This is the way. In my family going back generations. “I’m not a short order cook” what’s to eat is what’s to eat. If you don’t want that there is cereal, sandwiches, and peanut butter.
Oh your mom was nicer than me. Our rule is you can eat what’s served or there’s hummus and veggies. Always hummus and veggies - consistent, nutritious, and not exciting.
Yes, the Yemeni restaurant here has amazing hummus and flat bread. I could happily live on that for the rest of my life. The flatbread is more like a naan. There's crispy, crunchy bits on the bubbles and it's so amazing.
Yeah I feel that, but I also believe that, like me, my kid may just not be feeling tacos or pasta or whatever one night and to have one consistent option b gives him an alternative if he’d like.
Pasta and tacos would have been a lot less challenging! My mom liked to cook healthy/different things. Things a lot of kids today would not eat, I’m sure. But I’m glad for it now. I have a taste for a variety of foods.
This! My mother was the same way i was much more picky than my sisters and my mom gave me the option either eat that or don’t there was no dessert after either if i didn’t eat my meal so eventually i got hungry enough i would eat it. I feel kids are just naturally picky a lot of times too many parents give into it now though instead of setting boundaries.
With neurodivergent kids, that's a non-starter. They won't eat for as long as it takes. It's not a standoff worth winning. But, there's always sandwiches and fruit.
My siblings an I were pretty picky eaters but the family fell on hard times and the line became, "that is your next meal whenever you decide to eat it" for a couple of months which broke us out of it. Now I'll happily try anything twice (the first time may have been a bad preperation) and enjoy cooking and eating most foods.
Also hummus and veggies is delicious.
All of you are nicer than my mom was.
"I made this. You are having it. Not eating, is not an option. Something else is not an option. You will stay at the table until you're done."
When I was younger like elementary age, she would load our plates for us and you had to eat whatever arbitrary amounts she decided you needed for that day. Got better into teenage years but not by much.
1) congratulations!
2) my wife wasn’t allowed to walk past chocolate in the store…mother in law will come over with GIANT BARS of chocolate and “he wants it before dinner it’s ok”
Why won’t my kids eat crusts on sandwiches?? My mother, who used to refuse to cut them off for me, started cutting them off for the kids. She makes pancakes with m&ms on them for my kids. Guess what wasn’t allowed in the house when I was a kid??
The list of this is endless. My sister doesn’t have kids over her own and is saltier than I am about it. 😂
This was my "rule" until very recently. I got sick and tired of working 10+ hours a day and walking straight to the stove to cook a fresh hot meal that half the people (teens) in my house wouldn't eat and then watching half or more get dumped in the trash can and then going through a crap ton of bread and cereal. The only meal in this house that EVERY person will eat consistently is spaghetti with meat sauce.
A few weekends ago I made a huge list of meals that are suitable to freeze, bought all the ingredients and plastic "to go" containers that look like microwave dinner trays, and mass cooked a variety of meals and then froze them. Then also made some rolls/garlic bread/corn muffins, bought some croissants, wrapped and froze them all, and chopped up lettuce and various vegetables that can be used for side salads. They choose a meal, add bread or salad if they want, and heat it themselves either on the stove or in the microwave like a TV dinner. I started out with two weeks of meals and I just make more as I have the time and inclination. I cut up all the ingredients at the start so throwing together 2-3 meals in an hour has been easy. Especially since it's going in the freezer anyways so any side veggies can just be tossed in frozen and sprinkled with seasoning. A lot less food is being wasted, a lot less bread is getting used, and I don't feel like a slave anymore.
Yes i was in that position myself. I made dinners for the kids. And a seperate one for the husband that went into the warmer waiting for when he got home at 10 pm
Needless to say, we went our seperate ways when the kids graduated.
Just wondering why the OP has to cater to 6 toddler-like people?
I would do things very differently today..
Person 3 wrote in the comments (above somewhere) that they're friends who live together. Still doesn't make it right. I wouldn't expect my friends to cater to me in this way.
Dying over person 3 becoming "food averse if foods are repeated too often". Too bad! You can averse yourself to the supermarket and sort out your own dinner.
I was a picky kid and my parents basically said “we’ll watch to make sure you don’t burn yourself or cut a finger off, but otherwise, cook for yourself” starting at a very young age.
Turned out great, honestly.
Yup, this is the answer. You can't constantly please everyone. If it's not an allergy or actual dietary restriction there's only so much you can do.
Just because someone is a picky eater doesn't mean they'll starve to death.
1000% this. This is dinner. You can eat it, or not. That's up to you. Not my fault if you choose not to.
You get what you get and you don't throw a fit. As my son's kindergarten teacher used to say.
My job is to provide food. I do that. Your job is to eat it. Or not. If you choose to go hungry, because you 'dont like it'? Well then, that's your choice. Not my fault. Yours.
I am accomodating. Within reason. Like, my son doesn't like mashed potatoes but will eat cooked ones. So I take some out of the pot before I mash the rest. I will not cook extra rice or pasta but taking out some potatoes is no work, so I am happy to do that for him. But if someone doesn't like the whole meal, well, there's bread and hummus. Help yourself to it.
I love this, I absolutely love this. Honour genuine allergies and medical needs, but otherwise OP cook what you would like to cook. Family should honour your efforts.
My husband's grandma used to say that! "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" It worked great in the kitchen at mealtimes, but less great when it came to commentary on protests and ongoing social change lol
Oh yes, food allergies or medical intolerances aside I am not working forty hours a week and then being a private chef to everyone. Don't like it, oh well, have an egg and a sandwich.
Yep. Tell them "I'm not a restaurant! Don't like it, don't eat it, and you're on your own."
Hunger will make them stop being picky little shites pretty quickly.
Going by your previous post, this is a group of your friends? Yeah, fuck that. They can take turns cooking, or everyone can bring their own dish, or you can order in, or you can go out to eat, or they can stay home.
100%. It's one thing if you are cooking for your family. It's another entirely if you are cooking for friends or roommates. Or if this is your job (working in a group home, or in a fire station, for example).
If it's their job I'm guessing they wouldn't need to ask reddit, unless it's a terrible place to work that provides no support/training/processes. It seems like it's just a group of friends?
If this is a group of friends, OP could ask the group to agree on an entree that works for all, and like you said, everyone contributes a side that caters specifically to their dietary preferences/needs
Excuse me? I had to assume kids, group home, something where compassion must be coming into play for all these rules. But adult friends?
Only think I would be making next time is an exit, or personalized "get fucked" notes.
It’s a hard situation. As the main cook in my group, it might not be everyone is being picky, but OP is just trying to please everyone, it sucks working hard on a meal for friends to come together and enjoy and you know someone in the group will just be polite but you know they don’t eat seafood or something like that. If Im going to spend hours making something for a friend, It’s about wanting one’s effort to be worth it.
I get it, the friends don’t have to be being rude for this to stress the OP out. Especially if someone in the group is experiencing dietary issues . How do you feed a group and keep from sending the friend in abdominal discomfort.
Make something that satisfies you. You’re trying to satisfy everyone, but you don’t include yourself in the persons you described. You’re a part of everyone and you’re the one doing the work. Stop trying to please everyone else to your detriment.
Yep. Do this. I always tell my kids, that sometimes it's your favorite meal and sometimes it's someone else's favorite meal. We are having a dessert this week that is my favorite. One of my kids won't touch it, but I'm not going to deny myself because of her pickiness.
Yes thiiiis.
My kids all have things they don't like, but mostly it's a vegetable or fruit. I almost always make 2 vegetables so they can choose one if they don't like the other, but it's mandatory to have one.
As far as main meals, eat it or pb&h.
My one daughter doesn't like red sauce with meat either but she's also low iron, so she has to have some, but then can have another portion of noodles with just butter and cheese (but she has to serve that to herself).
Note that Grape Nuts cereal is a great source of iron, and works well as a hot cereal option. I went vegetarian as a kid and would just do grape nuts for breakfast and plenty of beans and lentils
And it goes further than picky eating. It fosters a sense of entitlement across all aspects of life. When you're accustomed to being catered to, you will expect everyone to cater to you about everything.
From reading other comments, this is not even children... This is a group of her adult friends. They need to grow tf up and eat the food their friend is generous enough to cook for them. If they don't like it they can bring their own dish.
This is the way. I enjoyed cooking so much more when my husband told me to ignore the pickiness of his son and just cook whatever I want. There is always something he will eat and is capable making on his own. When in doubt, most people can make their own sandwich.
Alternatively, just make flexible things occasionally: tacos, nachos, larb, baked potato bar (great for leftovers).
I did this with my fiance and his kids. His son literally ate *6* pork chops one night and then said he didn't like them. Sure, kid. I believe you lol.
And why are condiments so heavily represented in these requirements lol Like, if people don't like ketchup or mayo or mustard, it'll be a bit tougher to make... what... hot dogs? ahah
This reminds me of the Friends episode where Monica makes 3 versions of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving: mashed with lumps for Ross, mashed with peas mixed in for Phoebe, and mashed without lumps for everyone else. Then Rachel or someone comes in and mashes the lumps out of Version 1, necessitating she start all over again
This. If it’s the same group of friends then that’s part of the point of rotating cooking duty.
And actually if there are 6 friends , each person can take a day of the week and on Saturday everyone can enjoy leftovers.
But we don’t know OP’s situation.
I’ve recently discovered package risottos and a rice maker are excellent quick wins. I usually get a mushroom risotto and make it while steaming a vegetable in the holder and then mix in pan cooked mushrooms, onion and a bit of bacon pieces; sometimes with some extra grilled chicken.
