What To Feed the Children?

If you haven't read this post already, it will make more sense if you read this post first.
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I showed you my beautiful, logical Master List for the CDP Exch*nges; it's like a fun logic puzzle, and I so enjoy filling in all of the information and then figuring out the assignments!

Well, I need help with a logic puzzle that is not at all fun.

I try to feed my children healthy, nutritious, minimally-processed foods. I am even willing and able to COOK many healthy, nutritious, minimally-processed foods. I like knowing which ingredients are in the foods my children are eating. I like the fact that it is more economical to make a lot of foods at home thereby allowing more money to be spent on CDPs us to feed this swarm of children without going bankrupt.

But my children! GAH! THESE OPINIONATED CHILDREN! There are so few foods that all of them will eat! Some people will say, "Oh, if they get hungry enough, they will eat." Those people are WRONG. My children would rather starve to death than eat something they don't like, and LET ME TELL YOU: starving to death is a LONG and miserable process.

When I came home from my vacation...



...moment of silence as I longingly remember that blessed, amazing, peaceful, refreshing time...



...I told Husband that he and the children were going to have to take over dinner duty because trying to plan dinner, and then listening to complaints from one or more people when I put the food on the table was DRAINING MY WILL TO LIVE. (And, yes, I have the chart. And, yes, there are consequences for complaining about dinner, but by the time these children actually understand the connection between their actions and the consequences that follow, I WILL BE DEAD AND BURIED.)

But Husband's dinner planning hasn't been involving much actual PLANNING going well either, so I am STILL having stress about dinner every day. I finally decided that I would write down the foods the children WOULD eat and make a chart to see if that would help me at all. At first, I only wrote down the things they would eat that I can make or that I consider to be nutritious, but that was a VERY SHORT LIST, so then I included as many of the other things that I could think of too. Behold the results below! Any suggestions?

*sometimes means: At some point the child would eat this food, and even complained about there not being enough! But the moment I fixed a double batch, he/she would not touch it.
*yes means: It is almost certain the child will eat this.
*NO means: The child will choose to die a slow, painful death complaining every moment before he/she will put this in his/her mouth.

A	13yo	10yo	8yo	6yo	2yo
Applesauce	sometimes	yes	yes	yes	sometimes
Apples-Green/sour	yes	yes	NO	yes	sometimes
Apples-Red	yes	sometimes	yes	sometimes	sometimes
Bacon	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Baked Chicken	sometimes	NO	NO	NO	sometimes
Bananas	NO	NO	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes
Beef-Roast	sometimes	NO	NO	NO	sometimes
Biscuits	NO	NO	NO	NO	sometimes
Black Beans with Sausage	yes	yes	NO	yes	sometimes
Blueberries-frozen	NO	NO	NO	NO	sometimes
Boiled Eggs	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes
Breadsticks-homemade	yes	yes	NO	yes	yes
Broccoli-steamed	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes
Carrots	sometimes	yes	sometimes	yes	sometimes
Cheese	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Chicken Noodle Soup-canned	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
Chicken Noodle Soup-homemade	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
Chicken Nuggets-bought	yes	yes	yes	yes	sometimes
Chicken Nuggets-homemade	sometimes	sometimes	NO	sometimes	sometimes
Chicken Pot Pie-homemade	NO	NO	NO	sometimes	yes
Chili	yes	NO	NO	yes	yes
Chili Only With Corn In It	NO	yes	NO	NO	NO
Chips and Cheese	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Cookies, Choc Chip-homemade	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Cookies, Oatmeal, Homemade	yes	NO	sometimes	sometimes	yes
Corn Flakes with added sugar	yes	yes	yes	NO	yes
Cornbread-homemade	sometimes	sometimes	NO	NO	yes
Corn-canned	yes	yes	NO	yes	yes
Corn-frozen	NO	NO	NO	NO	sometimes
Corn-on the cob	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes
Dora Yogurt	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes
French Fries-homemade	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
French Toast	yes	sometimes	NO	yes	sometimes
Fruit Smoothie	NO	NO	NO	NO	yes
Gogurt	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Goldfish crackers	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Graham Crackers	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Grapes	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Green Beans	sometimes	yes	NO	yes	sometimes
Ham	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Hamburgers-homemade	yes	yes	NO	yes	yes
Hot Dogs	sometimes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Lunch Meat	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Macaroni and Cheese	yes	NO	yes	yes	yes
Mandarin Oranges	yes	NO	NO	NO	sometimes
Milk	yes	yes	yes	NO	NO
Muffins-homemade	sometimes	NO	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes
Nectarines	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
Nuts-Peanuts	sometimes	sometimes	NO	sometimes	sometimes
Nuts-Pecans	sometimes	sometimes	NO	sometimes	yes
Nuts-Pistachios	yes	yes	NO	yes	yes
Nuts-Sunflower Seeds	yes	sometimes	NO	yes	yes
Pancakes	yes	NO	yes	yes	yes
Peaches	NO	NO	NO	NO	sometimes
Pineapple-fresh	NO	NO	NO	NO	yes
Pizza	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Popcorn	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Pork Chops	NO	NO	NO	NO	sometimes
Pork-pulled-only when fresh	yes	yes	yes	yes	sometimes
Pork-Roast	sometimes	sometimes	NO	sometimes	sometimes
Potato-Baked	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
Potato-Mashed	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
Potato-Parmesan Roasted	NO	yes	NO	NO	yes
Pumpkin Pie	yes	NO	NO	NO	NO
Quesadilla	yes	yes	sometimes	yes	yes
Quiche-bacon, sausage, cheese	sometimes	sometimes	NO	sometimes	sometimes
Quiche-only bacon and cheese	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes	sometimes
Ramen Noodles	yes	yes	yes	NO	yes
Rice	NO	NO	NO	NO	yes
Rotini	yes	NO	yes	yes	yes
Salad	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
Sandwich	yes	yes	NO	NO	sometimes
Sausage Pockets-homemade	yes	yes	NO	yes	sometimes
Scrambled Eggs	yes	yes	sometimes	yes	sometimes
Smoked Sausage	yes	yes	yes	yes	yes
Spaghetti	yes	sometimes	yes	yes	yes
Split Pea Soup-homemade	NO	NO	NO	NO	NO
Tacos	yes	yes	sometimes	yes	yes
Toast	yes	sometimes	NO	yes	sometimes
Toast-cinnamon sugar	yes	yes	NO	yes	sometimes
Tuna Helper-only when fresh	yes	NO	yes	NO	sometimes
Waffles	yes	NO	yes	yes	yes
Yogurt-homemade	sometimes	sometimes	NO	NO	NO