I think everyone has pretty much covered everything.
Just wanted to say, have you thought of keeping a food diary? I think you might be quite surprised as to how much healthy stuff your kids actually eat.
You did mention they like sweet potato mash, carrots, lettuce potatoes, cutlets, chops, spag bog etc.. well IMO i think this is pretty good for kids their age and you do grate veggies into most things so i really don't think you have anything to worry about, sounds like they are a couple of healthy normal children
Just keep cooking meals you and dh like and the kids will eventually begin to learn to taste new things. The worse thing you can do is stress about it and make a big deal over them not trying things, cause this will prob make them less inclined to try things etc.
Have you tried giving them 'dipping sauces' for their veggies etc. My 2 love having gravy in a small bowl and they dip in their veggies and eat them like that. I found them much more willing to eat when there was some kind of sauce available, gravy, mayo, tom sauce etc.
I am pretty lucky in what my kids eat, but we go through days when they won't touch their dinner, and I havve just learnt to let it go. We found really cutting back the afternoon snacks makes a difference, they usually have a snack when they have finished resting about 2:30ish, and then generally they dont eat again till dinner time- this has made a huge difference in what they eat at dinner time.
The other thing you could try is not giving them fruit after dinner but to put what they dont eat back in the fridge & if they ask for something after dinner reheat that for them.
I too feel your pain. DD is very very fussy and Drs say she is normal and will eat it eventually if she is hungry enough but IMO she is not normal and has become very sick from not eating, low iron and almost anaemic, so we had to find things she would eat and try to make it healthy, for example, she will eat lasagne so I puree vegetables and put them in, grating wont do coz she will see them and pick them out, spaghetti bolognese is also a hit with her and I use the same sauce as lasagne so I do the exact same thing and puree the veg.
So she will eat, nuggets, chips, lamb chops, lasagne, spaghetti bolognese, bread, cheese, vegemite, steak, a little mashed potato, plain white rice, 2 minute noodles, she will eat vegetable soup but I have to strain it because she wont eat the chunks.
So our meal revolve around what she will eat.
What I will suggest to have something he will like one night then some you and the rest of the family like the next that way you know he will be eating a good dinner every second day and hopefully he will start to try the things you eat on the other days.
If he will eat mashed potato you can puree cauliflour or zucchini (skin removed) or any white veg and put it in, bolognese sause I will use whatever veg I have (even just frozen mixed veg if I dont have any fresh) and puree it and put it in. The soup is obviously good even if it is strained as the goodness from the vege's are in the liquid.
She will eat a nice big bowl of Sustain cereal for breakfast which is good and has nuts and dried fruit etc so I figure she gets a little goodness from that coz she wont eat any fruit or veg whatsoever.
DS for me is ok, he will try stuff and I believe he is a normal fussy toddler who will eventually eat something if he is hungry.
I always put the salad and vegies in the middle of the table so if they ever want any they can help themselves. I find that if I ask them they will say no and sometimes crack up so its best to just have it there and let them decide when they want it.
Im hoping eventually it will get better.
So anyway, not sure if this has helped or not but hopefully maybe a little.
I know how you feel, Kel, only I think Natty is worse by the sounds. I can't get her to eat any veges at all and she doesn't even eat sauces so I can't puree veges for her. She does graze during the day too, and lately I have really been trying to only offer her natural, healthy stuff rather than convenient stuff (which she used to have every day). This hasn't improved her dinner habits though. I'm convinced the problem is behavioural also, and that one day she will eat.
I'm sure this is the issue because lately she has been saying, 'I don't WANT dinner' even though I know she's hungry. I have been trying to just say, 'fine. If you don't want it, don't eat it.' and I don't offer her anything else.
I too keep Natty's dinner for her and if she comes to me and tells me she is hungry later then I will just offer her dinner again. (Mind you, I would be happy if she ate carrot and apple as a post-dinner snack. Our issue here is that she wants yoghurt and I refuse to give it to her because it is too much like dessert, KWIM?)
It is stressful though. I wonder why I bother sometimes too, and the wastage is horrible.
I know that my kids eat fairly well compared to other people's and neither of them are undernourished! I think it's more that they are just fussy. They do eat a variety of foods, but one day I will make something and the next time I make it they just won't eat it! I don't mind if they genuinely don't like something. I don't like certain things either and I choose not to eat it, so if they don't like it, it's ok, but I want them to try it! And if they ate it last week then they like it and don't eat it this week, just because! It's upsetting too that I spend so much time thinking about and preparing healthy food for them and then they don't eat it, but will eat crap like store brought chicken nuggets, pizzas or hot chips, chocolate or lollies in a heart beat.
I am trying to make meals from scratch. Most days I do. We have one take out a week. I sometimes use a jar or packet sauce for dinner. I keep DD's meal for later if she tells me she's hungry. Sometimes she eats a bit more, somedays she tells me she doesn't want it. If she asks again then I will get her fruit (but not 'special' fruit like cherries of mangoes, it's boring old apples, carrot or pear!) No yoghurt or anything else. I was making a sandwich for DD for a while but it got to the point that she refused to eat dinner and was asking for a sandwich. I don't make a big deal about it if they don't I just remove it and put it away, or in the bin. I always put a little bit of everything on their plates, even if I know they don't like it. Maybe one day they will try it!
and you do grate veggies into most things so i really don't think you have anything to worry about, sounds like they are a couple of healthy normal children
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