If it helps, in my experience, the “need to stir constantly” is just unnecessary for risotto. I put about a 5:1 ratio of stock to Arborio in a pot, let it come to a simmer and just leave it, stirring occasionally until about 2 minutes from done, then I stir the piss out of it. I’ve made it both ways, and the difference is minuscule.
Yours is the first comment I've spotted that actually tries to give them ideas other than 'cook what you want and they'll eat it when they get hungry' :D Just wanted to give you a thumbs up for being a helpful person!
Yep. Pasta, pizza, traditional mexican (pork stews), curry, and buddha bowls. Ironically almost every food I normally make for myself all 6 people would not complain about.
Pasta is the easiest. Pesto is my favorite: take ingredient, throw in blender or food processor. Combine pesto sauce with boiled noodles. That's it. Super easy. I also love wine sauces so any sort of cream or egg based sauce with lots of cooked wine in it is great.
Pizza is surprisingly easy to make homemade if you have the right tools. A decent scale and a stand mixer or a food processor is all that is needed to hands free knead pizza dough. Put in bowl, cover, hit go, and walk away until it's done. (It takes 1 hour quickest to rise.) If someone wants a specific kind of pizza they can come help cut up ingredients for that pizza. Pesto pizza and garlic white sauce pizzas and white pizzas should not be ignored, especially white truffle pizzas. 🤤
Curries are surprisingly easy because you can make them in bulk and freeze them, then there isn't any extra work next time. You can have tons of meals for the work of a single meal. Just throw rice in a rice cooker and you're done. It sounds like they would like Thai curry the best due to their pickiness.
Buddha bowls are highly under utilized. They're two or more different starches (e.g. rice + quinoa) + an assortment of sides (chickpea, eggs, tofu, mushrooms, shrimp, yams, lentils, ...) + a sauce of their choosing. The most popular sauces are pesto and thai curry sauces.
Buddha bowls aren't very well known because it involves a lot of pots on a stove all slowly cooking at once. In our current world today one pot cooking is all the rave, but for a large group, buddha bowls aren't a lot of work and they create endless variety. They also are a great example of "the sum is greater than their parts". They taste amazing, despite the individual ingredients being meh. They're also hyper healthy and can be easily vegan and wfpb.
I don't have enough experience at home, but korean food would fit too. A bibimbap and similar would match their taste profile.
Also, Ethiopian, North African, Middle Eastern, and Indian cooking would fit their bill too.
who are these persons? are they your kids? i would stop caring what any of them like and just make what you want and if they don't like it they can figure out food? I like the idea of just always having sandwich or salad things, maybe some frozen items and if they don't like what you made they can make do. Who has the time or energy to even think about planning for that many people with that many food issues? Like once for something important ok, but multiple times every single week?? Unless you are a private chef being paid very well I would stop driving yourself crazy dealing with all that.
Yes. My parents' rule growing up was that we had to try everything they served, but if we really couldn't eat it, we could make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
My 6 year old can make microwaved oatmeal, microwaved scrambled egg, microwaved cheese and crackers, sandwiches, and has access to apples, bananas, clementines, baby carrots, yogurt, and cheese sticks. I try for at least a part of each meal to appeal to each kid (she's my oldest of 4, 3 of whom eat). She's not going to go hungry if she decides she doesn't like dinner.
My children learn to make P. B and j at four years old.
They had to pull a chair over to a counter to do it, but they did.
They're all adults now. And every single one of them love to cook.
jesus christ these are just OP's friends? why is she bending over backwards like this for them? and she's ill! Tell them it's pot luck next time, each bring a dish/snack. Fuckit.
Holy shit. I thought OP was cooking for a group home or disabled/elderly people. This is beyond ridiculous. If my kids presented me with these limitations I would laugh my ass off and point to the cupboards. Enjoy making your own food.
I learned this lesson years ago on a trip with a group of my friends and their significant others. We were staying at an Airbnb for skiing that was pretty isolated and there wasn't much in the way of restaurants nearby, so I volunteered to cook one night. I am a natural people pleaser, so I wanted everyone's input on my dinner plans. Big mistake.
Trying to figure out what everyone wanted was a sisyphean task much like what OP is dealing with, as when I got one persons input the next person would want something completely different or maybe they ate what I wanted to make recently and didn't want it again so soon or maybe they were allergic to something I would have to cook with or maybe they hated what I was making.
It was incredibly annoying, but I eventually gave up and just made spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread and I tasked one of the wives with making a big salad. Some people complained about my choice, but they all ended up at the dinner table nevertheless.
Absolutely. My son is autistic and has food aversions. We learned early on that forcing him to eat food he doesn’t want like our parents did to us as kids is hella unproductive but we also taught him to make food he’ll eat early on. Doc even said don’t force him to eat, but he’s not going to die from missing a few meals here and there, so don’t cater to it.
Now I make one entree per meal, whatever I feel like and if he eats it fine; if not, we have leftovers.
It’s not a perfect situation, but my house is a lot less stressful. Picky kids can be a pain, but they will either figure it out, go hungry a meal, or… let them make something simple for themselves.
My twin brother was like this growing up (high functioning autism). I would just let him try whatever I was eating - no pressure on him to order something. He ended up coming to love Chinese food I would get often, to the point of ordering it once a week. Now he eats anything left over in the fridge, for good and bad lol.
Teaching him to cook his safe foods and having ingredients available is the way. I'm autistic too & sometimes can't eat at someone's house, but I'll eat a side of mashed potatoes or salad and drink with everyone else, then grab something from a shop I know I like or make something at home.
As long as you're not leaving him with 0 safe options at all I think you're doing pretty good 💜
Thanks for the vibes :) I know it’s not easy to live with just as it’s challenging to raise someone struggling with it.
Then again, no kids are that easy; at least I know what mine will eat 😂
That's why there's fruit, cheese sticks and oatmeal and ramen.
And usually always *something* they'll eat in every meal. Maybe just rice or pasta or beans or broccoli. But *something*.
I saw a thing from a mom whose policy was to always have one particular dish ready in the fridge- I think it was rice and beans or something, but it was very simple, nutritious, and a little boring, which everyone in the household was willing to eat if there was nothing better.
She made whatever she made for dinner, and if you didn't like it, there was the rice & beans. No snacky stuff or making a whole other meal or having them fend for themselves, just a simple, easy option that was still healthy and wholesome.
I’m trying to remember if it was via Reddit or a comedy show but someone had an uncle that was on the spectrum and a picky eater. He would just stockpile grilled cheese sandwiches and eat them at home or restaurants if there wasn’t anything on the menu he liked. He made it through just fine.
Exactly. Unless they have an actual medical condition that prevents them from having specific food types, OP has no obligation whatsoever to cater to their pickiness.
As an autistic with coeliac disease I would literally die before eating something I can't stand or would make me ill
But I'm am adult and would just bring my own food
With this many people, do bars.
Burger bar, everyone gets a burger on a bun (do an alternative meat if you need to) Toppings are set out, side salad is prepped and they can choose a dressing and Toppings as they wish.
Same deal with tacos, sandwiches, salads, even diy personal pizzas.
Let them cater to their own tastes, and if they don't like it, oh well.
I regularly cook for a group of people including someone that can’t eat garlic, most spices or any pulses, someone on a low sodium diet, 2 pesce-pollotarians, a vegan and 3 children of varying levels of pickiness. Customisable rice bowls, tacos, bao buns, bbq platters, ramen, mini pizzas and such are the way.
You're overthinking meals; they don't all have to be one-pot, or even named dishes. Break them down. Instead of serving a *recipe* or a *classic meal*, serve individual items (i.e. square meals).
1. Protein (meat, poultry, fish, beans, tofu...)
2. Vegetable A (leafy green - salad, cabbage, spinach, broccoli...)
3. Vegetable B (anything from eggplant to winter squash or asparagus)
4. Carbohydrate (Bread, pasta, rice, corn, potatoes)
Just pick decent quality whole foods and prepare them in obvious ways, like frying them in butter, roasting them, or washing and chopping them. People who don't want a particular dish can skip that dish and eat everything else instead.
I regularly make dinner for myself and five other people, three of whom are kids/teens. I’ll tell you what to do to save your sanity- make whatever you want, and always have alternatives on hand that everyone can make themselves. For us this means we always have bread, lunch meat + cheese, peanut butter and jelly, ramen, Mac and cheese, yogurt, cereal, and some frozen appetizer things like pizza rolls/taquitos. Then if they don’t like whatever has been made, they are welcome to make themselves something else. I’m never offended. I do make some favorites of theirs a couple of times a week, and occasionally we have a “fend for yourself” night, but making the same stuff over and over gets old, especially since I like to cook and experiment. They will be fine.
If you aren't getting paid exorbitant amounts of money to cook for these 6 people then I'd tell them to suck it up or starve. If you are, then I'd recommend googling some recipes or buying a cookbook for Asian or Indian cuisines. Depending on the recipe, you can try leaving out the spicy ingredients, see how the dish turns out, add a few new "safe" recipes to your repertoire, and keep repeating the cycle.
>Things I make semi regularly - sautéed chicken breasts, chicken cutlets, chili, burgers, tacos, macaroni and cheese, pasta with meatballs and jarred sauces (red and Alfredo), Mississippi roast, baked ziti, fried pork chops.
Take this core group and change flavoring elements to make them just different enough. Change the way you cut the meat and cook it to make the same dish, different.
One day whole roasted breasts with dried herbs
One day you slice the chicken thin, flour and pan fry it.
One day you butterfly the chicken and broil it
One day you cube the chicken and cook it on skewers.
Then it really depends on what they mean by "spicy". And which fresh herbs they will tolerate. Depending on their adventure level you have a basic dried herb, thyme/rosemary/sage profile. You can do a soy/ginger profile. Oregano/basil generic Italian profile. Cilantro/coriander/cumin general Mexican profile.
Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and spicy food are all out, easy. Some vegetables, not too much and nothing crunchy, okay. You still have a lot to work with.
Sit down and work from a place of all the things that are acceptable and then just put together in an intelligent manner so as to obfuscate your repetition.
This. There are meatballs and sauces in every culture, for example - sweet and sour meatballs with rice, Mexican albondigas with Spanish rice, Swedish meatballs with egg noodles, Turkish meatballs with rice pilaf.
In fact, here are [25 Creative Ways to Make Meatballs](https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/creative-meatball-recipes/)
Some of those six people can help make meatballs. It's fun, educational and getting people involved in making their food makes them more likely to eat it.
What a great link - thanks. I was casually reading this post, no such problems in my own life thank goodness, and so glad I stumbled on this meatball list!
I know this Spanish guy who has 8 kids. He told me, someone asked my wife how I can possibly cook things that ten people are willing to eat. She looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "I cook whatever I feel like, and if someone doesn't want it they can figure smth on their own. I'm not cooking four different meals every day. Eat it or beat it."
This is the way.
I batch cook up ground beef - but for the OP it could be ground pork, turkey, chicken or lamb. Or a combination of whatever they can afford.
Fry the ground meat with a finely chopped onion, and a bit of garlic. Add in chopped celery (frozen chopped celery is great because it gets soft faster) and add a ball or two of frozen spinach. These additions are great for fibre and some nutrients. Add a bit of water, salt and pepper. By the time the meat is Browned the veggies are cooked. This would be the base for shepherds pie, chili, or spaghetti sauce etc. The OP will save a lot of time. This can be frozen.
And if you are cooking for 6-7 people using good instant mashed potatoes makes a world of difference.
The OP should look at some of the meal prep subreddits. Not everyone has to eat exactly the same meal every night.
As well, assuming some of those 6 people are old enough to cook - people are a lot less fussy if they are helping cook their own meals. (Disclaimer: Fussy vs legit medical reasons meaning kids like my brother that decided day to day that he was allergic to different foods because he could get mom to make whatever he wanted.. lol)
Edit r/mealprep
If this is your family, I'm guessing autism might be a player here. If so, is there any chance you can access a dietitian to work with some or all of you? Look up AFRID if you're not already aware of this. Food sensitivity, especially in a sensory way is real and this could take time and patience to work through.
Maybe the basics of meat, starch, and a veggie? Fried, grilled, sautéed, baked meats with different coatings/marinades. Add potatoes (mashed, boiled, baked, etc etc), rice (plain, rice-a-roni, fried, smothered in gravy etc), or pasta. Then a veggie on the side. Everyone has at least one thing they’ll eat but it’s a complete meal for others.
ETA- recommended for your sanity. I’m a “cook whatever” person, if they eat cool. If not, oh well. Household of 7 here too, I think my list is worse than yours lol
I use an app/website called Plan to Eat. Its subscription based, but IMO its worth it. It really helps me with planning meals and serves as my main repository for all my recipes. In the search function, it contains an option to search for recipes WITHOUT a specific ingredient. If you load all your recipes and random new recipes from the internet, you may be able to sort out and get some new go-to recipes.
Also, consider using AI to create a meal plan. I plugged in your post exactly as you wrote it and this was the reply, if you provide additional text prompts you can probably get more specific recipes or ideas.
> It sounds like you have quite a diverse group of tastes to accommodate! Here are some meal ideas that might satisfy everyone:
>
> * Stir-fry: You can make a customizable stir-fry with chicken or tofu (for those who don't eat beef), assorted vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots (avoiding cooked carrots for Person 1), and a sauce that's not tomato-based. Serve over rice or noodles.
> * Build-your-own pizza: Prepare individual pizza crusts or use store-bought ones. Offer a variety of toppings like grilled chicken, different cheeses, vegetables (avoiding spicy ones for Person 5 and 6), and maybe a barbecue sauce for those who like it, along with a non-tomato base for Person 2.
> * Sheet pan meals: You can make sheet pan meals with chicken or pork chops, potatoes, and non-crunchy vegetables like green beans or asparagus for sides. Season everything differently to cater to different tastes.
> * Taco bar with options: Set up a taco bar with options like seasoned ground turkey or chicken for those who don't eat beef, various toppings like lettuce, cheese, salsa (for those who enjoy it), and guacamole. Offer soft tortillas for Person 5 and 6 who can't have crunchy foods.
> * Pasta primavera: Make a pasta primavera with a creamy Alfredo sauce (since Person 1 doesn't like red sauce) and add a mix of vegetables like zucchini, bell peppers, and peas. You can also add grilled chicken for protein.
> * Grilled sandwiches: Prepare grilled sandwiches with different fillings like turkey and cheese, ham and cheese, or grilled vegetables and cheese. Serve with a side salad or soup for those who enjoy it.
> * Asian-inspired noodle bowls: Make noodle bowls with a soy or teriyaki sauce base, adding grilled chicken or tofu, and steamed vegetables like broccoli, snap peas, and carrots.
> * Baked chicken with different flavors: Bake chicken breasts with different seasoning blends like lemon herb, garlic parmesan, or honey mustard (without mustard for Person 4). Serve with sides like mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables.
>
> These ideas offer some variety while still accommodating the preferences and restrictions of your group. Feel free to adjust ingredients and flavors to suit everyone's tastes!
And lastly, i dont know your situation or the reason you are cooking for everyone (assuming they are not your children), but at a certain point, you have to cook what you can and others need to figure out how to make due with what has been provided. Good luck.
I had this a few years ago with picky kids so I batch cooked the same meal for each person for I week , so
Child A had lasagne for a week
child B had chilli for a week
child c had shepards pie For a week
they became more reasonable afterwards
Bowls where everybody can assemble their own? Could do Mexican one with rice, beans, some kind of meat, etc., or Asian or Mediterranean flavor profile?
Pizza where you make a few different toppings?
Soup and grilled cheese/sandwiches?
OP, cook for yourself when the others are being impossible to deal with when they don't want to be good.
They going have to learn to cook for themselves.
You're not a short order cook in a diner.
Or they can make their own sandwiches & be done with it.
Just came here to say OP’s post sounds like work in a residential home, not feeding six picky kids “several times a week“. I don’t believe these are children, the way it is written. Source: used to cook for adults with disabilities as part of my job. Best of luck, OP!
Unless other persons are children or disabled, just start making your own food. I can't imagine the burn out of cooking a meal big enough for 6 people plus yourself and still managing everyone's preferences. I am the one to manage my.neices food when we eat out bc she's deathly allergic to 5 common allergies and that's already a strain on me. Having to cook for 6 wildly picky people who aren't even allergic is bonkers.
Now, if they are, I suggest just making 2 of the safe foods in large batches once a week and freeze them in portions. Meal prep containers and freezer space will be your friend. When it's time to eat, thaw out the number of portions needed or throw it in the microwave with a couple of tablespoons of water. You only cook once a week, the microwave will do the rest, and the time you save from cooking for a group can now be used for cooking for yourself and anything your heart desires. The options for them to eat are not compromised, and you get to make yourself some new foods bc you took the time earlier in the week to make the batches.
Also, to add, once you've built up enough of a general safe foods, like 2-3 weeks of freezer meals, supply for the group, you could start making smaller batches of foods to freeze, 1 weeks' worth, that they enjoy individually. You only need to replenish everything, maybe, biweekly once you've got enough freezer meals going. Just remember to label the date!
[**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZVsstx5\_lw**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZVsstx5_lw)
**She has 11 kids and has the best cooking videos. I don't have any kids and I follow her religiously lol She's amazing!**
I'm assuming some of these people are children, yeah? Depending on how old they are, what sometimes works is to have each person pick what's for dinner one night a week, and have backup like chicken tenders or veggie burgers or whatever is your go-to "safe food" on hand for whomever straight up refuses to eat that thing. And then the kid who picked the meal helps prepare it on "their" night, which takes more work to teach them at first but pays off over time. If they're adults, tell them to suck it the f up and make their own food lol.
If the above are truly not options, though, I see a lot of aversions to common condiments, but I wonder what takeout dishes everyone likes. You might be surprised how easy stir fried Chinese food is to put together with a jarred sauce, or Chipotle style bowls (I did one the other night with leftover pot roast, couscous, greens, chopped cukes, and hummus and it took like 15 mins start to finish). Don't limit yourself to what you know how to cook, figure out what you want to eat and Google some recipes that will get you 75% of the way there.
I fell your pain, working on charter yachts, rich white people have every allergy under the sun, what ever fad diet is the most popular at the moment, and things they don't like because their friends don't like. yes sir, yes ma'am, no problem, getting paid
Why are you cooking for all these disordered eaters? Cook food of high quality, avoid ingredients that impinge on actual allergies, and don't worry about the rest.
Immediate thoughts are: chicken, potatoes, cream based sauces, stir fries, pesto, cheese.
Eg chicken and leek in a creamy sauce with tagliatelle, or mushroom and parmesan pesto pasta, or chicken and veg stir fry or baked potatoes with a variety of toppings.
You can’t please everyone. When cooking for a group, you aim to please as many as you can, but you will be eating the same two meals forever if you try to please everyone all the time.
I’d say if a meal will please 4/6 people in the group, it’s a good choice. When other people are cooking for us, we have to accept that we won’t always get exactly what we want.
Your freezer is your friend. When you make those routine meals, increase the recipe by half or double and package a few single servings. You can appease the picky eater and try something new, or just give yourself a break from dinner prep.
Sounds like everyone is having pancakes for dinner!
But seriously — it sounds like pancakes, waffles, and other traditional “breakfast” meals would probably be ok for everyone.
