Cooking for a toddler can sometimes be frustrating because you are always trying to find things that they are willing to eat. Before Marco turned two he would eat just about everything I put in front of him then something changed and he started to become picky. From talking with other moms and reading various articles about picky eating I found that it is very common for kids to get picky around age two and it usually last until they are four or five. I have found that with most things in life dealing with a picky eater is about perseverance. I usually have to cook things multiple times and try variations to find the right recipe he likes.

Marco really likes quesadilla, but he seemed to only want to eat them out at a restaurant. When I would make quesadillas at home he would not touch them so I went to work trying different cheeses (e.g., cheddar, white cheddar) and different preparation styles (e.g., microwave, pan, oven) with no luck. After many attempts I hit the jackpot! I used colby jack cheese, which melts nicely, and I wrapped the flour tortilla and cheese in foil and heated it in a pan. It seems that this almost steams the quesadilla and gives the tortilla just a little bit of crispiness without browning. The first time I used this method Marco ate the whole quesadilla and asked for another one…success! Now I can start adding in some veggies and hopefully he will eat it…wish me luck.

I would love to hear about your picky eater and how you get them to eat…email me at joy@joypapini.com

Chao for now.