Winner Family Dinner Ideas For Fussy Eaters

Dinner ideas for fussy eaters.

There are lots of things that my children will eat. But as they grow up, there are lots of things that they won’t eat. Or at least that ALL of them will eat at any one time. My kids are 6, 3 and 12months and in general they are pretty good eaters. They all have their fussy moments (particularly the 3 year old), and I tackle those as they come usually using the tasting plate method and trusting their hunger and fullness cues. Most importantly I just keep calm and try to make mealtimes as varied and enjoyable as possible. But there is so much more info on all of this and amazing new recipes in our bestselling books – How to raise a healthy, happy eater and Boosting your basics. Or you can buy our Foodie ebooks for recipe inspo.

This post is simply about what they will all eat, (at the moment, anyway). These are my top 3 dinners that seem to satisfy everyone in some way. And my husband and I will eat, too. What will everyone eat at your place?

Fish ‘n’ chips 

It doesn’t matter whether I crumb it like the below recipe or just pan fry in some butter and lemon, simply prepared fresh fish is a winner. And that suits me perfectly because it is so easy and nutritious! I will pair the fish with some homemade ‘chips’ and I make these super crispy and irresistible: buy russet potatoes, peel and chop into small 1-2cm cubes, toss in olive oil (and a smidge of butter if you like) and bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 20, shake the pan, bake a further 20 or until golden and crunchy. And I serve with a little green salad or steamed broccoli. 

Bolognese

My kids all like bolognese but they don’t all like it as spaghetti. So I like to load up on veggies in a simple bolognese sauce or add some lentils to boost it even more. Then I adapt to suit each child, one will eat it as a traditional spaghetti, the other prefers spaghetti bolognese muffins which freeze really well and the baby just has whatever. You can also put the bolognese in some pastry triangles or bread pies and these are always a hit!

Fajitas or tacos 

Any meal that is essentially deconstructed and put in the middle of the table ‘serve yourself’ is a hit. The kids feel like it’s Christmas and love the freedom of serving themselves. This style of eating means everyone will eat something, and they can plate up as they wish. I like making chickpea fajitas or veggie and chicken fajitas otherwise a simple beef taco also goes down pretty well.

Want more? Here are 10 recipes for fussy eaters.