If you’re raising picky teenagers like me, you know the challenge of making home-cooked meals that everyone will enjoy. It’s easy for them to grab unhealthy food throughout the day, so I’ve had to be flexible and creative to lure them back to family mealtime.
I’ve gotten pretty crafty in the kitchen with my twin 14-year-olds, and when I asked them to share their favorite meals at home, the following is what they told me.
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1. Quinoa Bowls
Super easy. Cook some quinoa, then have your kids dump what they love in it.
Two of mine like to add salt, pepper, and garlic, and then top it with black beans, sour cream, and cheese.
The third child wouldn’t dream of anything other than sautéed chicken topped with steamed broccoli and teriyaki sauce.
2. French Bread Pizza
Actually, French bread anything! Dip the bread in oil and parmesan, load it up with turkey and cheese, or dress it in pizza sauce and add toppings. During family movie nights, this is one of our favorites. Every member of the family likes something different, so we have an array of toppings.
Pop these in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, broil for 2 minutes, and you’re in French bread pizza heaven!
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3. Rice Anything
We’re an “add anything to rice” family. I make a large pot of rice in the cooker once a week, and then use it to make up various meals.
For example, add diced chicken, a couple of fried eggs, and a few leftover veggies (minced up small so the kids will eat them), with soy sauce, and you’re good to go.
Or, make your rice like you’d make oatmeal by adding butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and milk!
For the kids who don’t like quinoa, add diced chicken with teriyaki sauce or sauce of your choice.
4. Egg Anything
My kids love eggs! In our family of five, we go through about 36 eggs per week — most of those are for my growing teenagers! They love egg salad, deviled eggs, hard boiled eggs, poached eggs, and scrambled eggs. Because my teens are old enough to cook for themselves, this is a meal they put together pretty quickly.
Plop a poached or fried egg over your rice bowls or quinoa bowls. If your teens eat ramen, add an egg to the boiling water for some protein.
5. Oatmeal with All the Things
Add blueberries, raspberries, granola, or banana drizzled with honey. Pretty up your oatmeal with butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and milk. Finally, add in some super foods they won’t even know are there — like flaxseed.
6. Peanut Butter Toast with a Side of Banana
Does this need any introduction at all? And, do you need permission to serve this as a whole meal? If so, here it is. I give you permission. You’ll feel better knowing there is excellent protein here, plus you can add sliced banana on the side, and you’ve just made a five-minute meal!
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7. DIY Salads
I realize not all teens will eat salads, but if yours are like mine, they’ll eat ONE kind of salad, and I’m okay with it because at least there’s one. You can get pre-made bagged salads, or stock your fridge with things your kids will love.
Make this fun by letting kids add colors of the rainbow. I highly suggest adding fruit — plums, grapes, diced apples, and even avocado. The kids love the sweetness of the fruit, and it almost covers up the fact that they’re eating a salad.
8. Pasta Bar
Again, we have various ingredients our kids can add to their pasta. For example, rather than making a pot of spaghetti with meat sauce, we’ll instead serve a pan of spaghetti noodles, alongside another with sauce, another with meat, and yet another with extra toppings like cheese, meatballs, or even veggie noodles.
Picking My Battles with Picky Eaters
My kids hardly eat meat, even though I’m a solid omnivore. They’re also very picky about the veggies they eat; they’ll eat broccoli and edamame like it’s their last meal. One of them eats raw carrots, another loves Caesar salad, another child loves green beans.
They don’t all love the same things; they don’t all hate the same things. However, I’ve found ways to create food bars and DIY dishes that satisfy everyone’s preferences, get us together for mealtime, and even have fun at the dinner table. And that’s no small thing!
When your kids are picky, I suggest, more than anything, inclusivity — honor what they naturally want to eat. It’s a bit different for really young kids, whom I encourage to try everything at least once. But for the teens, they’re already set in their ways, and as you know, we’re struggling with other more pertinent teen issues. Food is the last battle I’m interested in fighting!
What are some meal ideas for picky teenagers that have worked for you?
