This past weekend was my son, the picky eater’s birthday. We decided to have the party in our home and to make it more of a Sunday supper with adults and kids, rather than strictly a kids’ party. My son turned 4, so it was appropriate for parents to hang around and not embarrass their children by being present.
I’ll say it. I’m sick of the same old same old at kids’ parties. It’s always pizza, then cake and usually more candy or junk in the goody bags. I was sick of it last year and tried to serve turkey pinwheels (wraps cut up into small pieces) and fruit kebabs at my daughter’s 5-year old b-day party and no one touched them. So this year, determined not to give up on the idea of adding a little variety to the party menu, I thought about what dish would adults and kids enjoy? The answer is spaghetti and meatballs. So I made a traditional meatball red sauce that simmered on the stove all day, but then I also made tiny bite sized meatballs for those kids who don’t like red sauce touching (God forbid) their meatballs. So here’s how it went down:
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Kids came at 4 and played throughout the house as I was finishing the cooking. At around 5, we had a neighbor come by to do face painting and make balloons for the kids, so I gave each adult: in a bowl, a thick slice of Italian bread, topped with a large meatball, sauce and Pecorino Romano cheese. They sat down at my dining room table and ate for a bit and talked while I put some spaghetti on the stove. By the time the adults had finished and the face painting was done, we cleared the table and served the kids the spaghetti (choice of butter only or with red sauce) and the mini meatballs. I have to admit, it worked great! The kids loved the idea of spaghetti (who doesn’t) and the parents got to enjoy some good food as well. Even my picky eater actually put a few strands of spaghetti in his mouth before the cake was served.
Here’s Rachael’s recipe for Sunday Gravy and Spaghetti (Red Sauce), which is almost the same as mine except I don’t use sausage and instead of pork chops I use ribs. But you could use whatever you want.
09.16.08 @ 8:55 am
Try the cookbook the SNEAKY chef by Missy Chase Lapine. Kids don’t know they’re eating healthy. Mom’s are happy because they know their kids are eating vegetables. They even give you recipes for making boxed mac n’ cheese healthy.
My 4 & 6 year old boys ask for 2nds.
09.17.08 @ 2:05 pm
At age 6, my son despises spagetti so he would have starved. Why do you think ALL kids love spagetti?
09.18.08 @ 12:07 pm
Great idea. Sounds like your dinner was a hit for all involved, even your picky eater that doesn’t really love spaghetti it sounds. Thanks for sharing.
And Aimee gosh “your son would have starved” Does he not eat meatballs or bread? I’m just wondering……. it was such a harsh statement.
09.19.08 @ 1:41 pm
I have a son who doesn’t like the spaghetti noodles, but loves the red sauce and meatballs. With so many different kinds of pasta available it would be simple to make this a completely “kid friendly” meal.
09.21.08 @ 9:44 am
I am lucky my kids birthdays are in the summer and we almost always do cookouts. I also have a VERY picky eater, he’s 11. Not everyone out grows it, he just learns to deal with it. The world does not revolve around him or anyone else for that matter. Kids won’t starve, if he doesn’t want to eat what is prepared then he can have fruit, it’s his choice. I am not a restaurant, nor am I Grandma or Nana who gives in to whatever the boys want.
09.22.08 @ 1:35 pm
I know about picky eaters and twins are the worst neither one will eat anything, but the spaghetti was a really good idea. The twins love spaghetti they are only two and they make a huge mess. But good idea.
09.22.08 @ 1:37 pm
Oh yeah and Aimee if your kid doesn’t like certain foods then when you go to birthday parties or any kind of party. Pack him something to eat so that way you don’t have to worry about him “starving”.
09.22.08 @ 7:35 pm
I LOVE SPAGHETE!
GO RACHAEL RAY!!!!
thats kool
09.23.08 @ 7:58 am
Heather, you have THE definitive solution for ANY picky. I LOVE children, but I am SO glad I was blessed with none of my own and can send the others back to their own parents.
09.23.08 @ 10:29 am
This is a great idea! I have a five year old who is also a picky eater but he love pasta. You are right pizza and cake does get boring! Aimee you do’nt have to be so rude there are always other options like heather said BRING YOUR OWN FOOD.
09.23.08 @ 3:40 pm
Well as a mom of two picky eaters, I am also sick of the same old chaotic birthday parties and places. Since the Flood of 2008 we also had some financial difficulties so for my daughter’s 8th B-Day we had a backyard campout party, roasted hotdogs on the firepit, home made snack mix, fruit salad. Our goody bags had flashlights in them, stickers, and pencils for school. We took a late night walk with our flashlights and had a family member come and do a magic show as part of her present. It was great, kids loved it! We also had s’mores too and I made the birthday cake myself it was a campout birthday cake - internet is wonderful with providing directions and pictures for these things. We also got ideas for relay races for the kids to do which they also loved, using things such as sponges, empty water bottles etc. All accessed on-line and free!
09.23.08 @ 9:02 pm
I’m a Nana of a 3yr girl and a 2wk old boy. What a great idea! I am now, deviously thinking about chopped spinach or pureed any vegetable to add to the meatball mix.
09.24.08 @ 12:13 pm
I’m Grammie to a 2 year old girl. She’s grown out of mac-n-cheese and apple slices, and prefers something sweet to anything else. (I have a sweet tooth as well). I give her jicama. She loves it. Jicama is a great source of vitamin c and is fat free—making it a superb on-the-go snack. Just peel like a potato and cut like carrot or celery sticks.
09.25.08 @ 9:22 am
My son is a picky eater too, and I love that you tried different things to be appealing to the masses but step outside of the pizza box!
