Heavenly Homemakers

Encouraging women in homemaking, healthy eating and parenting

Meals to Make for Picky Eaters

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Have picky eaters at your house? Here are some meal ideas that will hopefully please everyone!

I’ve found that with this many to feed each day (we currently have 10 regular eaters at our house), it’s almost impossible to please everyone at every meal. This doesn’t mean that I become a short-order chef and make different food to make everyone happy. No way.

But there are some very easy ways to set out meal options and let people build their plates the way they like. Here are some examples!

Meals to Make for Picky Eaters

1. Baked Potatoes

I bake a crock pot full of potatoes like this. Then I put out a variety of toppings for people to choose from like:

  • Chili
  • Diced Ham
  • Bacon Bits
  • Cheese
  • Sour Cream
  • Butter
  • Steamed Peas
  • Steamed Broccoli

Our littlest will eat a buttered potato with diced ham and peas or broccoli on the side. Our seven-year-old won’t eat the potato but will eat a bowl of chili with cheese. Our nine-year-old will eat any or all of this. Our adults eat loaded potatoes with any variety of these toppings. AND EVERYONE IS HAPPY. Especially me. :)

2. Chili

Unfortunately, not everyone at our house likes chili. But if I make a pot of chili with hot dogs or baked potatoes, each person can make a meal from this that they will enjoy. Here are some options:

  • Chili in a bowl with cheese and sour cream and fritos, or
  • Chili over a hot dog with cheese, or
  • Just a baked potato with fixins, or
  • Just a hot dog with fixins

Again, everyone is happy.

3. Nacho/Burrito Bar

This is one of my favorite go-to meals for our large family. I can set out tortillas and/or chips along with the following fillings/toppings and everyone builds their plate or bowl the way they like.

4. Pizza

This one is simple, especially if you already have pizza crust frozen and ready to pull out out of the freezer for a quick meal. For our family, I make three to six pizzas, depending on how many of our grown kids will be home for the meal. I make a variety of pizzas with different toppings, making sure I have something that everyone likes!

Some with just cheese, some with meat and cheese only, and some with meat, cheese, and veggies.

5. Healthy Snack Meal

Our former foster son, age 4, visits regularly and is an extremely picky eater. While the rest of us eat the meal I prepared, here are some food choices I’ll offer him:

  • Spinach-Filled Smoothies (how amazing that our pickiest eaters will guzzle these down!)
  • Colby Jack Cheese
  • Fruit (he eats just about any fruit I have on hand)
  • Muffins (I try to keep pumpkin, apple, or zucchini muffins on hand so that the muffins I give him are more nourishing.)
  • Mudballs (I make batches x8 of these about every two weeks because our littles love them and they are great for snacks.)

TIP: I always serve each meal with a variety of fruit and veggie side dishes for people to choose from, so that helps accommodate picky eaters too. Here’s more detail about how this works at our house.

What are your go-to meals for picky eaters?

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Lunch in a Jar: Mini Crustless Quiche

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If we can bake Quick Bread in a Jar we can certainly bake Mini Crustless Quiche in jars. Check this out!

Surely your first question is: “If I bake quiches in jars, then pack them in a lunch, won’t they taste weird since they are cold?”

You would think so. But these quiches actually taste good cold. Or, if you have the ability to rewarm them, that’s great too. <— Laura states the obvious.

Just like so many Lunch in a Jar ideas we are sharing this month, these Mini Crustless Quiches can be made to order. Add or exclude whatever your family likes. It’s super easy to line up several jars and fill them using an “assembly line” method.

If you have cooked meat, put some in each jar per people’s preferences. If the kids won’t scream too loud about it, add some fresh spinach. Crack in 1-2 eggs per 8-ounce jar (1 if you have a lot of add-ins, 2 if you are more focused on eggs than meat/veggies/cheese). Add in any goodies you like: onions, sweet peppers, shredded cheese, cooked sausage, cooked bacon, chopped ham, leftover chicken – the options are only limited to your preferences and what you have on hand!

