Dear Missy,

My 3 year old eats only oatmeal, mashed potatoes, baby food
bananas, ritz crackers, graham crackers, and tortilla chips.  He has
never eaten foods outside the above.  We have offered him everything
and tried many approaches.  He is above average in all areas, minus
his food aversion.  I have had him for an upper GI, worked with CDS
here in Maine, and with his daycare.  All parties have voiced concern
and a willingness to help resolve this...but we have had no sucess.
Have you ever heard of anything like this?  Any insight you can
provide would be helpful.  We are currently trying to find someone to
help him with his food apprehension, and getting no where.  No one
(professionally) feels that they have the skills to assist; all agree
we need to help him and not just chaulk it up to a sit and wait by
labeling him as a picky eater.  Thanks in advance. 

Dear Nicole,

It sounds like you've checked with your doctors, which is the right thing to have done. If things are showing all clear from their side, let's explore the picky eater route. Here's my sneaky recipes for Mystery Mashed Potatoes and Quick Fixes for Oatmeal from my first book to try out. I have a sneaky suspicion they will work beautifully for you ; ) You can find the make-ahead purees on the Free Recipe pages of my website.

Let your doctor know that you're trying these recipes and I will be very interested to hear the results.

Enjoy in good health : )

Missy

MYSTERY MASHED POTATOES:

Nutrition Highlights: vegetables, calcium

Rich in vitamins vitamin B6, C, potassium, manganese, folate, calcium and fiber.

Comforting, homey and full of fat, most mashed potato recipes call for a stick of butter and a cup of heavy cream. I used to reserve this dish for major holidays, but with this revamped recipe, we can enjoy these delicious mashed potatoes whenever the urge strikes. You’ll hardly miss the heavy cream and butter with the clever use of calcium-rich evaporated skim milk, which is concentrated and has a consistency similar to cream. And the pureed cauliflower and zucchini disappear in the creamy white texture of this dish. For myself, I more than triple the amount of White Puree, since I don’t mind the taste of the veggies and I want to cut way back on carbs. But for the family, start at lower amount of White Puree called for, and gradually increase a little each time you make these, until it gets too noticeable.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

2 pounds Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

4 to 8 tablespoons White Puree (see Make-Ahead Recipe #4)

2 tablespoons low fat sour cream

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup evaporated skim milk

Place the potatoes in a large pot of cold, salted water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer covered for 25 to 35 minutes, until the potatoes are completely tender.

Drain potatoes in a colander, and then return to pot along with butter, evaporated milk, White Puree, sour cream and salt. Mash with a potato masher until combined well.

Serve immediately, or keep the mashed potatoes hot on the stovetop in a metal bowl set over simmering water.

White Bean Puree Variation

Follow exact instructions above for Mystery Mashed Potatoes, but replace the White Puree with the same amount of White Bean Puree (see Make-Ahead Recipe #9). Alternatively, you can add both the White Bean and White Purees in this recipe, for an even healthier dish.

Cheesy Variation:

Cheese acts as an excellent flavor decoy and adds protein and calcium.

Follow exact instructions above for either variation of Mystery Mashed Potatoes, the fold in about one-quarter cup shredded low fat cheddar cheese or parmesan cheese to the hot potatoes before serving.

What to do with the leftovers? See the following recipe …

LEFTOVER POTATO CAKES

Nutrition Highlights: whole grains

Rich in vitamins B6, C, E, iron, potassium, folic acid, manganese, fiber and protein. 

This recipe can be made from any leftover mashed potatoes (ideally, Mystery Mashed Potatoes, page __). I came up with this one on the third day after Thanksgiving when our family couldn’t bear to eat another serving of mashed potatoes! And by that point, we all needed a little more fiber and vegetables in our diets, which the wheat germ provides discreetly. My kids like these dipped in applesauce or low fat sour cream.

Makes 8 small pancakes

1 cup leftover mashed potatoes

1 to 2 teaspoons whole wheat flour

2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup wheat germ, unsweetened

2 tablespoons parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

Optional dips: applesauce or low fat sour cream

Mix 1 teaspoon of flour into cold, leftover mashed potatoes. If still too wet, add the other teaspoon of flour. Pinch off tablespoon sizes of the mashed potatoes and use your hands to form about 8 balls. Add the oil to a large skillet and heat over medium high heat. Turn down to medium if oil starts to smoke.

Mix the wheat germ with the parmesan cheese and salt on a plate. Roll the balls in the wheat germ mixture, covering completely. Add 4 potato cakes to the hot skillet, flatten gently with a spatula and cook until they have browned on one side, about 1 to 2 minutes. Turns cakes over with a spatula and cook the other side until golden brown, another 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with next 4 cakes, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Place cooked potato cakes on a plate lined with paper towels to blot excess oil.

Quick Fixes for Oatmeal

Oatmeal is a pretty good food to start with, but can be made even better with some simple tweaking. First, always begin with “ old-fashioned” rolled oats, not the “ quick cooking”  version. They are nearly as fast to make and provide more fiber and longer-lasting energy. Then, you can add more fiber and nutrients by adding in any or all of the following boosters to 1/2 cup of dry oats:

* 1 cup milk

Rich in calcium

Simply substitute milk for water when cooking oatmeal.

*  1 to 3 teaspoons wheat germ

Rich in vitamin B and E, iron, potassium, folic acid and protein

Make oatmeal according to package directions, adding wheat germ with the oats. You may need to add a bit more liquid if the oatmeal seems too dry.

* 1 to 3 teaspoons oat bran

Rich in vitamins B, manganese, selenium, and fiber

Make oatmeal according to package directions, adding oat bran with the oats. You may need to add a bit more liquid if the oatmeal seems too dry.

*  1 cup Blueberry, Cherry, or Strawberry Juice (see Make Ahead Recipes #6, 7, or 8)

Rich in vitamins A, C, E, manganese, antioxidants, and fiber

Simply substitute juice for water when cooking oatmeal.

*  1 to 3 teaspoons blanched, slivered almonds, ground in a food processor

Rich in vitamin E, manganese, tryptophan, magnesium, and fiber

Make oatmeal according to package directions, adding ground almonds with the oats. You may need to add a bit more liquid if the oatmeal seems too dry.

*  1 to 3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk

Prepare oatmeal according to directions on package. Mix dry milk into the oatmeal, mixing until well blended.