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Health & Fitness

Delicious Compromises - Pleasing the Picky Kid You Love

Do you have a picky eater in your home? We rustled up some recipes that might help get the kids excited about dinner time.

I was the mastermind of finicky eating as a kid. I had my mom so whipped that I made it to 12 on a feast of Lucky Charms, Easy Mac and microwavable hot dogs, all of which I thought were the apex of cuisine. The good part is that this just stops at some point. At 12, I had a revelation that food that was good for me was also delicious, and shocked my mom by learning to cook. 

Now, I am seeing similar parent manipulation in my 4-year-old niece, who sometimes hides her carrots so she can be allowed to eat whatever's for dessert. So how do you deal with a kid like us? I asked my mom for advice. "Just don't bother try to feed them food they don't like and find something they do. They'll come around later." 

To get your picky kid to eat actual dinner, it's all about compromise. That's why I put on my elementary school lens and hand-picked some recipes that will - hopefully - please the finicky kid you love.

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Pepperoni Pizza Monkey Bread 

What do picky kids love? Pizza and bread. These are safe abysses in a world of spicy stir fry and strange vegetables. But kids don't always like pizza that contains creative ingredients - they are all about cheese, maybe a little meat. This recipe brilliantly combines pizza and bread with something else kids love - monkeys.

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Outside-In Cheddar Sliders on Mini Buns

One of my mom's most ingenious tricks was getting me to eat something by telling me it was "just like McDonald's." Try it on your own kids with these mini burgers. Delicious sliders are naturally kid-sized.

Cheez-It Mac and Cheese 

Find me a kid who doesn't like mac and cheese and I'll say you've found a liar (or one who hasn't had this yet). This mac and cheese is made with Cheez-Its, meaning you can lure the kids into the kitchen with crackers while you're getting dinner ready.

Baked Manicotti with Homemade Ricotta Cheese 

Manicotti is a pretty safe introduction to Italian food, as it's simple and contains noodles and cheese, which few kids can pass up. Manicotti was the only thing I could handle at Olive Garden as a child.

Grilled Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese Croutons 

Grilled cheese and tomato soup is delicious, no matter how young you are. To give this recipe an extra kid-friendly twist, try leaving the grilled cheese bites out and letting the kids dip them in their soup. 

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