Same Old Boring Food.

Pioneer Woman does have a lot of good recipes. I would also try the Kraft website. I would try to have him sit down with you and find some new recipes. I wouldn't go crazy. I would only try a new one each week. Does he like to cook? My husband has been cooking more the last few years it has been wonderful.

here are the two best recipes in my house, both pasta dishes:

Gorgonzola Penne Chicken
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/recipe?id=7596424
except I make it with half the gorgonzola and add shredded parmesean to make up the difference. Super yummy

Carbonara
http://www.schnuckscooks.com/recipe.asp?p=recipe&d=1081
You can add some peas and he can push them aside or not. At least they are in there!

My father used to be like your husband, but my mother continued to cook meals for the rest of us and told him to pick out the things he would not eat..

It worked for us..

FYI, Now my father and mother are divorced, but my father eats all of those things he used to say he did not like..

I am the meanest wife/mother in the universe.

I make a meal plan, ask for input from the family. If they don't participate they eat what I serve. I am not a short order cook.

My husband is allergic to iodine in seafood, so when I cook it for my daughter and myself - I make plenty of veggies he can load up on.

Spaghetti, while comforting - boring week after week- try it with some penne pasta and some fresh grated parmisiano reggiano. If you put hamburger, try ground turkey instead. You can also add kale right when it's done cooking (just enough to wilt it) and wow, there's a veggie in it.

Make chicken and risotto - healthier than mac n cheese, way tastier - email me, I'll send the recipe.

Taco's - boring again - how about sausage and peppers/onions?

Most of these meals can make enough for a nice lunch the next day.

I made a pork shoulder, slow cooked it, for sandwiches this week along with cole slaw. Really simple and more veggies.

Talk with the boy about what's healthy and what's a good example for the rest of the family.

He sounds more like a child than a man when it comes to eating, sorry dear, I know you love him.

wow lol my hubby eats what i make or he goes hungry! in fact he wont even eat snack without asking me, (because our food budget is tight and he doesnt want to eat something that i am going to use for a recipe...and he doesnt want to eat "the babies food." since my 16mnth really is picky) how about chilli mac? pork chops and mashed potatoes? i am a big breakfast person so we have breakfast for dinner sometimes.

Have your HUSBAND... think of things, for the menu.... for either you to cook, or for HIM to cook, for the family.

It is real hard, to cook for picky people.
A friend of ours, her family is like that. She has such a HARD time... cooking for them. VERY restrictive. And then she can't eat what she wants... but what her picky family wants. SHE is the more adventurous eater. So she gets BORED cooking for her family and eating it too. Even though she is a great highly competent cook.

Some people are just picky with foods, or they are just very routine oriented.

It is not just "Men" who are picky with food. My Husband is not.

There is also something called "Food Neophobia."
Look it up online. ABC news did a show on it.
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Recipes/extremely-picky-e...

Good luck,
Susan

I would suggest to DH that he change his diet and start eating vegetables - and start cooking them (or he can start cooking them - do you guys cook together or share the cooking?). If you want your kids to eat a healthy diet, you must both model this for them while they are young. Easy things to try are vegetarian (or turkey) chili - you can load it up with beans, chick peas, almonds and veggies, quiche (you can incorporate broccoli, asparagus, green beans along with a meat if you wish), frittata (basically a hefty omelette with potatoes and other veggies). If DH won't change, I would just start incorporating vegetables into your meals - just like a kid - he can eat it or not.

I have a friend who's husband was picky (olives and salsa were to "weird" to him). He only liked simple meat and potatoes meals. She loves to cook and makes all these gourmet meals or ethnic meals or super healthy meals. It took 10 years but this guy eats anything now! He really expanded his palate. I'm proud of him for this! He used to "brag" about all the things he did not like. I think you should not cater to picky eaters (I have the bad habit of doing this for my son to some extent but I'm trying to get better about it).

Anyway, I love to cook and love to look up recipes on the internet. I google all kinds of yummy recipes and look for the ones that get high ratings. Some "simple" dinner ideas for you:
baked chicken
pork loin (there are all kinds of great marinade recipes that are easy)
crock pot a pork shoulder and then break it up to make tacos (mix in seasonings) or pork sandwiches on rolls
bake or grill salmon
homemade soups with whole grain bread
crock pot chilli with cornbread (you can sneak in veggies)
for spaghetti sauce I put in a lot of finely chopped veggies as well (carrots, celery, kale, whatever you have)
parmesan chicken served with salad instead of pasta and a homemade lemon dressing
we like pork chops with a white wine sauce
we also like to make curry but maybe your hubby would not like that!
Hope you get some good ideas!

