They're eating the ?@€< chili and loving it.

[KungFuPanda]

My son and DH informed me that my chili had too many beans and tomatoes. My chili is delicious! FINE. Tonight I used the same my recipe, but puréed half the tomatoes and 2/3 of the beans. They LOVE the new recipe with all the extra meat. This is how they always want it. Good grief. I'm not telling them that the ingredients are the same, so I'm confessing here where people will appreciate how ridiculous this is. I live with toddlers.

[FriedClams]

Go Mom!!!!! I love this!!!!! :-)

[Mrs Mungo]

LOL!

[Susan in TN]

Fastest chili fix in the West! Would they like some arrowroot biscuits with that chili? :D

[happi duck]

Lol! That's awesome!

[Angie in VA]

Brilliant solution. 

[jenn-]

You are too kind. Mine would be told to suck it up and eat it.

[The Girls' Mom]

I have a similar toddler that I happen to be married to.  LOVES my chili, as long as the tomatoes aren't chunky.  

[kewb]

Whatever works.

[applethyme]

:hurray: :hurray:

 

I do the same when I make meatloaf.  I puree the onions, green peppers and carrots so to them it just looks like a hunk of meat. :lol:

[Critterfixer]

I'm known to spend an extra hour cooking vegetables in beef stock and then grinding all with an immersion blender BEFORE adding the beef for beef stew.

[wendyroo]

Around here, all of my toddlers (including DH) don't like the "goo".  They want chili...with no liquid.  Beef stew...with no liquid.  Chicken noodle soup...with no liquid.  At that point I just have to laugh.  Can we still call it soup after we have thoroughly drained it for them?

 

Wendy

[Matryoshka]

My son and DH informed me that my chili had too many beans and tomatoes. My chili is delicious! FINE. Tonight I used the same my recipe, but puréed half the tomatoes and 2/3 of the beans. They LOVE the new recipe with all the extra meat. This is how they always want it. Good grief. I'm not telling them that the ingredients are the same, so I'm confessing here where people will appreciate how ridiculous this is. I live with toddlers.

 

Bwahaha. :lol:  When we were kids, my brother and I objected to my mom's homemade tomato sauce.  We wanted it all smooth like the commercial sauces (back then that was mostly that runny drivel Ragu.  I have no idea what we were thinking - yuk!)  Anyhow, my mom just put her sauce in the blender.  And then started adding even more 'stuff' to her sauce- including an entire eggplant and sometimes tofu.  We ate the pureed stuff without complaint. 

[redsquirrel]

Around here, all of my toddlers (including DH) don't like the "goo".  They want chili...with no liquid.  Beef stew...with no liquid.  Chicken noodle soup...with no liquid.  At that point I just have to laugh.  Can we still call it soup after we have thoroughly drained it for them?

 

Wendy

 

Lol, in one of my many cookbooks for food for young children, I found a useful suggestion for feeding soup and stew to toddlers. It suggested draining the soup and giving them the soft cooked ingredients in a bowl and mixing the warm broth with milk and serving it in a cup. My older son loved that (when he was three) and it got him to like lots of soups and stews. It was a great way to feed him what we were having before he could manage soup from a motor perspective. Soup can look intimidating to a toddler.

 

So maybe you could try that with your 'toddlers', you know, if soup is too hard for them :lol:

 

To the OP, I would totally tell them after serving it 5 or so times. Don't keep it a secret. As someone who has a kid with food issues, I think it is important that they know what the issue is. They thought they didn't like it, but it is the texture, not your ingredients. Of course if your kid is young enough that it would stop him or her from eating it then say nothing...but tell your husband. One would assume he is a big enough boy to deal with it.

 

And, if you like, you can gradually stop pureeing such large amount of it. Do a little less each time until they notice. Then you go back a step for a bit and then slowly go forward again.

[medawyn]

Pureeing the beans is genius! My toddler (*ahem* DH) runs screaming from beans. I wonder if this will work...?

 

(I already purée most veggies I add or chop them to minuscule bits in the food processor. Didn't why I didn't think of doing the beans, too.)

[Desert Strawberry]

My kids have confirmed that they will willingly eat anything if mince it really small. They will request that I mash the beans, puree the tomatoes, and mince the onions. It's not the flavors they object to, just the chunky texture. I'm cool with that. 

[Southern Ivy]

This is how I get my 43 year old husband to eat vegetables! I puree them and hide them. He always loves those dishes, though he "can't stand the taste of vegetables". *eye roll*

[KungFuPanda]

They LIKE tomatoes and beans, but they really want them overshadowed by obscene amounts of meat. My chili is never really soupy. We like to serve it over something like rice, noodles, potatoes, or cornmeal waffles then top with cheese, sour cream, and green onions. It took a bit longer to cook down all that purée, but they were happy.

