CINCINNATI (WXIX) – With Thanksgiving just days away, many families face the challenge of preparing a meal that satisfies everyone at the table, including picky eaters.
Courtney Snow, owner and CEO of the Cincinnati Mom Collective, said the holiday can feel like a balancing act between managing food costs and ensuring no one goes hungry.
“It can be a combination of food prices and then also having picky eaters, especially with younger ones,” Snow said. “So trying to keep it fun and fill everybody up, but not have it be too expensive.”
How to watch FOX19 NOW on Roku, Fire TV and Apple TVKeep it simple with variety
Snow said the key to success lies in simplicity and offering options.
“I think everybody just has different tastes and if you just keep it simple and just a variety of stuff, everybody can just kind of dig in and find something they like,” she said.
Her team at the blog has compiled recipes designed to appeal to picky palates, including mac and cheese cups and a turkey veggie platter with hummus dip.
Snow emphasized using simple ingredients that families likely already have at home.
“The simple ingredient thing is really key, because that’s stuff that a lot of us already have,” she said. “It’s just being resourceful.”
Snow noted that flexibility matters more than following recipes exactly.
Her team substituted rotini pasta for elbow macaroni in their mac and cheese cups recipe, demonstrating that adaptation is acceptable.
Focus on gratitude over perfection
Snow encouraged families to release pressure around creating the perfect Thanksgiving dinner.
“One thing that I’ve learned and that a lot of other moms have learned over these last few years in the chaos of life is that you don’t have to put so much pressure on yourself,” she said. “You don’t have to have a perfect Thanksgiving dinner; you don’t have to do it all yourself. You can cater it, you can go out, you can make easy stuff. As long as you just remember to be grateful and enjoy time with family, those are really the most important things.”
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