food for picky toddlers

When I was a child, I was a very picky eater. Heck, I'm still a picky eater some ahemmumblemumble years later, though I've learned to try and like more things over time. But this is the reason I believe it drives me CRAZY when my little boy refuses the food I give him. It has already passed through my picky food filter, so he should just trust me. Alas.

There was a brief, shining moment when the Boy would eat whatever crazy food we gave him. Then, he became choosy. As it has increased over the last year, I've slowly learned how to handle it and to not become overly stressed or worried or angry about his lack of eating. There are, at least, a few things he generally will eat, listed here in order of importance (to him)...
"dip" (all hail the mighty ketchup)
cereal bar
applesauce
hummus
gyro meat
pizza
pretzel sticks/chips/crackers
potato/sweet potato fries
chicken nuggets
waffles/pancakes
toast/pita
malai kofta
cheesy taquitos
PB&J (a recent addition, thanks to a new homemade bread recipe)

Notice the absence of chopped up fruits or veggies. If it's not pureed to all get out, he won't touch it. Even if it is pureed, he'll abandon it the moment he comes upon any small chunk that managed to avoid the blades. And as of late he won't try anything pureed unless it's the right color (beige).

My pediatrician says to feed the Boy whatever we eat, and that he'll eat eventually. I've also heard others say you don't want to become a short order cook, that it can take a dozen times before a child will accept a new food, that you have to look at their nutrition over the course of the week, etc. All of this is true to some extent. Of course he's going to eat eventually, because eventually we'll be at grammy's house and she'll feed him something he likes. In the meantime, I'm freaking out.

So, this is my current solution: I feed the Boy a modified version of whatever we are eating for dinner, if it is something he may conceivably eat (for example, if I'm making tacos, I'll make him a taquito). If he doesn't eat, he doesn't eat, but it's just one meal. If it's something I know he would never try, I make something else for him (preferably in advance and frozen). What I'm trying to improve upon is the addition of sneaky veggies into those dishes he likes, and to make everything homemade. One staple I often have frozen on hand: homemade chicken nuggets with spinach and tomato. I've also found success with roasted red pepper hummus (red pepper + chickpeas = nutritional power combo).

A new concern for me is sugar. I've always been very sensitive to the effects of sugar, and I suspect he is also. I almost never give him sweets, but sugar can creep in via certain fruits and prepared foods like his beloved cereal bars. Today, I experimented with restricting ALL sugars, and so far he's been calmer, more obedient, and less of a pain at naptime. We'll see if it holds.

All this to say: I'm going to start trying new recipes under the Food for Picky Toddlers banner (FPT) and will post my results.

Do you have a picky eater? What recipes work for you?