bean Casserole
The cheese carries the quinoa, which is exactly the trick needed here. Good leftovers.
Recipe from Picky Eater Blog.
Healthy Crack Chicken
Made in the Instant Pot and lighter than the usual version. Serve it in wraps or over rice.
Recipe from My Crazy Good Life.
Keto Cheeseburger Casserole
Cheeseburger flavours in a bake, which sells itself to most children. No bun to argue about.
Recipe from Healthy Recipes Blogs.
Taco Cauliflower Rice Sausage
Cauliflower rice hidden under taco seasoning and sausage. One skillet and about twenty minutes.
Recipe from Eatwell101.
Low Carb High Protein Chicken Enchiladas
Enchiladas built a bit lighter, and the sauce is what the children are really there for. Go easy on the spice.
Recipe from Food Faith Fitness.
Kid Friendly Baked Hidden Veggie Meatballs
Grated vegetables through the meatball mix, baked rather than fried. Nobody has ever spotted them at my table.
Recipe from Squirrels of a Feather.
Broccoli Cheddar Muffins
Broccoli and cheddar in a savoury muffin, which works far better than plain broccoli ever will. Good warm from the oven.
Recipe from One Little Project.
Hidden Veggie Tomato Sauce
A tomato sauce with vegetables blended right in, so it pours over pasta looking like any other sauce. Freeze it in portions.
Recipe from Baby Foode.
Easy Broccoli Cheese Bites
Small, cheesy and easy to pick up, which is most of the battle. Dip them in something and they go faster.
Recipe from Fast Forward Fun.
Homemade and Healthy Spaghettios
The tinned favourite made properly, with extra vegetables blended into the sauce. Tastes better than the original, which is the whole point.
Recipe from Super Healthy Kids.
Chicken Parmesan Dippers
Parmesan crusted chicken tenders, which is chicken tenders with the argument already won. Serve with a sauce for dipping.
Recipe from The Anthony Kitchen.
Picky-Eater-Approved Recipes From Fluffy’s Kitchen
Crowd-pleasers from our own recipe box: Instant Pot Macaroni and Cheese, Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings, Easy Chicken Fried Rice, Slow Cooker Tomato Soup, and Slow Cooker Corn Chowder.
Pin these recipe ideas for later!
If you enjoyed this roundup of recipes for picky eaters, please take a moment to pin these to your various food boards on Pinterest!
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1 comment
Involve kids in meal planning. Put your toddler’s growing interest in exercising control to good use. Let you child pick which fruit and vegetable to make for dinner or during visits to the grocery store or farmer’s market. Read kid-friendly cookbooks together and let your child pick out new recipes to try.