I sure hope that I can get some help here - I am adopting 4 sibs who have been brought up on fast
food... One hates all veggies but will try peas and is willing to eat 1 tsp. of anything
I give him, one likes everything, one hates any meat and eggs except ham, and the other hates mushrooms, rice, crisp toppings, and most things that are not creamy or cheesy.
Two are preteens that eat way too much cheese and sugar for their waistlines.
I am going crazy! What can I possibly cook that will make all of us happy?
Even pizza is not ok because some want pepperoni and others only plain cheese, and
I want vegetables! Could you help us? Let me know!
Thanks.
You're facing the same kind of problem I'll have in a year, but more than four times worse. My granddaughter is coming to live
here for four years while going to school and the scenario you describe does not warm my heart.
We've had her and her step-sister here a lot over the past 12 years, for a week up to a month or two, and it's been a problem.
I cater to them but not too much. If I put something in a soup they REALLY HATE, like okra, I put a small plate between them and tell them
to discreetly place anything on it that they wish to pull out of the soup, or they can eat around it.
Pizza? I like it with everything, mushrooms, onions, black olives, green pepper and
Italian sausage. They like it with cheese, and a friend who wants pepperoni.
I order a large one, with myriad stuff on one side and pepperoni on the other. When they complained I told them to pick off the pepperoni and feed it to a dog. If a little veggie accidentally got on the edge of
their pizza, could I tell? No-o-o......... not me.
Mostly I cooked more or less normal meals, but tried to include at least one item each person would eat. If they were still hungry they got to cook it themselves once they were old enough. I did not buy them (or
ourselves) junk food, they had to buy it out of their allowance. I did however try to compromise
on halfway decent stuff like fortified fruit drink, silly cereals, instant mac
and cheese or canned spaghetti, etc. , if they ate Oreos they bought for themselves, they had to have a glass of milk, and so on.
My daughter and hubby were in the military and moving around and despite our efforts in 10 years we both had gained an extra 40 lbs. each, partly through cooking for grandkids, partly because of stress (Hurricane Andrew, deaths of family members and close friends, you name it). We've lost most of that.
I have a large bar-type fridge I'll utilize for my granddaughter's bedroom, and we'll probably also get her a small microwave and keep her junk food out of our sight.
We've talked to our granddaughters over the years about healthier eating, what causes food aversions, etc. and I will say they have slightly expanded their diet to include some healthier foods.
In your case, frankly, you'll have enough problems pulling together a family and adjusting without raising a major ruckus over food, which probably won't help anyway.
Remember that some items that appear to be junk actually have a lot of nutrition, like nuts and ketchup.
Maybe letting them help with meal planning, shopping and preparation would help as long as you draw some guidelines on avoiding real junk. Get some cookbooks if you don't have many, and let them pick recipes to try.
Good luck.
Thanks Bess! It helps to know others are going through the same stuff with all
this. I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly and I'll try the "little plate" to see if that helps make all this a little less obvious!
:)
