Picky Eaters & Tofu Tacos

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Let’s talk about picky eaters for little bit.  I can pretty much guarantee that I have the pickiest eater in the world. Oh, you want to compare notes?  You think your is pickier?  😉  I want to tell you how I got my picky eater to eat everything~ and actually like it!!! I got my picky eater to eat tofu tacos this week. This is a miracle.

My son is almost 11.  When he was one, he would not eat his first birthday cake.  He wouldn’t even touch it.  It was foreign and he wanted nothing to do with it.  He liked only dry, crunchy snack foods for most of his life, oh and yogurt. He called his food cupboard food, and that was all he would eat. He survived on dried fruit, and nuts, cereal, and yogurt for about the first 5 years of his life. He loved freeze-dried baby food corn (but not fresh corn!), raisins, and sunflower seeds. He wouldn’t touch meat, bread or noodles. He would eat rice one grain at a time. He learned to like carrots and that was a HUGE success!  Since he was my first child, I was at my wits end trying everything I could to get him to eat other things.

The picture below was our dinner last night~ and ALL the kids loved it! Nasoya sent me a big box of samples of their products. for free in exchange for a post here.  I was determined to convince the family that tofu is delicious as well as nutritious! I made Chipotle Tofu Tacos. Yummy!!

I used to give him his own meals and cater to his desires for a long time, but I eventually gave that up and just cooked normally. Dinner time was a fight EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT.  It was exhausting.  I will say I tried force feeding a few more times than I would like to admit. This most often led to tears and lots of gagging at the dinner table. I had to learn to be patient and continue to expose him to all kinds of foods and require just one taste. I recognize that there are different reasons kids are picky. Some kids are because of developmental or sensory issues. I am sharing what worked for my child.

How To Feed a Picky Eater:

1. Continue to put food on their plates that they do not like. At dinner time, put everything on their plate.
2. In our house, they have to try one taste of everything every time it is served.
3. Do not make different meals for your picky eater (unless it is an allergy!!!). I started this early on, but learned to just cook what I wanted and they would eventually come around.
4. Don’t let them have too many snacks between meals. This way, they actually be hungry at meal time and be more likely to heat the healthy dinner foods you prepare.
5. Keep foods separate as much as possible.  When I make foods that are combined- casseroles or enchiladas, etc., I have learned to save some of the parts of the meal and leave them uncombined. My son is much more likely to eat plain rice vs. rice that is mixed in with salsa, beans and corn…  If I am making a pasta dish that has a sauce poured over it, I always leave a few noodles plain for him.
6. Be patient & don’t fight it. I used to get so frustrated with how little he would eat. Now, 10 years later, he is eating 100x more than he used to. When I gave up fighting and just let him learn gradually, meal time become a much more enjoyable experience!! Unfortunately, it won’t happen overnight.
7. Be sensitive to their issues! Some kids have sensory issues that make it really hard for them to eat certain types of foods. My son struggled with food textures a lot! Others may have different problems.  Figure out where their issues are and be gentle with them.

My son has grown up and out of many of his picky tendencies. Now, he will eat at least a taste of anything I put in front of him. He has learned through the years, that he just needs to try everything on his plate. He is not always happy about that, but he has gotten used to it and does it now, without complaining. The most amazing part of it all, is when tells me he really likes many things that he never used to eat!  This to me is a huge success!  He is still an extremely picky eater compared to the average person.  (I like to tease him saying that he will travel to exotic places someday and have to eat octopus and cockroaches and then he will wish for his mom’s cooking!!)

This past year, I changed my diet and because of that I have changed how I am cooking meals a lot.  It was hard not he kids at first, but they have adapted so well this past year.  I am really proud of them.

This week, I got my Mr. Picky Pants to eat tofu.  Yup.  My son ate tofu, and liked it!! I made tofu tacos with this awesome chipotle baked tofu from Nasoya.  This stuff is SO tasty! I will tell you that tofu has been one of the harder things to incorporate into my diet because I am not used to cooking it. I am learning, slowly!  I was excited to have the chance to try out these tasty Nasoya tofus.

Now a tasty recipe for you!

Chipotle Tofu Tacos:

• 1 package of baked Nasoya Chipotle flavored tofu
• Fresh (uncooked) tortillas
• 1 can Black Beans
• 2 avocados- cut and doused with lime, salt and garlic powder
• Fresh Cilantro
• Chopped Lettuce
• Diced Tomatoes
• Diced Bell Peppers
• Salsa, Cheese, Sour Cream to top

This dinner is so easy and pleases everyone because I let them build their own tacos. I love the fresh uncooked tortillas because it makes the meal so much fresher tasting! However, if you don’t have them on hand, any kind will work!!  Cook the tortillas first because that is what takes the longest.  While they are cooking, you can chop all of the veggies and also cook the tofu.

For the Tofu: I feel like this is barely a recipe because it is SO easy!  Cut it open and warm it in a frying pan with a little drizzle of olive oil.  I like to cut them into cubes when I heat them then they get little crispy.

For the Beans:  Open the can & partially drain. I leave little of the juicy-ness in there and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and a little lime juice. Warm in a pot or in the microwave.

Toppings:  Make some fresh guacamole or just sliced avocado with salt and lime – my kids like to call this “chunk-a-mole.”  Diced tomatoes, your favorite salsa, fresh cilantro, cheese, or sour cream are all great toppings for these chipotle tofu tacos.

This is a family favorite at our house and it is so delicious as well as perfectly healthy!!!

Check out these other great Nasoya tofu products!  We used the sesame ginger one in an awesome stir fry! Plus, enter the giveaway for some FREE Nasoya products!