Aimee - I have the same kind of child! I am glad that I came to conclusion a long time ago that my son will eat when he is hungry, and as long as when he is at home with me I continue to provide the best nutrition for him. Birthday parties are an exception to the norm and what happens will happen. One day out of the month that he has a cupcake and pretzels for supper isn’t going to kill him (or me!)
I also love the campfire party-great ideas!
09.27.08 @ 9:34 am
Wow! My ‘kids’ are in their 20’s and middle teens and picky eaters were not an issue when I was hosting bday parties. There was always the child who didn’t care for the taste or texture of something but no fuss was made, no special meal provided, and the child ate more of whatever else was offered. No one starved. Now I host ‘team meals’ for 20-40 hungry student athletes. I make a meatless version of whatever is on the menu and provide fruit, veggies and an awesome dessert. So many kids will try whatever is offered and rave about the new, great food they tried at so and so’s house. The kids love to hang out in the kitchen during and after they have eaten, pick at the remains and talk to me and my husband. How can a 4 yr old be a ‘picky’ eater? Sounds like mom or dad is picky in choosing what the child eats. Good luck with school lunches, sleep overs, dinners at friend’s homes and team snacks.
10.01.08 @ 10:44 am
I was so happy to read this!! I was struggling with whether or not to even have a party for my soon-to-be 2 year old because you have to feed all of the adults too…the budget is tight and feeding all those people is expensive. I was thinking of going with baked ziti and meatballs for the adults, but I might have to steal your idea of mini meatballs for the kids. THANK YOU!!!
10.01.08 @ 10:53 am
I love this idea!! I have been blessed with 2 boys. (3 and 6 years old. My 6 year old is a very picky eater but we have an understanding that while at someone else’s home, whether it be a party, holiday or just getting together on weekends, we eat whatever is offered. There is usually at least one or two things he will eat. He understands that if he chooses not to eat at that time, then he just does not eat. Alternate meals are not a choice. They are contagious and before you know it you could be fixing 5 or 6 different meals to accomodate picky eaters.
Your menu choice was excellent! I am sure the adults enjoyed their special bowls and the children had a very nice choice. They were all offered the same meal but were able to customize it their own way.
Nice choice, thanks for the idea!
10.01.08 @ 11:16 am
I love that many other feel that parties shouldn’t be just about pizzas and chips. This year I served dinner rolls with a slice of turkey meat and a leave of lettuce along with a fresh cup of fruit(pineapple, melon, papaya,watermelon, grapes and strawberries) I served it kolaid for my daughters birthday , when kids go to someone’s party they rather be playing along and having a good time.
10.03.08 @ 10:39 am
My kids birthdays are in the summer so we do cookouts - brats, baked beans, and fruit salad. I even added corn on the cob this year. Everyone loves it, it’s easy and not too expensive. I agree, pizza and cake gets very old. And I also have started doing goody bags that do not include any candy. It’s amazing how much junk food my kids get at birthday parties - and it’s no surprise that most of the parents (and kids, too) are overweight.
10.08.08 @ 7:16 am
Since my Grandkids all have birthdays between August and February, I have what I call Grandma’s Grandkids Birthday Party, usually on Labor Day weekend so all can come. This year was my 8th Grandkids Birthday Party. This way their parents can have a party for them on the child’s birthday and enjoy their own personal friends Every year I choose a theme and go from there. This year I chose to build my theme around geo-caching. One of my sons is involved in this hobby and helped set up a treasure hunt at the park. I had always served grilled hamburger/hotdog meals but this year I served a Walking Taco bar. I had chips (Frito, Doritos etc.) in small bags (I also had a bowl of chips and paper plates for adults). I set up a bar of taco meat, diced tomatoes, peppers, celery, olives, cheese, onions etc. in small bowls all prepared ahead of time. Each one chose what they liked for their salad and put it in their bag with sauce and ate right from the bag. There was some fruit and of course the cake. It was successful. True we did have a couple of dropped bags, but that is part of the party! I gave each child a homemade GPS that I had made and they went on a treasure hunt. My son also took them on a real geo-caching hunt using his GPS to find the hidden treasure. Hope this idea helps give an idea to some other Grandma’s. It is work but I enjoyed watching their excitement.
10.10.08 @ 9:15 am
Sounds . . . adventurous! I love the idea, but not the clean-up. But hey, who loves the clean-up at a five year old’s b-day party???
Definitely worthy of a gold star@
Find your gold star at goldstarmoms.blogspot.com
10.20.08 @ 11:46 am
I have one picky eater (a ten year old daughter with ADHD and extreme anxiety disorder) and one adventurous daughter (age
who will eat just about anything, and whose favorite food happens to be spaghetti. The power struggle alone when it comes to food just isn’t worth it, especially in my house with a “special” child who will just refuse to eat the dinner altogether and then get up in the middle of the night and gorge on pretty much anything because her meds suppress her appetite during the day and she is starving by 10pm. I love the idea of providing a good meal for the adults and the kids, but for those kids who don’t like the traditional “spaghetti” like my 10 year old and Aimee’s 6 year old I call it “pasta” in my house. The kids choose red sauce or butter and meat or no meat and I use different fun shape pastas. My picky eater always has seconds if it’s past but won’t touch the “spaghetti”….LOL! The things we do to help our children stay healthy… 
10.28.08 @ 3:42 pm
My daughter’s birthday is in the summer and I am always looking for ideas to change things up a bit. The spaghetti idea is great! I also did a build your own sandwich thing just this past summer with a tray of veggies and another tray of meats and cheeses…you could even pick what kinda of bread if any! Everyone loved it! Just throw a side of chips on there and it was great! Then of course finish it off with ice cream cake and Popsicles!