Help Feed a Picky Eater
February 28, 2012 12:11 PM Subscribe
Please share with me your favorite simple and healthy recipes for my picky sister with self-imposed dietary restrictions.
As many of you know, my sister has dementia and is under my Mom's care. They approached me this week asking for ideas for lunches my sister can take with her to day hab. I've sent a list of suggestions which will keep them covered for a couple of weeks. However, I'd like to give them a broader selection. If it weren't for her self-imposed, probably dementia-related dietary restrictions, I would find this incredibly easy. My concern is that my sister is most open to the food that is the least healthy for her; high salt, high fats or high sugar.
So, what simple and healthy recipes can you share for a picky eater?
Likes: Chicken (unseasoned), pork, pasta
Dislikes: Broccoli, meatballs, legumes
Think minimal ingredients.
As many of you know, my sister has dementia and is under my Mom's care. They approached me this week asking for ideas for lunches my sister can take with her to day hab. I've sent a list of suggestions which will keep them covered for a couple of weeks. However, I'd like to give them a broader selection. If it weren't for her self-imposed, probably dementia-related dietary restrictions, I would find this incredibly easy. My concern is that my sister is most open to the food that is the least healthy for her; high salt, high fats or high sugar.
So, what simple and healthy recipes can you share for a picky eater?
Likes: Chicken (unseasoned), pork, pasta
Dislikes: Broccoli, meatballs, legumes
Think minimal ingredients.
Best answer: Honestly, I'd cook for her the way I cook for my sister's children, who suffer from peas-must-never-touch-carrots syndrome. Simple steamed vegetables, or veg with a cheese sauce, or crudites, plain baked or simply braised meat, pasta with butter and parmesan (as a side only), rice, yogurts, fresh fruits, etc.
posted by LN at 12:25 PM on February 28, 2012
posted by LN at 12:25 PM on February 28, 2012
Best answer: To make things a bit more healthy, would it be possible to use whole wheat pasta in the simple pasta recipes that are already cooked?
posted by aaanastasia at 12:44 PM on February 28, 2012
posted by aaanastasia at 12:44 PM on February 28, 2012
Will she eat veggies? Salad? My son is fond of a caesar salad with no croutons - grilled cold chicken breast, romaine, some parmesan. How does she feel about crudites? Carrot sticks, bell pepper and dressing as dip - can be a lower fat version - ranch, hummus or bean dip thinned with a little olive oil might be an acceptable way to get protein without her feeling like it was bean-y. Are sandwiches acceptable? pbj, low-fat cold-cuts and cheese perhaps with veggies on whole grain bread?
posted by leslies at 1:29 PM on February 28, 2012
posted by leslies at 1:29 PM on February 28, 2012
Response by poster: I agree that she'll be happy to eat the same things over and over. I am not really looking for "new" recipes. I'm looking for your tried and true that's not unusual or complex. I know this sounds stupid, but my style of cooking is so different from what she's willing to eat that I'm struggling to come up with suggestions. For example, in my house we eat curries, chicken paprikas, tons of beans, lots of spicy foods, almost no pasta or anything fried. For example, last night was black beans and rice with smoked sausage and peppers. My sister would never touch that.
aanastasia, thanks for the suggestion for the whole wheat pasta. I'll remind Mom of it.
leslies, I was given a dirty look when I suggested carrot sticks and dip or hummus. If you make a PBJ, she will eat only 1/2. Mom just makes it with one piece of bread now for the few times she can get my sister to eat one.
posted by onhazier at 1:46 PM on February 28, 2012
aanastasia, thanks for the suggestion for the whole wheat pasta. I'll remind Mom of it.
leslies, I was given a dirty look when I suggested carrot sticks and dip or hummus. If you make a PBJ, she will eat only 1/2. Mom just makes it with one piece of bread now for the few times she can get my sister to eat one.
posted by onhazier at 1:46 PM on February 28, 2012
Baked chicken can be really simple: chicken pieces (buy all light meat or dark meat, whichever she prefers --- why bother getting what she won't eat?!?) in a baking dish with maybe a 1/4 inch of water or chicken broth, dot the chicken with butter, season with salt and pepper (I also like a little paprika on there, but that's optional), bake at 350 degrees for an hour. Serve with rice and the liquid from the baking pan. You can make that liquid into actual gravy, but I rarely bother.
posted by easily confused at 2:22 PM on February 28, 2012
posted by easily confused at 2:22 PM on February 28, 2012
Best answer: This may sound a bit silly, and I don't mean it to be condescending to your sister, but I found that many of the recipes from The Sneaky Chef website and books have been helpful in boosting the nutrient quotient of foods for adult picky eaters as well as for children. Toward the end of his life, my dad developed aversions for lots of vegetables, and I made a bunch of those recipes for him which he ate right up.
