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Farm Kitchen:  Help! I have a very picky 17 year old stepson  |
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TexBetsy
True Blue Farmgirl
322 Posts
Betsy
Princeton
TX
USA
322 Posts |
 Posted - May 16 2010 : 5:22:35 PM
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My 17 year old stepson came to live with us back in January and while it has been a wonderful blessing, he is an incredibly picky eater. He's grown up so far on Taco Bell and processed foods. Any suggestions for real food recipes that I can get him to eat would be greatly appreciated.
Betsy
Farmgirl #1444 |
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emsmommy5
True Blue Farmgirl
1547 Posts
Angie
Buckley
WA
USA
1547 Posts |
Posted - May 16 2010 : 8:28:48 PM
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Well. Not so much recipes, but a thought. You make what you make. He can eat it or make something he wants. Works for my kids. =)
Do what you love, love what you do. |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - May 16 2010 : 10:33:21 PM
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I am so lucky to not have picky eaters..with 4 teenagers at home it would be awfully hard.
It sounds like if he likes Taco Bell he would like simple mexican food. I would start there. We have soft tacos, homemade double decker tacos and like that quite often. You can make them much healthier and they are still pretty tasty. Enchiladas are a big hit here too.And burritos! We have big green salads with the mexican food...or some fresh fruit salads too. I bet he would get used to things like that. Guess you could call them "Enchiritos". You are awesome to want to change his eating habits to healthier ones. Good luck!!! He is lucky to have you!
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - May 17 2010 : 1:34:56 PM
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My teenager is very picky too. I tell her she has to taste what I make, then she can make her own dinner if she doesn't like it. I also allow her to add shredded cheese, spices, whatever to her plate. Sometimes she makes her own, most times she eats what I have made just because it's easier. It took me about 6 months to break her whining and gruffing, but it's okay now. Start by making lots of mexican recipes to win him over, then start adding in things for him to try.
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - May 17 2010 : 2:41:09 PM
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I was going to suggest that hunger is a great motivator :)
How about French Dip Sandwiches, Sloppy Joes, Homemade Tacos? All from scratch and serve a salad or fruit on the side and that MUST be eaten as well.
Maybe you can ask him to look through cookbooks with you. Check out the photos together and see what he would like you to make. Maybe he will even take an interest in cooking :)
~Sharon
By His Grace, For His Glory
http://merryheartjournal.blogspot.com/ |
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TexBetsy
True Blue Farmgirl
322 Posts
Betsy
Princeton
TX
USA
322 Posts |
Posted - May 17 2010 : 4:02:07 PM
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Thanks for all the great suggestions and encouragement. This is a new experience for me as my older children were always open to trying something new and ate just about anything. Zach and I will make a visit to the library and pick up some Mexican cookbooks!
Betsy
Farmgirl #1444 |
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grace gerber
True Blue Farmgirl
2804 Posts
grace
larkspur
colorado
USA
2804 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2010 : 07:11:28 AM
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I might suggest with the library visit that you talk with him about how much his imput into the family would mean to you. That if he could assist with meal planning, shopping and cooking this would be a big weight off your shoulders. We forget that we all need to be needed. My son where responsible for meal planning, cooking, cleaning, shopping and such. Now they are grown men who are wonderful cooks and take pride in trying new things. There are also a couple of cookbooks that give the recipes for fast food (not that I am a fan of fast food) so he can start making what he knows and then spread out from there.
You Might also get Jamie's Food Revolution Cookbook - I purchased one for my youngest son who cooks for all his roomates and wants to get them involved because no one taught those kids how to cook....
Good luck and happy cooking.
Grace Gerber
Larkspur Funny Farm and Fiber Art Studio
Where the spirits are high and the fiber is deep
http://www.larkspurfunnyfarm.etsy.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.blogspot.com
http://larkspurfunnyfarm.artfire.com
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JojoNH
True Blue Farmgirl
1984 Posts
Joanna
Dunbarton
New Hampshire
USA
1984 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2010 : 07:19:37 AM
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 Sometimes the picky eating is for other reasons. . since this sounds like a major adjustment for him coming to live with you, it may simply be a form of nerves. Having to readjust to new surroundings etc.
( even if he visited all the time prior, it still is a big deal to a teenager)
I would encourage him to plan a meal for all of you once a week. Whether you prepare it or he does or you do it together, at least he will feel a part of the family evening ritual of dinning together. You may be surprised at what he plans for dinner too!
Joanna #566
JojoNH
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CountryCents
http://CountryCents.Blogspot.com
http://Twitter.com/Eastwooddesigns |
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Bevb
True Blue Farmgirl
81 Posts
Bev
Moscow
ID
USA
81 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2010 : 6:05:03 PM
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I just want to give you some encouragement. My son was an incredibly picky eater as a teenager. He would never eat anything green.
I taught him to cook the things he liked, and as he got older he would make his own snacks and lunch. Dinner was still a requirement.
The end result is that I have a 20-something son who is an excellent cook. And yes, he eats green things. His favorite dish to make is stir-fry.
So don't give up, and use his pickiness as a learning tool!