 

My toddlers, BTW are 14 and 45. DD17 won't touch a bean and is allergic to tomatoes, so she doesn't participate. I'll probably just keep making it this way and not tell them :-)

[Rebel Yell]

Around here, all of my toddlers (including DH) don't like the "goo".  They want chili...with no liquid.  Beef stew...with no liquid.  Chicken noodle soup...with no liquid.  At that point I just have to laugh.  Can we still call it soup after we have thoroughly drained it for them?

 

Wendy

 

We need to get our families together for dinner. Some of mine strain the soup and only eat the broth. :glare:  We'll be quite a team.

[LifeLovePassion]

This thread reminded me of this

http://mommyshorts.com/2014/09/30-new-members-of-the-picky-eaters-club.html

[AmyontheFarm]

I have to puree salsa for my DH. 

[jewellsmommy]

I have to puree salsa for my DH. 

 

Wow! I thought I was the only one! My friends have made fun of me for years for doing this for my dh. :lol:  He loves tomatoes in sauce form but cannot handle any chunks. :001_rolleyes:

[Slartibartfast]

I puree the onions in my soups and chili. I got tired of onion whining, who wants to eat those without onions? Crazy!

[shawthorne44]

Well, to be fair to your toddlers, real chili doesn't have beans.  
And tomato chunks are disgusting.  

 

I remember my Grandmother talking about the exchange student from Ecuador they had when my dad and aunt were kids.  He started out thinking that onions and tomatoes were barely pig food. They lived on a farm and they soon had him eating tomato sandwiches.  But, onions had to be hidden by being chopped very small.  

 

[Slartibartfast]

Well, to be fair to your toddlers, real chili doesn't have beans.  

And tomato chunks are disgusting.

Madness!

[Rebel Yell]

AmyontheFarm, on 17 Nov 2014 - 11:14 PM, said:

I have to puree salsa for my DH.

Wow! I thought I was the only one! My friends have made fun of me for years for doing this for my dh. :lol:  He loves tomatoes in sauce form but cannot handle any chunks. :001_rolleyes:

 

Add us to the list...  One of my girls will dip all the 'juice' out of the salsa, leaving a pile of nearly-dry veggie chunks. :glare:

[KungFuPanda]

I have to puree salsa for my DH.

 

  

Wow! I thought I was the only one! My friends have made fun of me for years for doing this for my dh. :lol:  He loves tomatoes in sauce form but cannot handle any chunks. :001_rolleyes:

Wait, why aren't you just buying picante sauce or taco sauce?

[blondeviolin]

I do this with a lot of soups and stews. Also onions in anything. Less complaining, better health.

[Shellydon]

Chili doesn't have tomatoes.  Or beans.  It is meat.  :)

[Slartibartfast]

Chili doesn't have tomatoes.  Or beans.  It is meat.  :)

 

Texans.  :thumbdown:

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Around here, all of my toddlers (including DH) don't like the "goo".  They want chili...with no liquid.  Beef stew...with no liquid.  Chicken noodle soup...with no liquid.  At that point I just have to laugh.  Can we still call it soup after we have thoroughly drained it for them?

 

Wendy

 

I get that all the time; "It's tooooooooo brothy!"   "It's SOUP!" :huh:

[Slartibartfast]

I get that all the time; "It's tooooooooo brothy!"   "It's SOUP!" :huh:

 

My dh and kids are the same. They will try and get away with getting a pile of meat and veggies with very little broth. GGGRRR

[momacacia]

You're so smart !!

I've noticed my kids will eat and like the "most horrible" things that I make when I'm not around to complain to. I wish I had a "nursery" that they could eat in with the Nanny.

[Tsuga]

This thread reminded me of this

http://mommyshorts.com/2014/09/30-new-members-of-the-picky-eaters-club.html

 

I can see pureeing chili since that is actually a recipe, not to mention, it's got a lot of ingredients and there are ten bazillion ways to make it but it takes forever however you do it if you're going to do it well, so you might as well experiment.

 

But all I can say is if some of those kids on that blog were mine, the police would have the evening news filming their emaciated little skeletons in high chairs in my house. They'd be dragging me out in handcuffs screaming... "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!!!"

 

How, exactly, do you get to a point where you won't eat anything that is not drowned in ranch?

 

I mean I get liking ranch, and I get being picky, but how do you learn that if you go through a process which costs twice as much money, and which takes you about an hour, such as picking the seeds out of green beans, that then your child will eat?

 

I am just assuming that the children on that website don't have sensory disorders or their parents wouldn't be posting their faces all over the Internet like that.

 

In my house the end of that is just, "I know your tummy hurts. That's because you're hungry. You're hungry because you didn't eat the food which your mom so lovingly bought, which your dad so kindly contributed to, and which your stepdad so carefully prepared, the food which we are so lucky can be produced in this bountiful nation of ours. Food full of nutrients and free of pesticides, food of several different flavors and textures, for you to choose from. Unlike some children who go to bed with tummy aches because they haven't had anything to eat in three days so they filled their tummies with grass soup." (An event I have personally witnessed working overseas.)