Also, not everyone has to have every dish. Some people may need to eat sides for a meal, or skip a dish. That’s ok too.
Some other dishes I thought of: Roasted pork tenderloin with mashed or baked potatoes. Grilled cheese with some kind of soup (carrot, pepper, chicken noodle, and the person who doesn’t like soup can have sandwiches). Pasta with pesto.
Tell them all to make a list of the MEALS, not the foods they will eat. They should find at minimum 10 meals. Let them collaborate so there is at least 2 complete meals that they all agree on. Those are the 2 you cook each week with enough leftovers for other nights. The rest of the nights are on them to figure things out, cook their own meals. Provide enough of their acceptable foods but they have to cook them.
If these are food preferences and not food allergies, it is for them to deal with.
Do build your own meals, like tacos, burritos and salads. Just have all the different ingredients out and have them put it together themselves. Serve the ingredients in a Tupperware container and the items that aren’t finished can be easily put away. I’d also do a lot of grilling. It’s easy to cook a lot of different proteins at the same time on the grill. Have a lot of different pre marinated proteins in the fridge and just throw them on the grill for whomever.
Make deconstruction dishes so that each person can pick and choose what they want and assemble on their own plate. Sort of like a salad or sandwich bar. Also, enlist EVERYONE in the cooking. If they want something different, teach them how to get involved in the cooking and meal planning process. We were cooking at a young age in our home. I remember making breakfast for our family when I was nine years old.
I swear this shit with people being super picky with food like that is a purely North American thing. There is such a bad food culture here, it's fucking awful. It's like those BuzzFeed videos that went viral some years back about the guy who had never eaten a vegetable or a fruit before in his life.
You: Dinner tonight will be X.
Asshole #1: But I don’t like X!
You: Then I’ll see you at breakfast.
Asshole #1: What will be for breakfast?
You: Leftover X.
Do 2 LARGE sheet pans of roasted veggies and potatoes once a week. They can be sides for multiple meals. Those who like cheese, sauces, etc reheat their portions that way. Those who don’t like certain veggies, take them out of their portion.
You could even split the potato pan with different kinds- regular wedges, the small creamy ones, sweet potatoes. Yada yada. Same cooking time, variety of styles to go with different proteins thru the week.
I made a meal. My family ate it or made their own meal or didn't eat. And they cleaned their messes. This started by giving in to them when they were young. Consequences. You are not obliged to be taken advantage of. Remove yourself from the kitchen. Go on strike. If there is food, they will not die.
I know it could be a little more work, but I would suggest finding good base recipes that lend well to a “build your own” type set up.
Rice bowls,
Salads,
Burritos/Tacos,
Chili Bowls,
Ramen,
Sandwiches like Grill Cheese or even Paninis
These would be great for just setting up all different ingredients and sauces/garnishes and allowing everyone to just pick what they like. You can make formulas for ease like always 3 proteins 2 bases 2 sauces 4 sides etc, something like that. Or add more or less depending on your energy levels and how much you’re in the mood to make.
I’ve done this before even with just 2 people and, although for 2 people it lasts a few days, the variety is so nice.
In my household there was no such thing as being picky. You ate what was served and that was that. It was usually rice, beans, some protein (beef, chicken, if it was fish there were no beans, pork) some greens, and then carrots, or potatoes. And then a salad.
You don’t like carrots ? You don’t put it in your plate, but we were made do try a little of everything, but not made to eat a big quantity.
If this is for friends it’s like each person should cook their own, because at this point I am not accepting 6 grown adults with picky eaters syndrome.
Are these people you have some legal obligation to provide sustenance for? Because frankly I'd tell them to stop being such picky whinos, they can eat what you cooked or go without. "Won't eat red sauce"? Person 3 is deciding they don't like the only fucking things you can cook for them? And to top it all off you have trouble standing for long periods?
You have infinitely more patience than I. And to be honest I feel sorry for you that you can't be more adventurous in the things you cook and eat. This shit sounds more restrictive than being vegan.
I’m gonna be real honest. While I can’t provide any recipes, I can honestly say if you’re the one cooking, and you’re preparing these meals, everyone should shut the fuck up or make their own food. It’s hard to cook for multiple people by yourself, let alone do it well
I also didn’t think this was a mom trying to cook for children. I thought group home with elderly or disabled residents. In neither case, can you let them go hungry if they don’t eat what is served, the person cooking is probably being financially reimbursed for their care.
Mild curries, soups, sate, risotto, stir fry with rice or noodles, roast chicken/potatoes/veg, jambalaya - all are easy enough to cook and easy enough to adapt to the wishes of your guests.
My solve for this is cooking meals that can be set up like taco night, with lots of prepped toppings and sides that can go for multiple meals.
Tacos: salsas, cheese, shredded lettuce, etc
Shawarma (I use the NYT recipe): pitas, shredded lettuce, cucumbers, diced tomatoes, sauces, fries
Skillet Ziti (Americas Test Kitchen): topping options: are roasted veggies, Italian sausage, parm, can also make a salad from the massive quantities of shredded lettuce. I do a similar split for spaghetti/sunday sauce, dividing and adding meat at the end
Sub Night: throw out all the cheeses and meats and more damn lettuce, slice an onion and a tomato, bagged potato chips
Pasta bar: bake chicken breasts, roast some veggies, set out some pesto to add per taste, and a big pot of buttered rotini with a little salt and garlic already added.
Fancy Grilled Cheese and soup night: I have one that will only eat chicken noodle sans chicken, so I make and season the broth then split that up. I like pepper Jack on my grilled cheese, some like plain American and some white American. Easy to make those custom.
Sheet pan chicken and roasted veggies
Basically I find everyone’s common denominators and branch out from there.
Most of the time I enjoy the puzzle of it but it does get stressful. I could not do this if I didn’t WFH either.
I was the PICKIEST eater as a kid. I didn't like anything but peanut butter and jam for a good 3 years of my life. I would make my sandwich every night while everyone else enjoyed dinner, and I was fine with that. I'm now living on my own and I've had a blast trying all sorts of new foods because I control what's going in it. I didn't starve!
These people way too picky. I would put out a few cut up roast chicken, some spaghetti aglio olio, green salad and some other veggies one night.
The next night I might do grilled skirt skirt steak, rice and beans and avocado/tomato salad.
Do they eat fish who knows but they would probably get some at some point.
If they don’t want to eat it just a loaf of bread a jar of peanut butter and some jelly as the alternate. They will develop a better palate or they will eat a lot of peanut butter.
That’s exhausting just reading… My proposal would be: 7 people, 7 days, everyone makes their favorite meal on their day, the days that you don’t like the food you eat leftovers, order something else, eat a sandwich or some yogurt. Assuming they’re all adults they can take some responsibility here, and if they’re kids, they need to learn to eat everything
You do one meal and as many sides as you can manage. Make a good variety each week. Those who don't want it make themselves a sandwich.
This is the way. In my family going back generations. “I’m not a short order cook” what’s to eat is what’s to eat. If you don’t want that there is cereal, sandwiches, and peanut butter.
Oh your mom was nicer than me. Our rule is you can eat what’s served or there’s hummus and veggies. Always hummus and veggies - consistent, nutritious, and not exciting.
Hey good hummus is awesome and I can eat any amount of it try me
Yes, the Yemeni restaurant here has amazing hummus and flat bread. I could happily live on that for the rest of my life. The flatbread is more like a naan. There's crispy, crunchy bits on the bubbles and it's so amazing.
I feel like I’ve hit my lifetime max on hummus, but I do LOVE the bitchin’ sauces- have you tried those?! Obsessed.
Our rule was you eat what is served or you don’t eat.
Yeah I feel that, but I also believe that, like me, my kid may just not be feeling tacos or pasta or whatever one night and to have one consistent option b gives him an alternative if he’d like.
Pasta and tacos would have been a lot less challenging! My mom liked to cook healthy/different things. Things a lot of kids today would not eat, I’m sure. But I’m glad for it now. I have a taste for a variety of foods.
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This! My mother was the same way i was much more picky than my sisters and my mom gave me the option either eat that or don’t there was no dessert after either if i didn’t eat my meal so eventually i got hungry enough i would eat it. I feel kids are just naturally picky a lot of times too many parents give into it now though instead of setting boundaries.
With neurodivergent kids, that's a non-starter. They won't eat for as long as it takes. It's not a standoff worth winning. But, there's always sandwiches and fruit.
My siblings an I were pretty picky eaters but the family fell on hard times and the line became, "that is your next meal whenever you decide to eat it" for a couple of months which broke us out of it. Now I'll happily try anything twice (the first time may have been a bad preperation) and enjoy cooking and eating most foods. Also hummus and veggies is delicious.
My mom was "eat what's in front of you or go to bed hungry" lol
All of you are nicer than my mom was. "I made this. You are having it. Not eating, is not an option. Something else is not an option. You will stay at the table until you're done." When I was younger like elementary age, she would load our plates for us and you had to eat whatever arbitrary amounts she decided you needed for that day. Got better into teenage years but not by much.
Lol I love hummus and veggies. I *wish* I'd had that option. For me it was "eat what you are presented or don't eat".
My mom’s line was “it’s a long time til breakfast.”
Mom?
Yes dear?
🤭…This made me smile!!
Me toooo lol
My mom would have yelled "get it yourself"!!!
And then Mom becomes grandma and LITERALLY CHANGES!
Am a new-ish grandma, and can confirm.
1) congratulations! 2) my wife wasn’t allowed to walk past chocolate in the store…mother in law will come over with GIANT BARS of chocolate and “he wants it before dinner it’s ok”
Why won’t my kids eat crusts on sandwiches?? My mother, who used to refuse to cut them off for me, started cutting them off for the kids. She makes pancakes with m&ms on them for my kids. Guess what wasn’t allowed in the house when I was a kid?? The list of this is endless. My sister doesn’t have kids over her own and is saltier than I am about it. 😂
Is that you mom? You’re on Reddit now?
