Re: How do you get picky two year olds to eat meat of any kind? Patti

October 25, 2006

Hi Pattie

Thanks for your reply. I have been to the picky eaters section of

pecanbread.com. My boys are two and very developmentally delayed. They do not

understand much and cute cartoon character shaped food does nothing for them

because they do not relate to any TV characters. One boys does okay with the

ABA type techniques. I will give him a bite of jello after he eats a bite of

___________. But that does not always work and not at all for the other boy.

We have done chicken cupcakes (have to be careful these days because I overdid

bananas a couple of days ago. One boys eats them and likes them, but the other

refuses to eat them. This same boy sometimes will eat the avocado meatloaf

recipe but the other totally refuses all beef.

So, I have a lot of challenges.

Thanks, Dana

Garrett and

Celiac, egg, peanut, cow dairy allergies

SCD 4 months

Patti wrote:

Have you tried any of the " sneaky " recipes from pecanbread.com? And

have you read through the " picky eaters " section there... in the " overcoming

difficulties " section?

The chicken cupcakes are an easy way to hide meat.

Patti

How do you get picky two year olds to eat meat of any

kind?

My two year olds are so picky and I am having trouble getting them to eat food

with good fat and protein. They just about refuse all meats. What do I do? How

do you overcome this extreme pickiness?

Dana

Garrett and

Celiac, SCD 4 months

egg, peanut, cow dairy allergies

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October 25, 2006

Dear Dana,

You have the double challenge of having one who likes some things, but the other

doesn't. That must be frustrating!

I have a very, very delayed child, too.... at 10 she is about at a two-yr-old

level, and also doesn't relate to food shaped like cutsie things. Fortunately,

she will eat almost anything.... as long as it's not too challenging to chew. I

know how lucky I am, believe me. I puree almost everything for her.... her

dinners are usually pureed meat and veggie mixtures that would probably turn the

stomach of 99% of other kids her age.

You also have the challenge of not being able to use eggs. That leaves out a lot

of old standbys.... like pancakes and the pumpkin pie filling.

I am wondering if they would like something like a smoothie drink? If so, you

would be surprised at what you can slip into a smoothie! Homemade coconut milk

makes a great base (and has that good fat and calories), to which you can add

chunks of cooked frozen fruit, ripe banana... the usual things.

Then, you can go for the UNusual.... adding pureed butternut squash (start with

just a little and work up gradually), or avocado. I know a few kids who've

learned to love their " green smoothies " .... but if you think they'd be turned

off to the color, start with a SMALL bit so it won't affect the color.

Steam or boil some berries in just a small amount of water... and the water will

turn a brilliant red or purple, depending on the berry. Mash the cooked berries

through a fine mesh sieve (raw berries are an advance food, due to the seeds and

skins -with berries like blueberries).... and add them to some of the cooking

water and you'll have a nice syrup to flavor and color the smoothies.

You can also add other nutritious oils to smoothies.... sunflower oil and walnut

oil are especially good and not strong flavored. Adding a bit of liquid coconut

oil at then end, to the other whirring ingredients, will thicken a smoothie up

nicely.

I even know a family who adds pureed MEATS to their son's smoothies (shhhhhhh!

don't tell!). If you want to try doing that, I would slow-cook a whole chicken

in the crock pot so the meat is VERY tender and use just a bit of the chicken

breast meat.... chill it and then slice it very thinly, across the grain, and

add it to the other base ingredients in the blender. The key would be to add

JUST A VERY SMALL AMOUNT at a time.... pureed chicken breast meat doesn't have

much flavor and is easy to hide, but start small.

If your kid won't drink a smoothie, you could partially freeze it until it's

ice-cream consistency and could be spooned. Bone broths are another good

addition to fruit smoothies... as gross as that may sound to us.

Beef would be much harder to hide... and I can't recommend a beef smoothie....

but who knows?

I have three neuro-typical boys who are all grown up now.... but my youngest

son was ULTRA picky as a kid. He was one of those who couldn't have any two

foods TOUCHING each other on the plate, etc. The ONLY way to get him to eat meat

was to slow-cook it to the point of falling apartness. You might try that....

get some really good quality stewing beef and do an all-day slow cook. Then, you

might still have to slice it very thin and puree it into other veggies as sort

of a thick " soup " . I don't know....

You'll have to forgive me if NONE of these ideas will work. I know some kids

won't eat anything off a spoon or fork.... only with fingers.... so let me know

if that's the case and I'll come up with another installment tomorrow that will

involve finger foods and dips!

Leaving for work in a few minutes....

Patti

Re: How do you get picky two year olds to eat meat of

any kind? Patti

Hi Pattie

Thanks for your reply. I have been to the picky eaters section of

pecanbread.com. My boys are two and very developmentally delayed. They do not

understand much and cute cartoon character shaped food does nothing for them

because they do not relate to any TV characters. One boys does okay with the ABA

type techniques. I will give him a bite of jello after he eats a bite of

___________. But that does not always work and not at all for the other boy.

We have done chicken cupcakes (have to be careful these days because I overdid

bananas a couple of days ago. One boys eats them and likes them, but the other

refuses to eat them. This same boy sometimes will eat the avocado meatloaf

recipe but the other totally refuses all beef.

So, I have a lot of challenges.

Thanks, Dana

Garrett and

Celiac, egg, peanut, cow dairy allergies

SCD 4 months

Patti wrote:

Have you tried any of the " sneaky " recipes from pecanbread.com? And have you

read through the " picky eaters " section there... in the " overcoming

difficulties " section?

The chicken cupcakes are an easy way to hide meat.

Patti

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October 26, 2006

Dana,

I had a couple more ideas. Not sure they will help or be acceptable to your

little guys, but....

Yesterday, when I mentioned slow-cooking the meat and then pureeing veggies with

it into a soup... I just wanted to also suggest that you can do something

like this, a " puree " or a thick soup-ish sort of thing, using the meat, the

cooking liquid and some veggies... and also use it as a " gravy " , served over

some small cut-up bites of the tender meat.... or over meatballs that you make

separately.

Or, this " gravy " can be used as a dip. My four-yr-old granddaughter will only

eat green beans or baby carrots if they are cool enough to pick up with her

fingers, and if she has something to dip them in. We've done homemade " ranch "

dressing.... which she didn't realise was actually SCD legal (she's not on SCD),

because I made it out of SCD mayo and yogurt, seasoned with salt, pepper and

dried basil.

We've also done a " Thousand Island " dressing/dip.... with ketchup and mayo and

a little fresh lemon juice and salt (left out the pickle relish). It was not SCD

legal... but you certainly *could* make SCD ketchup and mayo, if you think this

sounds like a winner. There's also honey/mustard dressing/dip.... all kinds of

dips.

Some kids will eat meatloaf cut into " sticks " , or chicken strips or nuggets,

etc..... as long as they can dip it.

must run..... again!