Just so frustrated with cooking

ABColeslaw

I am doing my best to make my son nutritious meals and make sure he gets all the nutrients he needs.  But this is really wearing on me, it costs more than we can afford to feed him AND he is being super picking.  This is not a kid that can afford to be picky! 

Asher is allergic to Milk, Soy, Wheat, Beef, Nuts, Shell Fish, Casein, Questionable egg.  We haven't been given the go ahead on a lot of fruits and some veggies because the allergist is worried about triggering oral allergy syndrome.  So we are fairly limited.  

Last night I spent over an hour making dinner, and he looked at it and pretty much refused to eat it.  

g_belle

I'm so sorry you're having a bad night.  The cooking is exhausting.  And it's really really hard to watch a toddler throw the food you worked so hard to plan/prepare straight onto the floor. 

Have you found any recipes that you can freeze?  If I know I'm cooking something J will like (chicken is a big hit usually)- I'll cook like 3x more than what we'll actually eat and freeze it so that when I'm really tired i can just thaw something for him.  Our grocery store has some great sales on ground turkey and whole chickens every few weeks- when they go on sale I stock up and freeze a ton.  If that's an option for you- it might help with the budgeting.  Could you do canned/frozen green beans?  Those are always a favorite in our house and super easy/cheap. 

magdusia

i'm sorry.. i know how you feel. i spent so many nights crying after dinner. I still do sometimes (last night was one of those nights actually).  i just remember when my son was your LO's age and it was the worst time for us regarding food. He stopped being so picky when he was about 18 months old. So for 6 to 8 months it was torture. He still has his moments but not so bad. I at least can get some food in him.

I never force feed him. I did at first b/c of the frustration and then someone saw me and pretty much yelled at me.  I try to make sure all three of us eat together. He eats so much better when the three of us eat. So i learned how to make meals for everyone that is milk, soy, eggs, nut free (i know you have more allergies).. it was really hard. i come home from work and start cooking right away.  *** pot saved my butt many times. I pretty much made three different meals. Everything was safe for my son but DH eats meat, i don't and my son eats only pasta.. but i always let my son have what ever he wanted from our dishes -which was barely anything but it was an option for him.  That did teach him to at least try things.

the cost is so frustrating.  and it kills me to throw out his meals a lot of the time. One thing i realized that saved me some money is that i was giving him way too many options every night for dinner.  So now he gets his bowl of pasta every night with either "chreese" on it or red sauce which i know he loves and will eat (he just started eating red sauce), and he always has the option of having something from my or my DH's plate. A lot of the times i make veggies for my DH and I and put a piece on his plate and 2 out of 10 times he will eat it so i just give him my entire portion.  Lately he wants peas.. so until he rejects them i will make peas every day for him. 

hope that helps a bit. 

it really is hard and you're LO is at the picky stage.. everyone told me that and i just kept on crying b/c i didn't believe that it will ever end.  

try this for dinner as a side.. my son started eating this at 16 month old and hasn't stopped once.  Guacamole!  i got a guacamole dish (with the smasher) and i chop up onion, tomatoes, avocado, lime juice and salt and put it in an avocado dish with some safe chips on the side and he LOVES it.. it's fun and exciting.  We noticed he likes eating from a chip and sometimes even eats his pasta from a chip (wirdo!).  He eats 1/2 to 1 whole avocado a day. very healthy fats and i'm pretty sure that is the main reason he's weight isn't dropping.

heyitsme

Get a copy of Sophie-Safe Cooking. Do you do oats? (I know some people with wheat allergies don't, but I do.) A lot of her recipes are oat, potatoes, and rice-based. They are ALL Top-8 free (no peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, seafood, wheat, eggs, milk, or soy). I started by making things just for myself from there, and then DH started sampling "my foods" and was amazed at how good they are. Cornbread, soups, etc. I know there are some beef recipes in there but you can just skip over them.

What fruits and some veggies are you avoiding (or if the list is long, what fruits or veggies are OK)? I have severe OAS (haven't met a fruit or veggie that I can eat raw), but am able to eat any fruit or veggie as long as its been cooked/steamed. Finding "cooked fruit" is a little more challenging than vegetables, but I do have a few fruits in my diet.

If you have any questions or would like suggestions, I'd be happy to provide some--I make great breaded chicken nuggets, pork chops, risotto, etc. I know this age is when kids are picky, too, and that can be hard. PM me and we can talk if you'd like more specifics (I can give you specific recipes, brands of foods to try, etc.)!

ABColeslaw

heyitsme:

Get a copy of Sophie-Safe Cooking. Do you do oats? (I know some people with wheat allergies don't, but I do.) A lot of her recipes are oat, potatoes, and rice-based. They are ALL Top-8 free (no peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, seafood, wheat, eggs, milk, or soy). I started by making things just for myself from there, and then DH started sampling "my foods" and was amazed at how good they are. Cornbread, soups, etc. I know there are some beef recipes in there but you can just skip over them.

What fruits and some veggies are you avoiding (or if the list is long, what fruits or veggies are OK)? I have severe OAS (haven't met a fruit or veggie that I can eat raw), but am able to eat any fruit or veggie as long as its been cooked/steamed. Finding "cooked fruit" is a little more challenging than vegetables, but I do have a few fruits in my diet.

If you have any questions or would like suggestions, I'd be happy to provide some--I make great breaded chicken nuggets, pork chops, risotto, etc. I know this age is when kids are picky, too, and that can be hard. PM me and we can talk if you'd like more specifics (I can give you specific recipes, brands of foods to try, etc.)!

Hey there! Right now the only meets he has been cleared to eat are chicken and turkey...free range.  As far as veggies and fruits we have been told to stay away from tomatos and peppers (possible night shade allergy)  and to stay away from Apples, peaches, avacados, oranges, and sweet potatos.  He has a sweet potato reaction, but is able to have reg potatos.  We have also been told to stay away from oats.  

We have a clinical wheat challenge coming up at the end of July and if he has a mild to moderate reaction, then that will move to the "Build up trial" and we'll undergo an oats trial. 

Asher is allergic to beef and has a pretty severe casein allergy.  And as a family we do not eat pork...so I just feel so limited.  Thanks for the suggestion, I will look on amazon for the book.