Picky Child's Delight

It can be difficult-- even with thoughtful planning-- to come up with nutritious meals, seven nights a week, that appeal to every person in a large family. Since I don't make my children eat anything (though I always offer and encourage), I've found myself preparing two different dinners each night--sometimes three--in order to please everyone and ensure healthy eating.

This got to be too much.

Now, once a week, I make up a large bowl of "Picky Child's Delight." In essence, this dish is a balanced combination of foods with universal appeal. To make it, I combine a popular carbohydrate, accepted vegetable and favorite protein with a much-loved dairy.

Drizzle or spritz this with a small amount of light oil in order to keep it from drying out, cover it well, and keep it in the fridge for a side dish fill-in or whole meal substitute for the picky child du jour. The balance ensures healthy fill-ins for picky kids and the make-ahead plan offers last minute convenience.

Here are some of our favorite combinations...

Ham and Cheese
16 oz. whole grain* Penne pasta, cooked
1/2 lb. ham squares or diced Canadian bacon
1/2 lb. broccoli tops, steamed
8 0z. white cheddar cheese cubed
light olive oil
*optional

Pizza Mix
16 oz. whole grain* Rigatoni, cooked
8 oz. pepperoni, sliced
10 oz. black olives, sliced
8 oz. mozzarella diced
light olive oil

Peas and Shells
16 oz. medium shells, cooked
8-10 oz frozen peas, thawed
1/2 lb. chicken pieces, diced
8 oz. Jack cheese, cubed
light olive oil

Chicken and Rice
2 cups dry wild rice, cooked
1/2 lb. chicken pieces, diced
1/2 lb. cooked carrots, diced
8 oz. provolone cheese, cubed
bit of melted butter in rice

Breakfast Mix
16. oz macaroni, cooked
10 eggs hard boiled and cut up
1/2 lb sausage or kielbasa, cooked and chopped
2 green or red peppers, diced
8 oz. white cheddar, cubed

All ingredients are cooked and cooled before mixing. Some of my pickier kids will even try to pick out parts of Picky Child's Delight ! They eat it hot or cold and top it with their favorite condiments (Red Hot, Worcestershire, Ketchup, Olive Oil, Pasta sauce). I'd like to know your combinations if you make some!

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter is a staple of our children's diet. They eat so much of it, I became concerned about the amounts of trans fats they were consuming. We switched to the messy, but tasty, natural variety several years ago. Then we switched again recently to this more convenient Skippy no-need-to stir. It has no hydrogenated oils or trans fats of any kind. Some contend with the "natural" label because it substitutes palm oil for peanut oil, but there is nothing wrong with palm oil. Also, Skippy tastes great and you can't beat the convenience.