Our kids have varying degrees of finickiness. I wouldn't classify ANY of them as "great eaters."

Adyson is by far the best. Although she avoids most veggies, there are a few she likes; wouldn't you know it's the most unpopular ones she likes the most (broccoli, celery, green beans)? Hey -- not going to complain. She is just now getting to the age where she will willingly try anything once.

Cade has a padlock on his mouth. When it comes to trying something new, he goes straight for the "gag and abort" method. It's not worth the fight to me. He doesn't eat any veggies, but does like most fruits. I'll take what I can get.

Hunter... the child that I fed ONLY organic food until the age of one, is the pickiest of them all. NO FRUITS, NO VEGGIES, and for a while, no meat except a chicken nugget.

I have come to the realization that their level of pickiness is directly correlated to their level of stubbornness, Ady being the least stubborn and Hunter being the most. With Hunter, I have tried every method of supplementing his nutrition, until I finally gave in. Yes, I was the mom making four different meals (3 for the kids, and one for Dave and I) three times a day. Upon the advice of other moms, I tried making one meal for everyone. They claimed that, "when they get hungry enough, they'll eat it." Ady would. Cade would eventually. Hunter would starve himself to the point of not sleeping at night (and screaming for hours on end). NOT WORTH IT. I also tried the "Jessica Seinfeld" method of pureeing foods in advance. I didn't like a lot of those recipes myself.

Dave and I aren't picky, heck, we will eat anything in sight. We are both emotional eaters and binge eat when stressed. We also drank too much wine and coffee. We needed to create better habits for ourselves, so the kids would follow our lead.

At the beginning of the year, it was my goal to change this. I started by attacking breakfast first. By starting small and focusing on a diet of inclusion, rather than exclusion, I gradually introduced more healthy choices. I substituted regular yogurt for Greek. I made pomegranate juice a special morning treat. I whipped up a big batch of whole wheat banana flax seed pancakes on Sunday, and fed them throughout the week. I made them smoothies with all sorts of fruits and vegetables, and disguised their green color in Zoo Pals cups with lids and straws. I quit making the "special meals" and eventually weaned them all off V8 Fusion (not a horrible option, but really high in sugar). These were all HUGE victories. After I won over breakfast, I attacked lunch and dinner, respectively. Making small changes with some pretty big results.

I am finding that it's not much (if any) more expensive to eat this way because we are meeting our body's nutritional needs, so we are less hungry less often. I was previously making a trip to Target every two days for Goldfish, pretzels, and other nutritionally deficient snacks. The three of them can eat a whole box in one sitting and still not be full. If that box was $2.50, I am surely saving when the three of them share 2 apples and are full! Those numbers don't lie. Our only "splurge" is the grass fed meat. I've had to be smarter about serving it, but generally our family can make a whole dinner out of one pound of ground beef. Also, I opted for buying a whole chicken, instead of breast, which provides 2-3 meals.

The results have been noticeable. Cade who is most sensitive to sugar, is much more even tempered. His highs are not as high, and his sugar crashes are non-existent. Hunter's pallet continues to develop everyday, and although he still isn't a fan of any veggies, he will eat organic fruit/veggie pouches, Crasins, and is the biggest fan of mom's special smoothies (which are loaded with both). Everyone's overall health has improved and mom and dad are losing weight! The days of binge eating are fewer and further between, and we've switched to red wine (on occasion).

I know that this is a struggle for many families, and hope to shed some light on what works for us. It isn't overnight. It is constant planning and work, and I still have a lot to learn. I am convinced the results are well worth it, and encourage you to make a small change today!