I like to cook, and I love to eat. When envisioning parenthood, I figured it would be full of family meals- sharing my love of my family by making them healthy, tasty meals. No longer cooking for two, I thought cooking would be even more enjoyable. But a certain little toddler has a different idea, and it doesn't involve eating the food I've served at the dinner table.

For the most part, James has been a good eater. And even now, when I have complaints about the things he won't eat, he still does eat quite a bit of fruits and veggies. In fact, hummus-smeared crackers and avocado are two of his favorite things. He won't eat meat, but he'll devour veggie chicken nuggets. And no plate of mac and cheese is safe around him.
When I first started giving James solid food around 6 months, he would eat anything I put in front of him- if I pureed it, he'd eat it. I don't think that James has had store bought baby food. Instead, I cooked his food, pureed it, and froze it into ice cube trays. I figured that making his food would not only be healthier and cheaper, but it would taste better, thus fostering a more adventurous eater. But that hasn't been the case in his 2nd year. When I cook a meal, he usually refuses to eat it. Chicken pot pie? Nope. Broccoli casserole? Nada. Pulled pork? No way.
Like Kate Gosslin says, I'm not a short order cook. If I spend time cooking a meal, I'm not going to make something else for a finicky toddler. I want him to enjoy the food that I've lovingly cooked (and he's often cooking/stirring right with me), but if he doesn't want to eat it, I'm also not going to make a big deal out of if either. I figure that when he's hungry, he'll try it. But it hasn't worked. If I make a meal of pulled pork, sweet potato and corn, he will eat the sweet potato, a bite of corn, but absolutely no pork. And I'm wondering why this is. He seems pretty stuck on the things he's eaten in the past, and won't try much new anymore- with the exception of bready or sugary things. Especially if it's something that has several items combined, like a soup or a casserole. And if there's anything added to his scrambled eggs or mac and cheese, it's like they've been poisoned... but I can add any fruit/nut to a pancake and he'll eat it. Odd.
What are your experiences with kids' eating habits? Do you think James will eat more as he gets out of the toddler stage? Are there certain things you did that successfully got your toddler to eat new things? Am I expecting too much this early in the game? I know there are certain things that I won't eat, and even though I might like something one day, they next day I might not. So it would make sense that a toddler would be the same way. But I have to admit that it offends me when I make something that is really good, like homemade chicken and bisquits, and he won't even try it.