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Dinner ideas for very fussy eaters – meat

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Dinner ideas for very fussy eaters – protein

Dinner is frequently crunch time for families. If you are working and the children are at school or Kindy, it seems the only time you have for getting the nutritious food eaten and to work on that pickiness!

However, dinner is NOT the time for teaching your child to eat.

It is though, a great time for role modelling. For showing them what to eat and how to do it easily and pleasurably. Have you noticed that your children seem to pick up on all your bad habits? Or is that just mine? 😉

Much of your children’s learning comes almost by osmosis. They are constantly watching and listening to you and that is where the lessons get learned. Vegetable eating parents produce vegetable eating children – however far off that seems at the moment.

What you do not want, is to make dinners the place where the broccoli has to get eaten, or the chicken tried. Although it may seem like the only opportunity for this and that without it, your child will never willingly eat new things, having these pressure situations generally does not help.

But what happens if your child does only have two options that reliably get eaten at dinner? How can you manage that?

My advice is to make sure they do have food they are able to eat at the table. No one comes to the table happily if there is nothing that looks worth eating. But at the same time use dinner as the time to show them where they are heading.

Dinner ideas for very fussy eaters – protein

When protein gets mentioned, most people’s brains jump immediately to meat. However, protein can be found in all sorts of food, including bread and broccoli.

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In this article though let’s talk through the foods that are traditionally thought of as ‘protein’ aka meat.

Meat dinner ideas for very fussy eaters

Some fussy eaters find meat easy to eat and will comfortably eat a range. Many others find most meats challenging with only a few favourites. Others eat none!

Meat can be quite challenging for little ones (or those not used to chewing) as it is tough and requires a lot of effort for the reward. Our jaw muscle, like any other, requires a lot of exercise.

However, whether you have a meat-lover, a nugget only or a no thanks picky eater, let’s look at some options that have been a win for some children.

1. Mince – mince can be a good option as it’s small pieces so doesn’t need the same chewing as a piece of steak, for example.

I love mince as its budget-friendly and versatile:

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i) Burgers – eating burgers can be aspirational as they are frequently thought of as ‘children’s food’ so turn up on a lot of menus and at parties.

If your child is not a burger-fan I suggest going tiny. Rather than serving a full-sized burger, you can offer ‘the world’s smallest’. This can be between two tiny pieces of bread or roll.

ii) Meatballs – often these are a concern because a child can see onions and other foods mixed in. Starting with just meat is a good way to get buy-in if integrated foods are a challenge.

You can add flavour with things like soy sauce, garlic powder or tomato paste which give taste but without changing the look or the texture (and two of the three are vegetables 😉).

If meatballs in a sauce is a no, then serving without is a good idea to start. You can build up to dipping in a sauce.

iii) Kebabs – anything on a stick is more interesting! Wrapping the meat around a skewer to cook or even calling it a ‘popsicle’ can be a great way to get engagement.

iv) Bolognaise/chilli – mixed foods are the most challenging to eat, but if you have a child who happily eats integrated dishes that’s great. If you are able to mix mince with grated veggies and/or sauce then perfect.

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If mixing is too challenging at the moment, then what can you add that may be accepted? Perhaps it is a little salt or some ketchup to start.

v) Other mince – don’t forget chicken, lamb, or pork mince.

When making meatballs, for example, you can often add a little of a different meat to start with.

2. Roast meats – if your child happily eats lamb, beef, or pork, for example, that’s great. If not, start by cutting into minuscule pieces for them to get used to them initially. A journey of 10,000 steps, starts with one!

3. Softer meats – chewy meats can be a negative for many children. My youngest son really disliked anything he had to really chew, so prefered things like corned silver side (corned beef).

If textures and chewing are an issue some slower cooked meats can be worth a whirl. If sauces are going to be a challenge, then either cooking in a broth (which adds nutrients) or a sauce that can be removed is a good plan.

As many of these meats are also quite ‘fibrous’, then chopping into small pieces across the fibres is a good idea.

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4. Steak/chops – pieces of meat are a win for some and a big no for others. Again, small pieces on offer for the hesitant to build more confidence is a good way to start.

