Recipes For Fussy Adult Eaters – Kids Aren’t the Only Ones Who Hate Vegetables!
Recipes For Fussy Adult Eaters – Kids Aren’t the Only Ones Who Hate Vegetables!
As I’ve had to deal with more than one fussy eater in the family, I’ve got a little experience in how to deal with it. When said fussy eater is an adult, the entire reaction has to be different. You can’t tell your spouse he or she can’t leave the table until all his peas are gone. However, it can be done.
The first thing you need to do is find out what the real problem is. One family member is a vegetarian, so I know I am not going to get him to eat meat. Thankfully, there are plenty of other foods he will eat so I leave it at that. Another can’t stand certain textures. In cooking, that’s easy enough to get around…change the texture. As the most problematic foods are in the bean family, refried beans make a great substitute.
My husband has a heart condition, and I am supposed to be sure he eats some foods and doesn’t eat others. His reaction, after looking at the list, was interesting. He looked up at the nutritionist and said, “so if it tastes good, I can’t eat it?”
Here is one of ways I’ve gotten around the “taste good” problem. I have proved, at least to him, that you can eat a heart healthy diet and still enjoy your food.
Mexican Lasagna: You’ll need corn tortillas, refried beans, reduced or non fat shredded Mexican cheese (you can substitute cheddar, Monteray Jack or colby as needed), tomato sauce, diced onion, salsa and diced chicken.
Saute the onion and chicken together. Add the tomato sauce with a tablespoon of salsa. You can add other spices if you wish, but usually the salsa is enough. Put a tortilla on the bottom of a casserole dish, put half the chicken mixture on it and sprinkle on cheese. Spread the refried beans on the next tortilla, lay it bean side down and repeat. Add another bean spread tortilla on top, cover it with salsa and then more cheese. Bake until hot all the way through.
This dish provides whole grain fiber, three low fat protein sources, three tastes great.
Cooking for fussy eaters can be a study in frustration, or it can provide you with a challenge. Choosing the challenging aspect will make you a better cook, and keep your family eating a healthy diet even if they don’t know it.