Bev
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vintagejenta
True Blue Farmgirl
83 Posts
Sarah
Walden
NY
USA
83 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2010 : 7:08:15 PM
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I wasn't too big on green veggies when I was a teen either, but Mom almost always had dinner on the table in the evenings and we would all sit down to dinner together. She often put vegetables into pasta or stuff like hamburger helper and if we didn't like it, we could pick it out. But of course, it almost always took way too much time and effort to pick out every little bit of veggie, so we did get some green stuff in us that way. :) And she never catered to my sister or I if we didn't like what she had made. Too bad, that's what was for dinner. If we didn't like it, we didn't have to eat it, but we couldn't have snacks later either.
Made us into pretty healthy eaters later in life, especially me when I discovered how yummy veggies are and how good they make you feel! :)
Good luck on the conversion. :)
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http://citygirlcountryfood.wordpress.com |
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highlandviewpantry
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
WV
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2010 : 7:16:55 PM
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Make your own taco bar, top your own pizza, homemade hamburgers, baked potato wedges, salads topped with meat (grilled chicken or steak). My boys are meat and potato eaters - I guess boys crave high calories to build muscle. I would provide nutrient, calorie dense snacks to satisfy a big appetite.
www.thehighlandviewpantry.blogspot.com |
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Terre
True Blue Farmgirl
97 Posts
Indiana
USA
97 Posts |
Posted - May 18 2010 : 7:25:42 PM
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Your post brought back some memories for me when I went to live with my father and stepmother when I was 18 yrs old. I really did want to fit in, but also came and went alot. I know that everyone is different, but one of the things that made me feel the most special was when she would make a plate for me even when I wasn't there and cover it with foil and leave it on the warming burner for when I got home. No one had ever done that for me before. She would also fix some things that she knew were my favorites, but her thoughtfulness and caring made me more willing to try the unfamiliar recipes that she kept warm for me. She passed away last summer, but I still smile when I think about this and the special birthday dinner that she made for me the past several years. It's the continual caring and patience that broke through the ice and allowed us to build a very special relationship, but it was this small act that showed me that she really did care. Don't know if this helps, but thought I'd share. Wish you both happiness at home.
Be true in heart. |
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Faransgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
895 Posts
Beth
Houston
Texas
USA
895 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2010 : 08:06:23 AM
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I am with the ones that think this might be more than just a food preference. He may be testing you to see how far he can push you. I have just gotten three kids into their 20's and believe me they will test you. I was never one to make concessions over what was for dinner. You ate what was prepared or didn't eat. I did try to make things they liked and not make things they hated. You could try what the others suggest and work on some healthy mexican food. It is pretty easy to make mexican food healthy. I would do that on some days so he knows you are working with him but other days I would cook as I normally do. I did have one daughter that decided not to eat beef and I did respect her decision about that but she ate to other items I cooked.
If this is his way of testing you and you give in completely then he will expect the same thing every time he wants something.
If he get hungry he will eat.
Farmgirl Sister 572
When manure happens just say "WOO HOO Fertilizer". |
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MaryLD
True Blue Farmgirl
861 Posts
Mary
New Braunfels
TX
USA
861 Posts |
Posted - May 19 2010 : 11:17:03 AM
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My son was raised on brown rice and then whatever was in the budget at the time, from dry beans soaked and cooked, to nicer cuts of beef. ( I think we had that once!) We ALWAYS had veggies. Here in TX, a lot of the kids think we subsist on grains and beans because I do not buy junk food. Here's what they eat and enjoy at my house:
( PS I buy buffalo for high protien and iron, low fat and lots of goodness!)
Buffalo spaghetti
Buffalo chili homemade from scratch- add pasta for chili mac
( Substitute beef, ground turkey, etc. They eat those too, but I tend to make these as buffalo dishes.)
Turkey sausage with mashed potatoes
Beef stew from the crock pot
Once they ate turkey stew made fresh from leftover turkey, made with dumplings. For whatever reason, they had to put hot sauce and BBQ sauce on it, but they still talk about it as some sort of legend! Dumplings are a HUGE hit here w/ the teens- they do not notice I make them with the " whole white wheat " flour.
Crock pot BBQ chicken
They make their own BBQ, fahitas, venison sausage, and paninnis. My son makes them " kraut dogs" with our homemade sauerkraut and no nitates sausage or dogs.
They love homemade biscuits, coffee cake, and cobbler, even if I use all or part whole white wheat flour. These are the kids who never saw a loaf of homemade bread and who eat at Sonic all day!
Here's the real boon. They LOVE oven roasted brocolli and cauliflower. I preheat the oven to 425, put cuts of the fresh veggies in a pyrex dish, and liberally add olive oil and a moderate amount of salt. Toss. Depending on your oven, the size and freshness of veggies- it will take 12-20 minutes to roast them. They kids like them SO much, one of them asked for the recipe since " the girlfriends" we planning to invite the boys to a homemade dinner! The boys requested the roasted broccoli!!
I hope this helps.
~ Mary LD
Haflingers- You can't have just one!
( I'm just one short of a drill team!) |
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Farm Kitchen: Help! I have a very picky 17 year old stepson |
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Help! I have a very picky 17 year old stepson
