Picky eaters. Every family has at least one. It may even be you. A picky eater may have very defined health, food, or lifestyle choice, or maybe someone who simply doesn’t enjoy certain tastes. Regardless, it’s still possible to do meal prep for a picky eater, so long as their preferences are fully considered, and you know what those are.
Here are some of the best meal prep ideas for picky eaters, keeping things simple and basic.
1. Wraps
Wraps are a low-calorie alternative to a sandwich and, like a sandwich, can be easily done according to what a person likes. A full-on veggie wrap is easy to make if they aren’t a meat-eater. You can put on any sauce you like. It can be made according to your preference, and they store well in the fridge until it’s time to eat.
2. Soups
Soups and stews can be delicious and amazingly easy to customize. A picky eater can exclude anything they’re not a fan of. They can make their soup and store it at a cold temperature for several days. It’s a low-calorie but filling meal that can help someone interested in losing weight and athletic training.
3. Try a Meal Plan Delivery Service
Another way to switch things up while sticking with meals you like is to invest in a meal plan delivery service. This way, you get to choose the sort of meals you like, and they’re delivered already prepared.
You don’t have to do much except cooking them, but everything you would have needed is already done in terms of the taste and texture. It’s just a matter of cooking. This is a much, much healthier and more affordable solution than going to a restaurant.
4. Casserole
A casserole is easy to assemble. It can be prepared however you like. For a picky eater, a simple casserole idea is to start with some ground chicken, cheese, and pasta, similar to a basic lasagna. Build off this. From there, you may be able to add in a few crunchy veggies or some interesting spices.
5. Custom Salads
Assuming this picky eater is alright with some vegetables, salads don’t have to include every vegetable in the fridge. Even a little lettuce, some cucumber, a shredded carrot, shredded cheese, and a little ranch dressing can constitute a salad. Salads are worth looking at if you’re low on vegetables in your diet because they are so easy to work with.
6. Meat Balls
Protein is important to anyone’s diet. It keeps the appetite down. It helps build muscle. Protein keeps us healthy. Meatballs can be nice little treats and are easy to prepare. Also, they don’t have to be beef. They can be made from anything ground, or you can go meatless and use some shredded beans, chickpeas, or faux meat.
Any small low-calorie protein snack – deviled eggs being another great example! – it is smart for someone trying to manage their weight and control their appetite.
7. Plain Pasta
Plain pasta is easy to make. It’s a meal that can be pre-portioned out and used for meal prep throughout the day. You don’t have to include any vegetables and can exclude the meat if you want. You can customize the sauce when you buy plain tomato paste and modify it from there.
8. Adjacent Foods to Try
If you want to get adventurous as a picky eater, build off the tastes you like. Use those to explore different foods that you may not have had before. For example, exploring more Mexican cuisine could be nice if you like beef tacos.
If you enjoy soup, try Vietnamese cuisine. If you seem to enjoy fried rice, look at more Chinese. There are all sorts of ways to expand your meal prep taking into account what a picky eater already likes and what they don’t.
9. Add Familiarity to New Dishes
You may find certain things you don’t like, but perhaps it could be appealing with the right ingredients. For example, let’s say you like cheese. Adding cheese to certain wraps or salads may help you adapt to the taste. Or maybe there is a seasoning you like.
This seasoning can be thrown onto other things and perhaps help the taste become something you enjoy. Exploring new things with a little familiarity isn’t a bad idea.
10. Simple Meats
Meats can get fancy with spices and oils, but they can also be plain. Poaching pork or chicken is easy and gets you very simple meat that can be shredded, cut, or altered according to your liking.
If you enjoy ground beef, you can make your hamburgers however you want. Keep it simple if you’re somewhat particular about how meat is prepared.