I recommend 8-ounce wide mouth jars for each Mini Crustless Quiche as they are easier to clean afterward. But truly, any 8-ounce jar will work!

—-> Did you see the fun list of supplies and jars I recommend for packing lunches? <—–

Lunch in a Jar: Mini Crustless Quiche

Lunch in a Jar: Mini Crustless Quiche
 
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Author:
Ingredients
  • 1-2 eggs per 8-ounce jar
  • 1 Tablespoon heavy whipping cream or milk per jar (optional)
  • Sea salt and pepper to taste
  • Add in options:
  • Cooked Sausage Crumbles
  • Cooked Bacon Bits
  • Chopped Ham
  • Shredded Cheese
  • Chopped Onion
  • Chopped Sweet Pepper
  • Torn Spinach Leaves
  • Leftover Cooked Chicken
  • Your choice!
Instructions
  1. Crack 1-2 eggs into each 8 ounce jar.
  2. Add cream or milk, salt and pepper, plus any add-ins you like.
  3. Use a fork to scramble the contents together in the jar.
  4. Place jars on a cookie sheet.
  5. Bake for 30-40 minutes in a 350 oven until contents in each jar have puffed up and cooked until the middles no longer "jiggle."

 

Even my pickiest kid loves these – even with the spinach!! Score!

What are your additional suggestions for Add-Ins for these Mini Crustless Quiches?

Great additions to your Mini Crustless Quiche Lunch in a Jar Idea

Consider adding any of the following to your lunch box along with your Mini Crustless Quiche

We’ve got 10 super fun Lunch in a Jar ideas to share this month – perfect for your Back to School lunchbox! Subscribe here so you won’t miss a post!

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How to make fun and easy Muffin Waffles!

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This kitchen hack is going to make your day. This is your busy morning, picky people, grab it and go breakfast or snack hack. Allow me to introduce you to Muffin Waffles!

waffle muffin 1

Is it a waffle. Nope, it’s a muffin. Ain’t that somethin?

Indeed. I think my waffle iron is going to find a permanent place on my counter-top beside my coffee pot what with the frequency I’ve been using it lately.

First I tried these Waffle Omelets. Then I made Egg and Cheese Hashbrown Waffles. Now we’re using the waffle iron to make Muffins? Yep! Someday soon we might actually use it make regular ol’ waffles too. Won’t that be a treat?

Why make muffins in a waffle iron? To avoid heating up the oven on a hot day! Also, you can make each Muffin Waffle special and to each person’s preferences.

To make Muffin Waffles, you can use any muffin recipe that is your favorite. Allow me to start you off with a huge list of our favorites

Want an even better idea? Mix up a batch of the Basic Muffin Batter I am about to share with you. Then as you make individual Muffin Waffles for your family members or guests, sprinkle in their choice of berries, chocolate chips, or other add-ins!

Basic Muffin Batter

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Basic Muffin Batter
 
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Serves: 18
Ingredients
  • 3 cups whole grain flour (I use freshly ground soft white wheat)
  • ⅓-1/2 cup sucanat or brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 1½ cups milk
  • ½ cup melted coconut oil or butter
  • Your favorite add-ins like chopped berries or chocolate chips
Instructions
  1. Mix together dry ingredients
  2. Whisk in eggs, milk, and oil until barely combined.
  3. For Muffins: Scoop mixture into 18-24 prepared muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
  4. For Muffin Waffles: Scoop ⅓ cup of batter into a hot waffle iron. Sprinkle on the add-in of choice. Cook for 3-4 minutes. Spread butter on the hot Muffin Waffle and serve!

Make Fun Muffin Waffles

There are more waffle iron ideas where this came from, so prepare yourself for the fun. I’d love to hear your suggestions for good add-ins to the Basic Muffin Batter!

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