5. Ham – ham is frequently a picky eater win. Texturally it is easier to contemplate than many other meats and doesn’t require the tough chewing.

If you do have a ham eater, then perhaps a move to pressed chicken or one of the other texturally similar meats is worth a whirl.

6. Bacon – bacon too is often on the fussy menu. The saltiness combined with the crispiness can be easier to manage than many other meats.

You can also cut it into tiny pieces and use to add flavour to other foods like savoury scones or even salads.

7. Salami/bier sticks – similar to bacon, these are quite popular. Again, I think the texture is more manageable than other meats. Although they are chewy, they are also drier. You can, of course, cut into small pieces to make them easier to contemplate.

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8. Sausages/cheerios – many picky eaters eat a version of sausages. Sometimes it is just the really processed versions (and yes, needing the skins removed is very common), and sometimes it is all sorts of gourmet specials.

Sausages can be chopped and sliced and served in a variety of different ways, from in a roll to on skewers to on top of pizza.

9. Chicken – possibly the ‘meat’ most commonly eaten by fussy eaters, especially the ‘pre-chewed’ version in nuggets.

i) Nuggets – if nuggets are on the menu, then adding different brands or working towards home-made versions is a great idea. If not, starting with small pieces offered repeatedly is best practice.

ii) Popcorn chicken – this was an idea that started with KFC (I believe). Small pieces of breast covered with panko crumbs, then fried. If you have a nugget fan, these are definitely worth a whirl.

iii) Tenders – these are like next level nuggets as made with regular chicken instead of the composite meat.

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iv) Breast – chicken breast can be either breaded or crumbed to begin with to provide a familiar taste/outer texture. Or can be cut into very small pieces and pan fried.

v) Thighs – if breast is a win, you can gradually move to other chicken cuts like boneless thighs, which can be prepared in the same way as breast. There are additional nutrients in the dark meat over the white too.

vi) Poached chicken – if chewing is a challenge, then it’s worth trying softer options like poached chicken. If you cook it in broth, it also adds additional nutrients.

vii) Chicken mince – you can use chicken like beef mince in many different recipes, like meatballs. You can also crumb and fry like a nugget or make burgers.

viii) Roast chicken – you can always cut your child’s favourite pieces off the whole chicken.

ix) Schnitzel – whether chicken, beef, or pork they are like a giant, flat nugget, but using whole pieces of meat.

For nugget-eaters you can move gently towards this by cutting into smaller pieces.

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Please use this as inspiration for different ideas to try with your child or ways to begin introducing meat.

If you know other parents who are pulling their hair out over meals perhaps share some of the blogs with them too.

Judith Yeabsley, The Confident Eater. Judith Yeabsley|Fussy Eating NZ, #helpaddingfoodsfussyeating, #helpfortoddlerfussyeaters, #helpfortoddlerpickyeaters, #helpaddingfoodforpickyeaters, #theconfidenteater, #fussyeatingNZ, #pickyeatingNZ #helpforpickyeaters, #helpforpickyeating, #recipespickyeaterswilleat, #recipesfussyeaterswilleat #winnerwinnerIeatdinner, #Recipesforpickyeaters, #Foodforpickyeaters, #wellington, #NZ, #judithyeabsley, #helpforfussyeating, #helpforfussyeaters, #fussyeater, #fussyeating, #pickyeater, #pickyeating, #supportforpickyeaters, #creatingconfidenteaters, #newfoods, #bookforpickyeaters, #thepickypack, #funfoodsforpickyeaters, #funfoodsdforfussyeaters

Judith, MA Cantab (Cambridge University), MSc Psychology (first-class honours), is working on a PhD, an AOTA accredited picky eating advisor and internationally certified nutritional therapist. She works with 100+ families every year resolving fussy eating and returning pleasure and joy to the meal table.

She is also mum to two boys and the author of Creating Confident Eaters and Winner Winner I Eat Dinner. Her dream is that every child can approach food from a place of safety and joy, not fear.

Learn more about Judith here: https://theconfidenteater.com/about/

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