[unsinkable]

I can see pureeing chili since that is actually a recipe, not to mention, it's got a lot of ingredients and there are ten bazillion ways to make it but it takes forever however you do it if you're going to do it well, so you might as well experiment.

 

But all I can say is if some of those kids on that blog were mine, the police would have the evening news filming their emaciated little skeletons in high chairs in my house. They'd be dragging me out in handcuffs screaming... "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!!!"

 

How, exactly, do you get to a point where you won't eat anything that is not drowned in ranch?

 

I mean I get liking ranch, and I get being picky, but how do you learn that if you go through a process which costs twice as much money, and which takes you about an hour, such as picking the seeds out of green beans, that then your child will eat?

 

I am just assuming that the children on that website don't have sensory disorders or their parents wouldn't be posting their faces all over the Internet like that.

 

In my house the end of that is just, "I know your tummy hurts. That's because you're hungry. You're hungry because you didn't eat the food which your mom so lovingly bought, which your dad so kindly contributed to, and which your stepdad so carefully prepared, the food which we are so lucky can be produced in this bountiful nation of ours. Food full of nutrients and free of pesticides, food of several different flavors and textures, for you to choose from. Unlike some children who go to bed with tummy aches because they haven't had anything to eat in three days so they filled their tummies with grass soup." (An event I have personally witnessed working overseas.)

No, I don't think you "get" anything about being "picky" or parenting a child who has a sensory problem.

 

It is not a choice for kids OR parents and no amount of preaching will change it.

[Rebel Yell]

Posted Today, 05:39 PM

AmyontheFarm, on 17 Nov 2014 - 11:14 PM, said:

I have to puree salsa for my DH.

  

jewellsmommy, on 17 Nov 2014 - 11:17 PM, said:

Wow! I thought I was the only one! My friends have made fun of me for years for doing this for my dh. :lol:  He loves tomatoes in sauce form but cannot handle any chunks. :001_rolleyes:

   Wait, why aren't you just buying picante sauce or taco sauce?

 

Because it does not taste liek salsa. I've tried. :glare:
 

[Rebel Yell]

You're so smart !!

I've noticed my kids will eat and like the "most horrible" things that I make when I'm not around to complain to. I wish I had a "nursery" that they could eat in with the Nanny.

 

:hurray: :iagree:  Me too. My kids have eaten all kinds of foods they "hate" at someone else's house. :glare:  And came home loving it an asking *me* to make it for them. :confused1:

[Tsuga]

No, I don't think you "get" anything about being "picky" or parenting a child who has a sensory problem.

 

It is not a choice for kids OR parents and no amount of preaching will change it.

 

I specifically said I wasn't talking about sensory issues, and specifically stated that I was assuming that that was not the issue with those very young children, all of whom were within the range of normal in terms of age and what children eat at that age.

 

I mean, if the parents thought the children had a developmental sensory issue would they have put those pictures up on the Internet?

 

It was almost exclusively toddlers doing normal toddler picky things. Not all the parents had reactions that I think were feasible for long-term parental sanity, however.

[texasmama]

I have your peeps here, OP. Dh would not eat my last batch of chili because he grossly overate the batch before last, giving himself diarrhea. Um, have one bowl not three huge ones. It should be okay!

 

It is verboten to state that you would never purée chili to cater to folks who should instead suck it up or go hungry unless you have a child with sensory issues. The end.

[texasmama]

Chili doesn't have tomatoes. Or beans. It is meat. :)

Eh, let them eat cake! (Or chili with beans. ;) )

[jenn-]

I have your peeps here, OP. Dh would not eat my last batch of chili because he grossly overate the batch before last, giving himself diarrhea. Um, have one bowl not three huge ones. It should be okay!

 

It is verboten to state that you would never purée chili to cater to folks who should instead suck it up or go hungry unless you have a child with sensory issues. The end.

 

If the OP was talking about a child with known sensory issues, my answer would be different.  It sounds like the complainers have eaten the chili chunky style before but would prefer them not to be there.  That's the point I just say "suck it up". 

 

I do have one that has texture issues and I respect that.  I will never force the child to eat anything with the consistency of mashed potatoes because it goes in and comes right back up.  Same thing with collard greens (or other similar greens) straight up.  He will eat them if they are cooked in soups and mixed into sauces, but not straight because of the same texture issues.

 

Sometimes picky eating can be a trained behavior.  If you talked to their grandparents, my kids are some of the most pickiest eaters in the world.  My MIL deserves what she gets because she has always catered to them.  I have told her time and time again to just present food and tell them to eat it without complaint.  She doesn't listen so they are picky for her.  My kids know they will still get their after dinner cookie at my parents' house even if they don't finish their dinner so they suddenly don't "like" foods there when I am not around (this is a total 180 from when I grew up BTW.  My brother spent many a night staring at a plate of food).  Amazingly when I am at the table with them at either place, they eat and don't complain.