Food for a fussy four year old?

[lauren22]

I'm running out of ideas.
she eats chicken but only through pasta same deal with tuna.
she eats veg in pasta or baked
and today she tells me she wants
'new recipes'
HELP
i just made her a boiled egg and toast because thats what she wanted and then she decides she doesnt want it what do four year olds eat?
im so confused....

[lauren22]

[rikki]

my DD loves
Tuna Rice (rice with a tin of tuna stirred through, some peas and/or corn and some grated cheese)
Chicken Sticks (kebabs)
Schnitzel
Sausage casserole (but she's not ultra keen on sausages by themselves)
Chinese Rice (fried rice with left over roast chicken and egg stirred thru)
Pea and Ham soup
Chicken Noodle Soup
Spaghetti Bolognaise


Hope that helps... some days she just wants 'lunch' for dinner (which to her is a tasting plate... some ham, cheese, craisins, fruit, crackers, carrot sticks etc) Usually this is after daycare when she is tired and had a hot lunch

[christy]

I have a very very picky nearly 5 yr old (next week) and she has sensory issues as well, so textures can be a worry.

I got inspired from reading Jerry Seinfelds wife's book "Deceptively Delicious" and the Australian one that is similar "Cauliflower Conspiracy". And after 18 months of doing food this way, my daughter has added more foods to her list of foods that she will eat.

So.... some things that may help is the way you deliver the food. Meat balls might not get eaten on their own, but on sticks (toothpicks) they may be eaten more readily.

When I make anything, ANYTHING I add pureed veges in there. So, meatballs may have 1/2 cup of pureed broccoli in them as well as everything else. Spag bolognaise has a carrot, a zucchini and 1/2 sweet potato with tomato puree as the sauce with garlic, salt, pepper, and basil.

Soup. Matilda loves soup! Once a week we have pumpkin soup, or potato leak & bacon soup (with hidden cauliflower!) all the soups she will eat have to be pureed, but that way I can hide heaps in there.

Quiche... frittata... great ways to hide veges and encourage some eating of ham or bacon.

Anything on a stick! Matilda loves it. So we make chicken kebab sticks, shish kebabs (lamb mince) or something like that.

Don't worry too much, get to know her tastes and tweak it a bit. If she loves pasta bake, play with it, make it once a week and then make a risotto bake as well that week. Stir frys, fried rice etc etc...

My kids rarely eat meat & 3 veg, but then again, its not something I cook very much of because I don't like it myself too much.

Goodluck!

[{sarah}]

My monster isn't a fan of much at all but we're working on it very slowly. His favourite thing at the moment he has called "potato mountain" LOL!! Basically I get a devilled sausages packet mix, make it up with sausages, peas, corn & carrot put mashed sweet potato (he doesn't like regular potato) on top, sprinkle on cheese then bake it in the oven. We have it at least once a week because I know then that he is at least having a decent dinner.

For Zander it's all about noodles as well. He loves any sort of pasta or noodles & will eat veges mixed through but without sauce. Otherwise presentation gets him going. Like Christy said things on sticks or make dinner into shapes (we had carrot stick & sausage houses with vegetables as people inside last week!).

Good luck!!