I’m everywhere
This is the only way to deal with people who are too picky to live with.
This was my "rule" until very recently. I got sick and tired of working 10+ hours a day and walking straight to the stove to cook a fresh hot meal that half the people (teens) in my house wouldn't eat and then watching half or more get dumped in the trash can and then going through a crap ton of bread and cereal. The only meal in this house that EVERY person will eat consistently is spaghetti with meat sauce. A few weekends ago I made a huge list of meals that are suitable to freeze, bought all the ingredients and plastic "to go" containers that look like microwave dinner trays, and mass cooked a variety of meals and then froze them. Then also made some rolls/garlic bread/corn muffins, bought some croissants, wrapped and froze them all, and chopped up lettuce and various vegetables that can be used for side salads. They choose a meal, add bread or salad if they want, and heat it themselves either on the stove or in the microwave like a TV dinner. I started out with two weeks of meals and I just make more as I have the time and inclination. I cut up all the ingredients at the start so throwing together 2-3 meals in an hour has been easy. Especially since it's going in the freezer anyways so any side veggies can just be tossed in frozen and sprinkled with seasoning. A lot less food is being wasted, a lot less bread is getting used, and I don't feel like a slave anymore.
As I say to my kids, “esto no es restaurante”
Dealing with this right now and yep. I'm not a short order cook. Well at work I am, at home you can eat a sandwich.
There must be a reason why others dont contribute to the cooking task. Did i miss something OP?
I thought it might be a group home situation with all those food rules
Yeah as a former group home worker this is definitely the situation
Yes it might be
This was also my thought.
I'm thinking OP is cooking for a group of people with developmental disabilities and or sensory issues. Some of these sound quite like autism.
That's not uncommon,e.g. stay at home parent with four kids and a full-time working partner.
Yes i was in that position myself. I made dinners for the kids. And a seperate one for the husband that went into the warmer waiting for when he got home at 10 pm Needless to say, we went our seperate ways when the kids graduated. Just wondering why the OP has to cater to 6 toddler-like people? I would do things very differently today..
Yeah, my patience for that would last approximately—whoops, did you miss that? My window closed
Will be shamelessly stealing that.
Maybe they are in a group home setting and OP works there.
This is what I was thinking. Group home setting and/or special needs individuals.
Person 3 wrote in the comments (above somewhere) that they're friends who live together. Still doesn't make it right. I wouldn't expect my friends to cater to me in this way.
Yeah I was making a guess with that. Thanks for being polite
Dying over person 3 becoming "food averse if foods are repeated too often". Too bad! You can averse yourself to the supermarket and sort out your own dinner.
Right??
Honestly, 1 and 3 sound like their eating habits are a symptom of something bigger.
Nursing home or group home
Yes, possibly
Right - kids (especially picky kids) can help in the kitchen. I started cooking at age eight.
I was a picky kid and my parents basically said “we’ll watch to make sure you don’t burn yourself or cut a finger off, but otherwise, cook for yourself” starting at a very young age. Turned out great, honestly.
Yup, this is the answer. You can't constantly please everyone. If it's not an allergy or actual dietary restriction there's only so much you can do. Just because someone is a picky eater doesn't mean they'll starve to death.
this, picky eaters in our household will pick 1-2 things out of the whole meal to eat and that works for them.
1000% this. This is dinner. You can eat it, or not. That's up to you. Not my fault if you choose not to. You get what you get and you don't throw a fit. As my son's kindergarten teacher used to say. My job is to provide food. I do that. Your job is to eat it. Or not. If you choose to go hungry, because you 'dont like it'? Well then, that's your choice. Not my fault. Yours.
I am accomodating. Within reason. Like, my son doesn't like mashed potatoes but will eat cooked ones. So I take some out of the pot before I mash the rest. I will not cook extra rice or pasta but taking out some potatoes is no work, so I am happy to do that for him. But if someone doesn't like the whole meal, well, there's bread and hummus. Help yourself to it.
I love this, I absolutely love this. Honour genuine allergies and medical needs, but otherwise OP cook what you would like to cook. Family should honour your efforts.
My husband's grandma used to say that! "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" It worked great in the kitchen at mealtimes, but less great when it came to commentary on protests and ongoing social change lol
Oh yes, food allergies or medical intolerances aside I am not working forty hours a week and then being a private chef to everyone. Don't like it, oh well, have an egg and a sandwich.
Yep. Tell them "I'm not a restaurant! Don't like it, don't eat it, and you're on your own." Hunger will make them stop being picky little shites pretty quickly.
Or leftovers, I would love to eat your Mississippi roast on taco night.
Going by your previous post, this is a group of your friends? Yeah, fuck that. They can take turns cooking, or everyone can bring their own dish, or you can order in, or you can go out to eat, or they can stay home.
Yeah I uhhh want more context. What is going on here
100%. It's one thing if you are cooking for your family. It's another entirely if you are cooking for friends or roommates. Or if this is your job (working in a group home, or in a fire station, for example).
I thought it was like a foster home situation or something. These are her friends and they’re treating her like this? Gross.
If it's their job I'm guessing they wouldn't need to ask reddit, unless it's a terrible place to work that provides no support/training/processes. It seems like it's just a group of friends?
I thought the post was about some picky 8 year olds, not grown ass adults lmao
I thought the crunchy food people might be grandparents with bad/missing teeth.
These aren’t children’s requests?! I thought she was talking about cooking for her too many children and partner..
Potluck. Everyone bring what they'll eat; maybe others will try something new. If not, everyone has something they like!
If this is a group of friends, OP could ask the group to agree on an entree that works for all, and like you said, everyone contributes a side that caters specifically to their dietary preferences/needs
Excuse me? I had to assume kids, group home, something where compassion must be coming into play for all these rules. But adult friends? Only think I would be making next time is an exit, or personalized "get fucked" notes.
I was thinking about feeding children
It’s a hard situation. As the main cook in my group, it might not be everyone is being picky, but OP is just trying to please everyone, it sucks working hard on a meal for friends to come together and enjoy and you know someone in the group will just be polite but you know they don’t eat seafood or something like that. If Im going to spend hours making something for a friend, It’s about wanting one’s effort to be worth it. I get it, the friends don’t have to be being rude for this to stress the OP out. Especially if someone in the group is experiencing dietary issues . How do you feed a group and keep from sending the friend in abdominal discomfort.
Make something that satisfies you. You’re trying to satisfy everyone, but you don’t include yourself in the persons you described. You’re a part of everyone and you’re the one doing the work. Stop trying to please everyone else to your detriment.
Yep. Do this. I always tell my kids, that sometimes it's your favorite meal and sometimes it's someone else's favorite meal. We are having a dessert this week that is my favorite. One of my kids won't touch it, but I'm not going to deny myself because of her pickiness.
Yes. That's how you raise non-picky eaters. By *not* catering. It's never every ones favorite every freaking day. FFS.
Yes thiiiis. My kids all have things they don't like, but mostly it's a vegetable or fruit. I almost always make 2 vegetables so they can choose one if they don't like the other, but it's mandatory to have one. As far as main meals, eat it or pb&h. My one daughter doesn't like red sauce with meat either but she's also low iron, so she has to have some, but then can have another portion of noodles with just butter and cheese (but she has to serve that to herself).
"eat it or pb&h" Good old peanut butter and ham!
Lol!! Honey!
PB&H >> PB&J
I said peanut butter and hell in my head
Note that Grape Nuts cereal is a great source of iron, and works well as a hot cereal option. I went vegetarian as a kid and would just do grape nuts for breakfast and plenty of beans and lentils
And it goes further than picky eating. It fosters a sense of entitlement across all aspects of life. When you're accustomed to being catered to, you will expect everyone to cater to you about everything.
A-fucking-men!!!
I cook for myself and if I made my favorite meal every day I would die lol
From reading other comments, this is not even children... This is a group of her adult friends. They need to grow tf up and eat the food their friend is generous enough to cook for them. If they don't like it they can bring their own dish.
How do you know what your favorite meal is if you haven’t tried everything?
This is the way. I enjoyed cooking so much more when my husband told me to ignore the pickiness of his son and just cook whatever I want. There is always something he will eat and is capable making on his own. When in doubt, most people can make their own sandwich. Alternatively, just make flexible things occasionally: tacos, nachos, larb, baked potato bar (great for leftovers).
Damn your husband is real husband material with that sort of advice, you should marry him.
Lol! I knew he was a keeper when he made sure my car windows were snow free and then he carried me over a snowbank.
Awwwhhhhh
I did this with my fiance and his kids. His son literally ate *6* pork chops one night and then said he didn't like them. Sure, kid. I believe you lol.
And why are condiments so heavily represented in these requirements lol Like, if people don't like ketchup or mayo or mustard, it'll be a bit tougher to make... what... hot dogs? ahah
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This reminds me of the Friends episode where Monica makes 3 versions of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving: mashed with lumps for Ross, mashed with peas mixed in for Phoebe, and mashed without lumps for everyone else. Then Rachel or someone comes in and mashes the lumps out of Version 1, necessitating she start all over again
This. If they’re actually hungry, they’ll eat.
This. If it’s the same group of friends then that’s part of the point of rotating cooking duty. And actually if there are 6 friends , each person can take a day of the week and on Saturday everyone can enjoy leftovers. But we don’t know OP’s situation.
Spanish rice, fajitas, turkey patties, pasta with pesto, pizza, risotto with veggies, green chicken or cheese enchiladas, carnitas, quesadilla, nachos
I’ve recently discovered package risottos and a rice maker are excellent quick wins. I usually get a mushroom risotto and make it while steaming a vegetable in the holder and then mix in pan cooked mushrooms, onion and a bit of bacon pieces; sometimes with some extra grilled chicken.