You've received lots of great ideas, so far, but I thought I'd add a few suggestions. First, there are some cookbooks out there designed to hide nutritious food in common items (one is called "Sneaky Chef" and another is by J. Seinfeld called "Deceptively Delicious"). I have both and I've learned to sneak in veggies to a lot of my hubby's favorites.

For instance, last night I made meatloaf that had finely shredded zucchini in it. He didn't have a clue. :) I've made mashed potatoes with cauliflower hidden in it and mac and cheese with cauliflower also in it also (pureed or mashed). I did a BBQ chicken with sweet potatoes and carrots hidden in the sauce, and no one knew. The recipes are great.

I don't eat pork, but my husband craves it every once in a while. I've started buying turkey breast slices that look like pork chops. I lightly coat them in Italian breadcrumbs and my husband actually thinks their pork chops. I did confess they were turkey, but he still couldn't tell the difference. :)

As a consolation, many of the vitamins and minerals in vegetables are also in fruit; fruit just has more sugar. If your family won't eat veggies (knowingly, anyway) push fruits on them. Fruit smoothies with a little yogurt; muffins with berries, apples, or banana; and frozen juice pops are always fun "treats."

Also, if they eat spaghetti try some new noodles. Ease in whole wheat noodles, or ones that are made with vegetables (spinach nooodles are green and there's even a "crazy mac" mix that has three different colors that are made from spinach, beets, and carrots.) There are also tomato sauces that have veggies in them - just look at the ingredients.

You might check out http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/. I get a lot of recipes from her, and we love everything I've ever made from her site.
For lunch, you might try bagel sandwiches. We put sliced meats/cheeses and whatever toppings we want (cucumbers are good!) on top. This is always a big hit. I applaud you for tending to your husband's tastes. I think that is a very good thing. Do you like roasts? Search for pot roast on the site I gave you. It is amazingly good. Will your husband eat soups? They are very easy to make. We like chicken w/ noodles or rice and carrots, and celery (if he will eat them-if not leave them out). Do you like Chipotle? I found a recipe online for it, and we love it here. I can share if you are interested. I'll try to think of other ideas.

Wow. I would just cook some new, good, healthy stuff and they wouldnt have a choice. Get a new cookbook, browse them at the bookstore, find one that gets the wheels turning in your head and then JUST DO IT. Your kids will grow up to be like your husband if you dont give them some new things for their palate to mature. I'd guess hubbys mom wasnt much in the kitchen for him to turn out like that. Your diet sounds like heart attack special for when you get older.... you are totally on the right track asking for new ideas.

How about peirogis? They are really big here in the burgh so you can find them everywhere...not sure about MO. (I say that b/c a neighbor from IL had never heard of them) You just boil them and serve with butter or red sauce.

I am in the same exact boat as you!

I do have a chicken stew recipe for the crock pot that my kids like with chicken, pineapple, carrots, allspice, soy sauce & ginger. The original recipe also calls for roasted red pepper, but we don't like that so I just leave it out. If you think it's something you might like, just send me a message and I can send you the full recipe.

I can't wait to see what other suggestions you get!

Quiche? Use a premade pie crust, 5-6 eggs, 1/2 c. milk, pinch pepper, some salt, as much swiss cheese as you want, and any other ingredients you all like (ham, mushrooms, etc.) You can even make half with and half without extra ingredients. Put cheese on bottom, extra ing. on top, pour egg mixture over it, top with swiss, bake about 40 min at 350. Tastes kind of like omlet, but you can get more stuff inside, and I like the pie crust taste too. You can also make frozen pizza or get the refrigerated dough and make your own with whatever toppings each person likes. You can make a section for each person that way! We sometimes do breakfast foods for dinner, like pancakes, waffles, french toast (none of it frozen), eggs, etc. You can top some of these with fresh or frozen fruit, and get some extra nutrients in that way. Can you tell that I am definitely not a cook? :)

where's the pork & chicken in your diet? Does your husband only eat beef?

As for diversity, since he's the picky one.....I recommend making your menu & sticking to it. If he doesn't eat, then it's his loss. & please make an effort to not cater to individual pickiness! Life only becomes harder & harder if you go down that street!

