I’ve stopped telling my husband when I sub in new things at dinner.  Why?  Because he’s a picky eater and while I love him with everything I have, his resistance to new things makes me crazy.  So, I’ve stopped.  For example, he swears he can tell the difference between one and two percent milk – I know this not to be true (sorry, hon, but I’m confessing here).

I was worried for a while that the Little Prince would follow in Daddy’s footsteps and become a picky eater, too.  So, I’ve been secretly working on a plan.  I’ve been getting him to like things that his dad says he doesn’t.  We never used to eat fish much around the house – now that Baby likes it, it’s a staple in our weekly menu. 

It’s all about compromise.  I don’t serve the fish Hubby really doesn’t like, but we still get fish (much to my delight).  Hubby also says he doesn’t like dark meat – but Baby and I prefer it – so, this one’s a happy compromise:  He gets all the white meat he wants, and the little one and I share the dark meat.

I’ve learned a few things that I think we’ll benefit from in the future (and to be honest, I’m benefitting from now).  Number one:  I don’t always announce new meal ideas – I just make them happen.  Announcing it only puts picky people in the mindset to hate it – so, I intersperse it within days where I serve something everyone loves and keep everyone out of the kitchen while I’m making it.

Number Two: I generally serve something new with a staple that I know will get eaten.  In the case of Baby, I’ll cook a meat in a new way, but serve it with, say, noodles that he loves.  This way, I know he’ll eat something.  Same with Daddy – he’s more likely to try that new marinated meat if I serve it with his favourite veggies.

Now I’m looking for new things: I’ve mastered the “keep it in a packaged format that Baby can stab, scoop or pick up” and the “serve it with something that Husband likes” business.  I just want to get a little more creative and have found some interesting ideas to make meals more fun – at least for the little guy (the big one couldn’t care less).  I’ve heard colleagues talk about the many possible uses for cookie cutters when it comes to things like sandwiches and pancakes – cool idea there.  I’ve also heard tell of smiley faces being made of meals to make them more appealing.

How do YOU make your meals more fun?  Comment here and we’ll select one answer to win a special Chicken prize pack!