Family Foodies

This is a continuation of my CBC with Janet from Educate Empower Enjoy.  In Janet’s last post, she asked:

Edie, since you have two kids, how do you handle the many different culinary “opinions” in your home?

GREAT question!  I have two boys who are different as night and day.  In fact, it’s like they’re from two different planets sometimes.

My oldest is a breeze to cook for.  He eats a variety of veggies and meats.  He’s not afraid to try new things.  He’s my official “taste tester” for the family.

My youngest is a different story.  Having been a premature infant, Tyler struggles with sensory integration quite a bit still.  That means that if he doesn’t like the “feel” of something, no matter how good it tastes, he won’t eat it.  He eats very few veggies and even less meat.  Following the advice of his pediatrician we have the following rule at our house:  Try two bites of a new food. Then if he doesn’t like it, he can have a peanut butter sandwich.

I know that seems harsh but I can’t spend all my time in the kitchen and I’m not a short order cook!  There have been many nights that a PBJ sandwich was the meal of choice.

To keep this to a minimum, I let my boys suggest meal ideas when we plan our meals for the week and make our grocery list. I also bring them with me to the store to help me do the shopping.  Yes, it takes longer BUT they really get into helping me.  I find it makes them more likely to eat what I cook as opposed to begging for something else. (Like McDonald’s)

This weekend we went grocery shopping and I went with list in hand derived from my menu plan(YAY me!).  Since I’ve been trying to focus on cooking meals from scratch in an effort to cut back on processed foods, (and trim my waist line) I’ve spent more time in the kitchen than I really have to devote these days.  I really miss my quick fix freezer meals from the store–if only for the convenience factor.  So my question to you is:

Have you had the chance to adapt any of your favorite recipes for “freezer cooking” to lessen your time in the kitchen yet provide a wholesome meal for your family?  How do you take “help” from the store and still feel good about what you and your family are eating?

Follow me to Janet’s blog for the rest of the story…