Dinner ideas: baked chicken. Do 2 so you can use the leftovers in a soup or pasta. Since your husband does not do "white cheese", do a garlic pasta using olive oil, minced garlic or garlic powder, fresh or canned diced tomatoes, & Italian seasoning to taste. This creates a simple glazing on the pasta .....very fresh!....& not an orange or red puddle of sauce which gets old quick! Sometimes I add a little sugar/sweetener or I go the opposite way & add red pepper flakes....which he'll never notice! Lemon pepper is another variation on the simple garlic/tomato combo....& tastes yumm!

As for the next day soup: fresh &/or frozen vegies (your husband can nitpick his), broth, tomatoes, S&P, some garlic or onion powder (so your DH doesn't freak), & maybe a little rice or tiny pasta. You can add Mexican spices, Italian spices, or even just some lemon pepper! It's warming, filling, & nurturing.....& you'll be teaching your kids economy & practicality! You can have a little bit of cheese & crackers on the side....& a salad....& you're set to go! As an added bonus, if that pot of soup is big enough.....then it could be served with a grilled cheese sandwich & a salad for another meal!

We are fond of meatball soup: frozen meatballs, broth (chix or beef, depending on my mood).....& the rest of what I use for chicken soup. A little bit of Parmesan on top & yummm!

What about breakfast for dinner? As long as you use turkey sausage or limit your pork sausage or bacon....you'll be fine.

I do not use canned soups, but my sis uses Campbells Chunky soups over a bowl of rice. Her family loves it! Both of our families enjoy a good thick beef stew over baked potatoes.....again, yummm!

We do salads with most dinners, & often have chef salads at lunchtime. My husband is a diabetic heart patient & I'm borderline diabetic. We are now addicted to these chef salads. My husband occasionally adds a hard-boiled egg to his (his cholesterol levels are fine) & I add chopped fruit to mine. We both use fat-free dressing.....he prefers Ranch & I prefer raspberry vinaigrette. Sometimes we add low-fat cheese, & we always use low-fat/lean meats or leftover meats. Rarely do we use the higher fat deli meats.

Please feel free to personally contact me if you'd like more recipe ideas. Good Luck!

Chicken tortilla soup
soups that are blended (so you can sneak him some vegetables)

My husband is almost the same, although he does eat salad. He considers corn, green beans and pickles his vegetables. He will eat chicken too. So I roast a chicken one night to have with rice or pasta and green beans, then the next day I shred the chicken and nuke with BBQ sauce and make chicken sandwiches with shredded cheddar and melt it in a toaster oven. I put tomato slices in it too for a veggie/fruit and cut up some canteloupe. My husband doesn't like leftovers so I do try to make it look like something different and new the next day. I will have veggies for me and my boys and my husband has agreed to never say anything bad about the veggies in front of the boys. : )

I'm in the same boat as you....arggh:) I do alot of stir frys, steamed veggies, turkey breast in the crockpot, baked chicken, crepes, and crockpot stuff. The stir frys are healthy and nutritious. I get recipes from Kraftfoods.com. I vary it with white rice, brown rice, Uncle Ben's--it's always a little different. Also, look on the back of Lipton dry soup boxes for recipes or check out the Foodnetwork.com website for ideas. I've even found sound great recipes on Mamapedia in the search engine.

M.

I feel your pain. My hubby is on a low carb diet that does not like fish, pork, seafood, or veggies, I have one son that will eat anything but casseroles and soups, and one son that only wants meat and carbs.

I find myself in the same rut - I make chicken salad - which obviously won't work for you - I also sometimes do a roast in the crock pot when they go on sale and don't cost a fortune. Does he eat lettuce on his tacos?

How bout enchiladas? will he eat that? maybe you could throw that into the rotation. I also make a chicken spaghetti - boil chicken and noodles, mix them with grated cheddar cheese and a can of cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup with 1/2 a can of milk - throw it in a casserol dish - top with additional cheese and throw in the oven for 15-20 minutes - it's pretty good.....

I also do BBQ chicken in the oven, just put it on a pan and turn it a few times baste with BBQ sauce and then when it is done serve it with some potatoes or corn.....

Thinking about it for you has given me inspiration to make some changes in my own meal schedule! LOL ~ hope some of that helps you out!