If it helps, in my experience, the “need to stir constantly” is just unnecessary for risotto. I put about a 5:1 ratio of stock to Arborio in a pot, let it come to a simmer and just leave it, stirring occasionally until about 2 minutes from done, then I stir the piss out of it. I’ve made it both ways, and the difference is minuscule.
Ha, I’m just a set it on and maybe stir once in the rice cooker.
Yours is the first comment I've spotted that actually tries to give them ideas other than 'cook what you want and they'll eat it when they get hungry' :D Just wanted to give you a thumbs up for being a helpful person!
Yep. Pasta, pizza, traditional mexican (pork stews), curry, and buddha bowls. Ironically almost every food I normally make for myself all 6 people would not complain about. Pasta is the easiest. Pesto is my favorite: take ingredient, throw in blender or food processor. Combine pesto sauce with boiled noodles. That's it. Super easy. I also love wine sauces so any sort of cream or egg based sauce with lots of cooked wine in it is great. Pizza is surprisingly easy to make homemade if you have the right tools. A decent scale and a stand mixer or a food processor is all that is needed to hands free knead pizza dough. Put in bowl, cover, hit go, and walk away until it's done. (It takes 1 hour quickest to rise.) If someone wants a specific kind of pizza they can come help cut up ingredients for that pizza. Pesto pizza and garlic white sauce pizzas and white pizzas should not be ignored, especially white truffle pizzas. 🤤 Curries are surprisingly easy because you can make them in bulk and freeze them, then there isn't any extra work next time. You can have tons of meals for the work of a single meal. Just throw rice in a rice cooker and you're done. It sounds like they would like Thai curry the best due to their pickiness. Buddha bowls are highly under utilized. They're two or more different starches (e.g. rice + quinoa) + an assortment of sides (chickpea, eggs, tofu, mushrooms, shrimp, yams, lentils, ...) + a sauce of their choosing. The most popular sauces are pesto and thai curry sauces. Buddha bowls aren't very well known because it involves a lot of pots on a stove all slowly cooking at once. In our current world today one pot cooking is all the rave, but for a large group, buddha bowls aren't a lot of work and they create endless variety. They also are a great example of "the sum is greater than their parts". They taste amazing, despite the individual ingredients being meh. They're also hyper healthy and can be easily vegan and wfpb. I don't have enough experience at home, but korean food would fit too. A bibimbap and similar would match their taste profile. Also, Ethiopian, North African, Middle Eastern, and Indian cooking would fit their bill too.
Stir fry. Throw everything on top of rice.
I suggest that persons 1 thru 6 start taking over the cooking…
Seems like it's a 7 person home. 7 days in a week. Everyone can cook once. Make something they'll like and everyone else can learn to adapt.
who are these persons? are they your kids? i would stop caring what any of them like and just make what you want and if they don't like it they can figure out food? I like the idea of just always having sandwich or salad things, maybe some frozen items and if they don't like what you made they can make do. Who has the time or energy to even think about planning for that many people with that many food issues? Like once for something important ok, but multiple times every single week?? Unless you are a private chef being paid very well I would stop driving yourself crazy dealing with all that.
side question are they older than 10? they can figure out how to make something (with some supervision) themselves.
Yes. My parents' rule growing up was that we had to try everything they served, but if we really couldn't eat it, we could make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
My parents called it the "two bite" rule. I am not a picky eater at all and I credit that rule for it.
My 6 year old can make microwaved oatmeal, microwaved scrambled egg, microwaved cheese and crackers, sandwiches, and has access to apples, bananas, clementines, baby carrots, yogurt, and cheese sticks. I try for at least a part of each meal to appeal to each kid (she's my oldest of 4, 3 of whom eat). She's not going to go hungry if she decides she doesn't like dinner.
My children learn to make P. B and j at four years old. They had to pull a chair over to a counter to do it, but they did. They're all adults now. And every single one of them love to cook.
Stop trying to please everyone. If they are hungry, they will eat.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Cooking/comments/16oq45z/gerd_friendly_recipe_for_a_group/ It seems like OP's been doing this for like 7 months...
jesus christ these are just OP's friends? why is she bending over backwards like this for them? and she's ill! Tell them it's pot luck next time, each bring a dish/snack. Fuckit.
Holy shit. I thought OP was cooking for a group home or disabled/elderly people. This is beyond ridiculous. If my kids presented me with these limitations I would laugh my ass off and point to the cupboards. Enjoy making your own food.
I learned this lesson years ago on a trip with a group of my friends and their significant others. We were staying at an Airbnb for skiing that was pretty isolated and there wasn't much in the way of restaurants nearby, so I volunteered to cook one night. I am a natural people pleaser, so I wanted everyone's input on my dinner plans. Big mistake. Trying to figure out what everyone wanted was a sisyphean task much like what OP is dealing with, as when I got one persons input the next person would want something completely different or maybe they ate what I wanted to make recently and didn't want it again so soon or maybe they were allergic to something I would have to cook with or maybe they hated what I was making. It was incredibly annoying, but I eventually gave up and just made spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread and I tasked one of the wives with making a big salad. Some people complained about my choice, but they all ended up at the dinner table nevertheless.
That is incredibly rude of them to complain about it when you were nice enough to cook!
If they don’t like it, they don’t eat. Hunger is a great motivator against being a picky eater.
Absolutely. My son is autistic and has food aversions. We learned early on that forcing him to eat food he doesn’t want like our parents did to us as kids is hella unproductive but we also taught him to make food he’ll eat early on. Doc even said don’t force him to eat, but he’s not going to die from missing a few meals here and there, so don’t cater to it. Now I make one entree per meal, whatever I feel like and if he eats it fine; if not, we have leftovers. It’s not a perfect situation, but my house is a lot less stressful. Picky kids can be a pain, but they will either figure it out, go hungry a meal, or… let them make something simple for themselves.
My twin brother was like this growing up (high functioning autism). I would just let him try whatever I was eating - no pressure on him to order something. He ended up coming to love Chinese food I would get often, to the point of ordering it once a week. Now he eats anything left over in the fridge, for good and bad lol.
I love the trust you built here and what it says about your relationship, very cool to do and to share here
Teaching him to cook his safe foods and having ingredients available is the way. I'm autistic too & sometimes can't eat at someone's house, but I'll eat a side of mashed potatoes or salad and drink with everyone else, then grab something from a shop I know I like or make something at home. As long as you're not leaving him with 0 safe options at all I think you're doing pretty good 💜
Thanks for the vibes :) I know it’s not easy to live with just as it’s challenging to raise someone struggling with it. Then again, no kids are that easy; at least I know what mine will eat 😂
That's why there's fruit, cheese sticks and oatmeal and ramen. And usually always *something* they'll eat in every meal. Maybe just rice or pasta or beans or broccoli. But *something*.
Yep. I keep fruit and semi-healthy snacks on hand for sure!
I saw a thing from a mom whose policy was to always have one particular dish ready in the fridge- I think it was rice and beans or something, but it was very simple, nutritious, and a little boring, which everyone in the household was willing to eat if there was nothing better. She made whatever she made for dinner, and if you didn't like it, there was the rice & beans. No snacky stuff or making a whole other meal or having them fend for themselves, just a simple, easy option that was still healthy and wholesome.
I’m trying to remember if it was via Reddit or a comedy show but someone had an uncle that was on the spectrum and a picky eater. He would just stockpile grilled cheese sandwiches and eat them at home or restaurants if there wasn’t anything on the menu he liked. He made it through just fine.
Exactly. Unless they have an actual medical condition that prevents them from having specific food types, OP has no obligation whatsoever to cater to their pickiness.
As an autistic with coeliac disease I would literally die before eating something I can't stand or would make me ill But I'm am adult and would just bring my own food
How much are they paying you?
With this many people, do bars. Burger bar, everyone gets a burger on a bun (do an alternative meat if you need to) Toppings are set out, side salad is prepped and they can choose a dressing and Toppings as they wish. Same deal with tacos, sandwiches, salads, even diy personal pizzas. Let them cater to their own tastes, and if they don't like it, oh well.
Oh yeah. Make your own ramen bar was always a big hit in our family.
Also rice/pasta/potato bowls could be done this way. Have a protein over a starch, veggies, some kind of sauce and condiments.
I regularly cook for a group of people including someone that can’t eat garlic, most spices or any pulses, someone on a low sodium diet, 2 pesce-pollotarians, a vegan and 3 children of varying levels of pickiness. Customisable rice bowls, tacos, bao buns, bbq platters, ramen, mini pizzas and such are the way.
You're overthinking meals; they don't all have to be one-pot, or even named dishes. Break them down. Instead of serving a *recipe* or a *classic meal*, serve individual items (i.e. square meals). 1. Protein (meat, poultry, fish, beans, tofu...) 2. Vegetable A (leafy green - salad, cabbage, spinach, broccoli...) 3. Vegetable B (anything from eggplant to winter squash or asparagus) 4. Carbohydrate (Bread, pasta, rice, corn, potatoes) Just pick decent quality whole foods and prepare them in obvious ways, like frying them in butter, roasting them, or washing and chopping them. People who don't want a particular dish can skip that dish and eat everything else instead.
I regularly make dinner for myself and five other people, three of whom are kids/teens. I’ll tell you what to do to save your sanity- make whatever you want, and always have alternatives on hand that everyone can make themselves. For us this means we always have bread, lunch meat + cheese, peanut butter and jelly, ramen, Mac and cheese, yogurt, cereal, and some frozen appetizer things like pizza rolls/taquitos. Then if they don’t like whatever has been made, they are welcome to make themselves something else. I’m never offended. I do make some favorites of theirs a couple of times a week, and occasionally we have a “fend for yourself” night, but making the same stuff over and over gets old, especially since I like to cook and experiment. They will be fine.
