If you’ve ever lived with a picky eater, you know the struggle is real. And if you haven’t? Imagine trying to serve Gordon Ramsay a microwave dinner — and getting judged hard for it. That’s basically my life with Liam, my 5-year-old food critic in training.
Liam is currently obsessed with Lunchables. Not just any Lunchable — the ham and cheese with crackers one. Sounds simple, right? It’s just ham, cheese, and crackers. I thought, “Perfect! I can recreate this at home — save some money, cut down on processed stuff, and maybe add in a veggie if I’m feeling wild.”
Spoiler alert: I was wrong.
Let’s start with the ham. I’ve tried every kind imaginable. Thin sliced, thick sliced, honey-roasted, uncured, organic, deli-fresh — if it’s been sold in a refrigerated section, it’s been in my fridge. But Liam? Oh no. If it’s not that ultra-smooth, no-texture, slightly spongy ham from the actual Lunchable, he’s not having it. One sniff and he’s dramatically gagging like I just offered him a plate of slugs.
Next up: the crackers. Again, sounds simple. Saltines? Nope. Ritz? How dare I. He will only eat Chicken in a Biskit — the saltiest, most flavor-blasted cracker ever invented. Honestly, I kind of get that one. They are weirdly addictive. But they don’t exactly scream “balanced lunch,” you know?
And the cheese. Oh, the cheese. I thought I had nailed it by grabbing Kraft singles — because that’s what Lunchables use, right? WRONG. Apparently, the Lunchable cheese is even more processed (didn’t know that was possible), and Liam insists he can taste the difference. He took one bite of the homemade version and declared, “This is disgusting.” Meanwhile, we have a giant pack of Kraft singles from Sam’s Club slowly aging in the fridge because we thought we had cracked the code. Thank God my husband loves Kraft cheese, or I’d be weeping into a grilled cheese sandwich every day.
So, here we are. I’m trying to be creative, stay within budget, and feed my kid something he’ll actually eat. And Liam’s just out here defending Lunchables like they’re the fifth food group.
I know he’ll grow out of it eventually. I know his taste buds will mature and one day he might even ask for broccoli. But for now, I’m just over here trying not to cry in the Lunchable aisle.
If you’re in the picky eater trenches with me — solidarity. We’ll get through it. One Chicken in a Biskit cracker at a time.
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