Picky eaters—we either know one or we are one. While most of us (myself included) would much rather have a mean slice of pizza or a gorgeous dish of pasta, we all need to eat healthy– including picky eaters. But oftentimes picky eaters avoid vegetables like the plague or only eat healthier foods when they’re covered in cheese. If there’s someone like that in your life, I bet they’ll like these 20 healthy recipes for picky eaters.
1. Sweet Potato Fries
Regular fries really aren’t good for us, despite how often we try to convince ourselves otherwise (sorry, potatoes stop being good for you as soon as you deep fry them). Swap out regular fries for these sweet potato fries; even the pickiest eater in your life will enjoy them.
2. Avocado Chicken Salad
Avocados pair well with everything because they’re fairly neutral in flavor. This avocado chicken salad tastes like the classic, minus all the unhealthy fats you normally get from the mayo. If you or your friend are a really picky eater, feel free to put a slice of cheese on top of your chicken salad sandwich to mask the avocado taste a little more.
3. Zucchini Nachos
Before you come at me, yes I know that nachos are technically unhealthy. However, these zucchini nachos use homemade zucchini chips instead of deep fried tortilla chips, and yogurt instead of sour cream. Feel free to customize these nachos with your favorite healthy toppings.
4. Chicken Burrito Wrap
Just because burritos are high in calories and sodium at Chipotle doesn’t mean they have to be high in anything when you make them yourself. These homemade chicken burritos are easy to make yourself and are fairly cheap, too.
5. Healthier Mac ‘n Cheese
Mac ‘n cheese might seem like it’s for little kids, but not anymore. It can be for you and your picky eater friends with the help of this healthier mac ‘n cheese recipe. Before you start to panic, yes, there is real cheese in this recipe.
6. Chocolate Shake
While chocolate usually isn’t considered a health food, cocoa powder definitely is. This chocolate shake tastes like dessert thanks to the cocoa powder and almond milk blended into it.
7. Zucchini Chips
We all love potato chips – let’s get that out of the way now. However, said potato chips aren’t as healthy as we’d like to think that they are. That’s where zucchini chips come in. If you can get over the fact that they’re green and not yellow, you’ll be just fine.
8. Baked Tortilla Chips
These baked tortilla chips are perfect for dipping in your choice of guac, hummus, or salsa. You can make a bag’s worth of chips in under 20 minutes for cheap, making this an ideal healthy recipe for picky eaters.
9. Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Muffins
Muffins aren’t usually the healthiest breakfast options, but these one-bowl banana muffins are packed with fruit, oats, and Greek yogurt instead of refined sugars and white flour. Don’t worry, these don’t taste heathy.
10. Apple Chips
Whoever said that apples are just meant for dipping into peanut butter is a liar. These three-ingredient apple chips are a great way to get in your daily dose of fruit. If you’re really picky, try sprinkling on some sugar until you’re accustomed to the flavor of plain apples.
11. Matcha Frozen Yogurt Pops
While your picky eater friends might not like the taste of plain matcha, these frozen yogurt pops mask the taste of matcha with vanilla almond milk and yogurt.
12. Tuna and Zucchini Rice Bowl
Tuna and zucchini are two foods that are almost always excluded from a picky eater’s diet. If this rice bowl is too scary for a picky eater to try, swap out the tuna with canned chicken. It’ll still be a healthy option and will hopefully get them to try new veggies.
13. Microwave Egg Scramble
Sneak some veggies into this microwave egg scramble. A sprinkle of cheese can be added to mask any flavors picky eaters won’t like—but try it first without any cheese before you turn your nose up at this dish!
14. Healthy Frappuccino
I fully understand that most, if not all, Frappuccinos aren’t healthy for you. However, you can make a healthier Frappuccino at home yourself and not have to spend $4-$7 for one at Starbucks, you’ll be thanking yourself and your wallet later on.
15. Italian Omelet
Personally, I’m a major fan of any omelet that has tomatoes in it, whether they’re sun-dried or regular. While the thought of eating a tomato is too much for some picky eaters to handle, try eating one in this healthy Italian omelet and see what you think.
16. Cookie Pie
This cookie pie uses good-for-you ingredients like chickpeas, oats, and peanut butter. Feel free to throw in a handful of chocolate chips if you can’t commit to a 100% healthy cookie.
17. Zucchini Pizza Boats
If you hate the taste of zucchini, try disguising it as pizza. These zucchini pizza boats are a healthier dinner option and showcase the classic pizza flavors you love.
18. Copycat Panera Strawberry Smoothie
Panera smoothies have enough sugar in them to be a dessert, but this copycat strawberry smoothie recipe has just four ingredients in it and is actually healthy for you. Tell your picky eater friend it’s a strawberry milkshake and see what they think.
19. Avocado Quesadillas
These avocado quesadillas put a healthy twist on your typical cheesy quesadilla. If there are veggies you can stand to eat, sauté them and throw them in this quesadilla too.
20. Breakfast Burrito
This one-pan breakfast burrito recipe will give you a good dose of veggies first thing in the morning. If tomatoes and spinach aren’t your favorite, toss in some vegetables you will eat.
These healthy recipes for picky eaters are easy to make and hopefully aren’t too intimidating to take a bite of. If you’re tempted to sprinkle on extra cheese or add other toppings to mask the “healthy food flavor,” make it a goal to eat a few bites before you do so. Trying new foods might seem scary, but I have faith in you!