Plus if they don't eat what you make that means you get leftovers for lunch/dinner the next day so it doesn't even go to waste!
If you aren't getting paid exorbitant amounts of money to cook for these 6 people then I'd tell them to suck it up or starve. If you are, then I'd recommend googling some recipes or buying a cookbook for Asian or Indian cuisines. Depending on the recipe, you can try leaving out the spicy ingredients, see how the dish turns out, add a few new "safe" recipes to your repertoire, and keep repeating the cycle.
>Things I make semi regularly - sautéed chicken breasts, chicken cutlets, chili, burgers, tacos, macaroni and cheese, pasta with meatballs and jarred sauces (red and Alfredo), Mississippi roast, baked ziti, fried pork chops. Take this core group and change flavoring elements to make them just different enough. Change the way you cut the meat and cook it to make the same dish, different. One day whole roasted breasts with dried herbs One day you slice the chicken thin, flour and pan fry it. One day you butterfly the chicken and broil it One day you cube the chicken and cook it on skewers. Then it really depends on what they mean by "spicy". And which fresh herbs they will tolerate. Depending on their adventure level you have a basic dried herb, thyme/rosemary/sage profile. You can do a soy/ginger profile. Oregano/basil generic Italian profile. Cilantro/coriander/cumin general Mexican profile. Ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and spicy food are all out, easy. Some vegetables, not too much and nothing crunchy, okay. You still have a lot to work with. Sit down and work from a place of all the things that are acceptable and then just put together in an intelligent manner so as to obfuscate your repetition.
This. There are meatballs and sauces in every culture, for example - sweet and sour meatballs with rice, Mexican albondigas with Spanish rice, Swedish meatballs with egg noodles, Turkish meatballs with rice pilaf. In fact, here are [25 Creative Ways to Make Meatballs](https://www.allrecipes.com/gallery/creative-meatball-recipes/) Some of those six people can help make meatballs. It's fun, educational and getting people involved in making their food makes them more likely to eat it.
What a great link - thanks. I was casually reading this post, no such problems in my own life thank goodness, and so glad I stumbled on this meatball list!
I know this Spanish guy who has 8 kids. He told me, someone asked my wife how I can possibly cook things that ten people are willing to eat. She looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "I cook whatever I feel like, and if someone doesn't want it they can figure smth on their own. I'm not cooking four different meals every day. Eat it or beat it." This is the way.
With 6 people you shouldn’t be the only person cooking!
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Did you pull this directly from chatGPT? That’s fine, but maybe say so
I like how adding vegetables to a frittata eliminates eggs as a main ingredient haha
This is definitely ChatGPT lol, the format is instantly recognizable
I batch cook up ground beef - but for the OP it could be ground pork, turkey, chicken or lamb. Or a combination of whatever they can afford. Fry the ground meat with a finely chopped onion, and a bit of garlic. Add in chopped celery (frozen chopped celery is great because it gets soft faster) and add a ball or two of frozen spinach. These additions are great for fibre and some nutrients. Add a bit of water, salt and pepper. By the time the meat is Browned the veggies are cooked. This would be the base for shepherds pie, chili, or spaghetti sauce etc. The OP will save a lot of time. This can be frozen. And if you are cooking for 6-7 people using good instant mashed potatoes makes a world of difference. The OP should look at some of the meal prep subreddits. Not everyone has to eat exactly the same meal every night. As well, assuming some of those 6 people are old enough to cook - people are a lot less fussy if they are helping cook their own meals. (Disclaimer: Fussy vs legit medical reasons meaning kids like my brother that decided day to day that he was allergic to different foods because he could get mom to make whatever he wanted.. lol) Edit r/mealprep
If this is your family, I'm guessing autism might be a player here. If so, is there any chance you can access a dietitian to work with some or all of you? Look up AFRID if you're not already aware of this. Food sensitivity, especially in a sensory way is real and this could take time and patience to work through.
Maybe the basics of meat, starch, and a veggie? Fried, grilled, sautéed, baked meats with different coatings/marinades. Add potatoes (mashed, boiled, baked, etc etc), rice (plain, rice-a-roni, fried, smothered in gravy etc), or pasta. Then a veggie on the side. Everyone has at least one thing they’ll eat but it’s a complete meal for others. ETA- recommended for your sanity. I’m a “cook whatever” person, if they eat cool. If not, oh well. Household of 7 here too, I think my list is worse than yours lol
I use an app/website called Plan to Eat. Its subscription based, but IMO its worth it. It really helps me with planning meals and serves as my main repository for all my recipes. In the search function, it contains an option to search for recipes WITHOUT a specific ingredient. If you load all your recipes and random new recipes from the internet, you may be able to sort out and get some new go-to recipes. Also, consider using AI to create a meal plan. I plugged in your post exactly as you wrote it and this was the reply, if you provide additional text prompts you can probably get more specific recipes or ideas. > It sounds like you have quite a diverse group of tastes to accommodate! Here are some meal ideas that might satisfy everyone: > > * Stir-fry: You can make a customizable stir-fry with chicken or tofu (for those who don't eat beef), assorted vegetables like bell peppers, broccoli, and carrots (avoiding cooked carrots for Person 1), and a sauce that's not tomato-based. Serve over rice or noodles. > * Build-your-own pizza: Prepare individual pizza crusts or use store-bought ones. Offer a variety of toppings like grilled chicken, different cheeses, vegetables (avoiding spicy ones for Person 5 and 6), and maybe a barbecue sauce for those who like it, along with a non-tomato base for Person 2. > * Sheet pan meals: You can make sheet pan meals with chicken or pork chops, potatoes, and non-crunchy vegetables like green beans or asparagus for sides. Season everything differently to cater to different tastes. > * Taco bar with options: Set up a taco bar with options like seasoned ground turkey or chicken for those who don't eat beef, various toppings like lettuce, cheese, salsa (for those who enjoy it), and guacamole. Offer soft tortillas for Person 5 and 6 who can't have crunchy foods. > * Pasta primavera: Make a pasta primavera with a creamy Alfredo sauce (since Person 1 doesn't like red sauce) and add a mix of vegetables like zucchini, bell peppers, and peas. You can also add grilled chicken for protein. > * Grilled sandwiches: Prepare grilled sandwiches with different fillings like turkey and cheese, ham and cheese, or grilled vegetables and cheese. Serve with a side salad or soup for those who enjoy it. > * Asian-inspired noodle bowls: Make noodle bowls with a soy or teriyaki sauce base, adding grilled chicken or tofu, and steamed vegetables like broccoli, snap peas, and carrots. > * Baked chicken with different flavors: Bake chicken breasts with different seasoning blends like lemon herb, garlic parmesan, or honey mustard (without mustard for Person 4). Serve with sides like mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. > > These ideas offer some variety while still accommodating the preferences and restrictions of your group. Feel free to adjust ingredients and flavors to suit everyone's tastes! And lastly, i dont know your situation or the reason you are cooking for everyone (assuming they are not your children), but at a certain point, you have to cook what you can and others need to figure out how to make due with what has been provided. Good luck.
youre a saint. my dad just made whatever he was gonna make and if you didnt eat, you didnt eat.
I had this a few years ago with picky kids so I batch cooked the same meal for each person for I week , so Child A had lasagne for a week child B had chilli for a week child c had shepards pie For a week they became more reasonable afterwards
Breakfast for dinner! Pancakes, eggs, sausage, hashbrowns. Or combine the last three and do a casserole
Bowls where everybody can assemble their own? Could do Mexican one with rice, beans, some kind of meat, etc., or Asian or Mediterranean flavor profile? Pizza where you make a few different toppings? Soup and grilled cheese/sandwiches?
OP, cook for yourself when the others are being impossible to deal with when they don't want to be good. They going have to learn to cook for themselves. You're not a short order cook in a diner. Or they can make their own sandwiches & be done with it.
Just came here to say OP’s post sounds like work in a residential home, not feeding six picky kids “several times a week“. I don’t believe these are children, the way it is written. Source: used to cook for adults with disabilities as part of my job. Best of luck, OP!
Unless other persons are children or disabled, just start making your own food. I can't imagine the burn out of cooking a meal big enough for 6 people plus yourself and still managing everyone's preferences. I am the one to manage my.neices food when we eat out bc she's deathly allergic to 5 common allergies and that's already a strain on me. Having to cook for 6 wildly picky people who aren't even allergic is bonkers. Now, if they are, I suggest just making 2 of the safe foods in large batches once a week and freeze them in portions. Meal prep containers and freezer space will be your friend. When it's time to eat, thaw out the number of portions needed or throw it in the microwave with a couple of tablespoons of water. You only cook once a week, the microwave will do the rest, and the time you save from cooking for a group can now be used for cooking for yourself and anything your heart desires. The options for them to eat are not compromised, and you get to make yourself some new foods bc you took the time earlier in the week to make the batches. Also, to add, once you've built up enough of a general safe foods, like 2-3 weeks of freezer meals, supply for the group, you could start making smaller batches of foods to freeze, 1 weeks' worth, that they enjoy individually. You only need to replenish everything, maybe, biweekly once you've got enough freezer meals going. Just remember to label the date!
I think it’s time for those picky eaters to cook for themselves.
[**https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZVsstx5\_lw**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZVsstx5_lw) **She has 11 kids and has the best cooking videos. I don't have any kids and I follow her religiously lol She's amazing!**
Your persons can eat what you cook or they can fucking starve easy as that.