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:29 PM on February 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Sidhedevil at 2:29 PM on February 28, 2012 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I work with adults with special needs and make 6 lunches/day and we've streamlined this for our picky eaters. Basically we have one protein, one carb and two veg and we make it simple by freezing individual portions ahead of time. We poach chicken on Sunday and freeze individual portions in snack bags with a little bit of broth (to keep it moist) and do the same with pork (boneless chops frozen with broth). Then you cook pasta until aldente and freeze that in a little portion and when it comes to assembly get one of those divided tupperware plates and put the frozen meat in one section (take it out of the baggie first), the pasta in another (also not in the baggie) and two frozen veggies in the other slots (medallion carrots and green beans go over well here, YMMV), and voila, homemade simple lunch with nothing touching! We put a few dabs of butter on the pasta/rice so it doesn't dry out when it reheats and since everything is pre-frozen it takes less cold packs to keep it cold. By lunchtime it should be still cold but not frozen. For treats we usually pack pudding cups, fruit cups, basically anything in cups. I hope this helps!
posted by julie_of_the_jungle at 3:23 PM on February 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by julie_of_the_jungle at 3:23 PM on February 28, 2012 [3 favorites]
How is she with soup? Homemade chicken soup with noodles or her favorite kind of pasta might be a good one to try out. I like to puree vegetables into the soup to give it a creamy consistency and fortify it a bit (after temporarily straining out the meat).
posted by tully_monster at 4:20 PM on February 28, 2012
posted by tully_monster at 4:20 PM on February 28, 2012
Response by poster: Thank you all for the suggestions. I've shared this question with Mom.
Sidhedevil, extra thanks for the cookbook recommendation.
julie_of_the_jungle, thanks for the guidance for make ahead meals. Very helpful.
tully_monster, there is exactly one soup on my sister's Like list. It is in rotation but could be improved by the use of whole wheat pasta.
posted by onhazier at 5:11 PM on February 28, 2012
Sidhedevil, extra thanks for the cookbook recommendation.
julie_of_the_jungle, thanks for the guidance for make ahead meals. Very helpful.
tully_monster, there is exactly one soup on my sister's Like list. It is in rotation but could be improved by the use of whole wheat pasta.
posted by onhazier at 5:11 PM on February 28, 2012
Make sure your mom doesn't buy a ton of the whole wheat pasta at first, I find that it has a stronger taste and your sister might not approve.
posted by crankylex at 5:50 PM on February 28, 2012
posted by crankylex at 5:50 PM on February 28, 2012
Best answer: Hmmn - few more thoughts - how about hard boiled eggs - either by themselves with a little bit of salt or egg salad? Tuna salad? Either could be served on bread/crackers/pita or in a bowl. Baked lower salt chips - healthier but will still hit her desire for crunch and salt. You can get tasty baked veggie chips which actually have some nutritional content too. How is she on leftovers and is microwaving them an option?
posted by leslies at 6:27 PM on February 28, 2012
posted by leslies at 6:27 PM on February 28, 2012
Response by poster: I spoke with Mom last night. She had already switched my sister to whole wheat pasta. My sister gave a stinkeye over the color of the pasta but accepted it when Mom said that manufacturers are just "cooking the pasta longer now." Mom figures she's already going to Hell for telling my sister that there are chocolate police so why not tell her this. They seriously crack me up.
I think she'll eat egg salad once in a while. Mom's tossing boiled eggs in pasta salad for her. I'll also suggest the baked chips and the veggie chips.
Thank you all so much!
posted by onhazier at 8:16 AM on February 29, 2012
I think she'll eat egg salad once in a while. Mom's tossing boiled eggs in pasta salad for her. I'll also suggest the baked chips and the veggie chips.
Thank you all so much!
posted by onhazier at 8:16 AM on February 29, 2012
One last comment on pasta--
Ronzoni, I think, is the brand name, but they have a line of high-fiber pasta that is white rather than brown. (It's also a bit more expensive than regular whole wheat pasta, but tastes very much like normal semolina). Sounds like your sister has already made the transition, but if for some reason she suddenly decides she hates whole wheat pasta, this might be an option.
Good luck. In another life I was an RA in a group home for DD adults, and I know how hard it is to come up with healthy meals for people who have very restrictive tastes. We had a very set, predictable, plain menu that rotated every month. Our clients knew it by heart ("It's the third Thursday! That means Salisbury steak!") and the routine was important to them.
posted by tully_monster at 10:46 AM on March 2, 2012
Ronzoni, I think, is the brand name, but they have a line of high-fiber pasta that is white rather than brown. (It's also a bit more expensive than regular whole wheat pasta, but tastes very much like normal semolina). Sounds like your sister has already made the transition, but if for some reason she suddenly decides she hates whole wheat pasta, this might be an option.
Good luck. In another life I was an RA in a group home for DD adults, and I know how hard it is to come up with healthy meals for people who have very restrictive tastes. We had a very set, predictable, plain menu that rotated every month. Our clients knew it by heart ("It's the third Thursday! That means Salisbury steak!") and the routine was important to them.
posted by tully_monster at 10:46 AM on March 2, 2012
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posted by easily confused at 12:19 PM on February 28, 2012 [2 favorites]