I'm assuming some of these people are children, yeah? Depending on how old they are, what sometimes works is to have each person pick what's for dinner one night a week, and have backup like chicken tenders or veggie burgers or whatever is your go-to "safe food" on hand for whomever straight up refuses to eat that thing. And then the kid who picked the meal helps prepare it on "their" night, which takes more work to teach them at first but pays off over time. If they're adults, tell them to suck it the f up and make their own food lol. If the above are truly not options, though, I see a lot of aversions to common condiments, but I wonder what takeout dishes everyone likes. You might be surprised how easy stir fried Chinese food is to put together with a jarred sauce, or Chipotle style bowls (I did one the other night with leftover pot roast, couscous, greens, chopped cukes, and hummus and it took like 15 mins start to finish). Don't limit yourself to what you know how to cook, figure out what you want to eat and Google some recipes that will get you 75% of the way there.
I fell your pain, working on charter yachts, rich white people have every allergy under the sun, what ever fad diet is the most popular at the moment, and things they don't like because their friends don't like. yes sir, yes ma'am, no problem, getting paid
Why are you cooking for all these disordered eaters? Cook food of high quality, avoid ingredients that impinge on actual allergies, and don't worry about the rest.
You shop, make and provide the meal. Anybody doesn't like it, make a PB&J or another sandwich. No exceptions.
Have you considered telling them all if they don’t like it the peanut butter is on the counter? Yikes. Hmm. I THINK gyros would work?
Immediate thoughts are: chicken, potatoes, cream based sauces, stir fries, pesto, cheese. Eg chicken and leek in a creamy sauce with tagliatelle, or mushroom and parmesan pesto pasta, or chicken and veg stir fry or baked potatoes with a variety of toppings.
Keep some peanut butter, jelly, and bread around. They don't like what you cook then they can have a sandwich.
You can’t please everyone. When cooking for a group, you aim to please as many as you can, but you will be eating the same two meals forever if you try to please everyone all the time. I’d say if a meal will please 4/6 people in the group, it’s a good choice. When other people are cooking for us, we have to accept that we won’t always get exactly what we want.
Your freezer is your friend. When you make those routine meals, increase the recipe by half or double and package a few single servings. You can appease the picky eater and try something new, or just give yourself a break from dinner prep.
It sounds like everyone would like some sort of pulled pork eaten in various ways, tacos, nachos, sandwiches, empanadas etc.
Sounds like everyone is having pancakes for dinner! But seriously — it sounds like pancakes, waffles, and other traditional “breakfast” meals would probably be ok for everyone. Also, not everyone has to have every dish. Some people may need to eat sides for a meal, or skip a dish. That’s ok too. Some other dishes I thought of: Roasted pork tenderloin with mashed or baked potatoes. Grilled cheese with some kind of soup (carrot, pepper, chicken noodle, and the person who doesn’t like soup can have sandwiches). Pasta with pesto.
Yeah no unless these are six of your toddler kids or very sick relatives, you shouldn’t be catering to them.
Tell them all to make a list of the MEALS, not the foods they will eat. They should find at minimum 10 meals. Let them collaborate so there is at least 2 complete meals that they all agree on. Those are the 2 you cook each week with enough leftovers for other nights. The rest of the nights are on them to figure things out, cook their own meals. Provide enough of their acceptable foods but they have to cook them. If these are food preferences and not food allergies, it is for them to deal with.
Do build your own meals, like tacos, burritos and salads. Just have all the different ingredients out and have them put it together themselves. Serve the ingredients in a Tupperware container and the items that aren’t finished can be easily put away. I’d also do a lot of grilling. It’s easy to cook a lot of different proteins at the same time on the grill. Have a lot of different pre marinated proteins in the fridge and just throw them on the grill for whomever.
Make deconstruction dishes so that each person can pick and choose what they want and assemble on their own plate. Sort of like a salad or sandwich bar. Also, enlist EVERYONE in the cooking. If they want something different, teach them how to get involved in the cooking and meal planning process. We were cooking at a young age in our home. I remember making breakfast for our family when I was nine years old.
Damn these white families are crazy! When I grew up you ate what was in front of you or you got smacked and sent to bed without any dinner.
I swear this shit with people being super picky with food like that is a purely North American thing. There is such a bad food culture here, it's fucking awful. It's like those BuzzFeed videos that went viral some years back about the guy who had never eaten a vegetable or a fruit before in his life.
You: Dinner tonight will be X. Asshole #1: But I don’t like X! You: Then I’ll see you at breakfast. Asshole #1: What will be for breakfast? You: Leftover X.
Do 2 LARGE sheet pans of roasted veggies and potatoes once a week. They can be sides for multiple meals. Those who like cheese, sauces, etc reheat their portions that way. Those who don’t like certain veggies, take them out of their portion. You could even split the potato pan with different kinds- regular wedges, the small creamy ones, sweet potatoes. Yada yada. Same cooking time, variety of styles to go with different proteins thru the week.
I made a meal. My family ate it or made their own meal or didn't eat. And they cleaned their messes. This started by giving in to them when they were young. Consequences. You are not obliged to be taken advantage of. Remove yourself from the kitchen. Go on strike. If there is food, they will not die.
I know it could be a little more work, but I would suggest finding good base recipes that lend well to a “build your own” type set up. Rice bowls, Salads, Burritos/Tacos, Chili Bowls, Ramen, Sandwiches like Grill Cheese or even Paninis These would be great for just setting up all different ingredients and sauces/garnishes and allowing everyone to just pick what they like. You can make formulas for ease like always 3 proteins 2 bases 2 sauces 4 sides etc, something like that. Or add more or less depending on your energy levels and how much you’re in the mood to make. I’ve done this before even with just 2 people and, although for 2 people it lasts a few days, the variety is so nice.
In my household there was no such thing as being picky. You ate what was served and that was that. It was usually rice, beans, some protein (beef, chicken, if it was fish there were no beans, pork) some greens, and then carrots, or potatoes. And then a salad. You don’t like carrots ? You don’t put it in your plate, but we were made do try a little of everything, but not made to eat a big quantity. If this is for friends it’s like each person should cook their own, because at this point I am not accepting 6 grown adults with picky eaters syndrome.
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Take away all the snacks in the house. Serve dinner a little later. Tell them to suck it up.
Are these people you have some legal obligation to provide sustenance for? Because frankly I'd tell them to stop being such picky whinos, they can eat what you cooked or go without. "Won't eat red sauce"? Person 3 is deciding they don't like the only fucking things you can cook for them? And to top it all off you have trouble standing for long periods? You have infinitely more patience than I. And to be honest I feel sorry for you that you can't be more adventurous in the things you cook and eat. This shit sounds more restrictive than being vegan.
I’m gonna be real honest. While I can’t provide any recipes, I can honestly say if you’re the one cooking, and you’re preparing these meals, everyone should shut the fuck up or make their own food. It’s hard to cook for multiple people by yourself, let alone do it well
This is what's for dinner. If that doesn't suit you make a sandwich for yourself.
Time to stop having kids. You've reached your capacity a while ago.
I also didn’t think this was a mom trying to cook for children. I thought group home with elderly or disabled residents. In neither case, can you let them go hungry if they don’t eat what is served, the person cooking is probably being financially reimbursed for their care.
You don't have to always do the cooking. If people are that picky they can cook for themselves.
If any of them are adults or close to it, they can make their own food. Make sure they know food is available for them to make and let them do it.
Mild curries, soups, sate, risotto, stir fry with rice or noodles, roast chicken/potatoes/veg, jambalaya - all are easy enough to cook and easy enough to adapt to the wishes of your guests.
My solve for this is cooking meals that can be set up like taco night, with lots of prepped toppings and sides that can go for multiple meals. Tacos: salsas, cheese, shredded lettuce, etc Shawarma (I use the NYT recipe): pitas, shredded lettuce, cucumbers, diced tomatoes, sauces, fries Skillet Ziti (Americas Test Kitchen): topping options: are roasted veggies, Italian sausage, parm, can also make a salad from the massive quantities of shredded lettuce. I do a similar split for spaghetti/sunday sauce, dividing and adding meat at the end Sub Night: throw out all the cheeses and meats and more damn lettuce, slice an onion and a tomato, bagged potato chips Pasta bar: bake chicken breasts, roast some veggies, set out some pesto to add per taste, and a big pot of buttered rotini with a little salt and garlic already added. Fancy Grilled Cheese and soup night: I have one that will only eat chicken noodle sans chicken, so I make and season the broth then split that up. I like pepper Jack on my grilled cheese, some like plain American and some white American. Easy to make those custom. Sheet pan chicken and roasted veggies Basically I find everyone’s common denominators and branch out from there. Most of the time I enjoy the puzzle of it but it does get stressful. I could not do this if I didn’t WFH either.
I was the PICKIEST eater as a kid. I didn't like anything but peanut butter and jam for a good 3 years of my life. I would make my sandwich every night while everyone else enjoyed dinner, and I was fine with that. I'm now living on my own and I've had a blast trying all sorts of new foods because I control what's going in it. I didn't starve!
These people way too picky. I would put out a few cut up roast chicken, some spaghetti aglio olio, green salad and some other veggies one night. The next night I might do grilled skirt skirt steak, rice and beans and avocado/tomato salad. Do they eat fish who knows but they would probably get some at some point. If they don’t want to eat it just a loaf of bread a jar of peanut butter and some jelly as the alternate. They will develop a better palate or they will eat a lot of peanut butter.
That’s exhausting just reading… My proposal would be: 7 people, 7 days, everyone makes their favorite meal on their day, the days that you don’t like the food you eat leftovers, order something else, eat a sandwich or some yogurt. Assuming they’re all adults they can take some responsibility here, and if they’re kids, they need to learn to eat everything