Food trialing is an interesting endeavor. Not only are you trying out new foods and companies for allergens or cross contamination, but you are also trying to gather more food for the family menu. We’re one of those crazy families what will not make separate meals for everyone at the table. We will, of course, leave off a component if there is an issue; Dave hates pickles – no problem, Hank has issues with tomato sauce – not an issue, Hubs refuses beans – leave them off. But we sit down to the same meal.

The hardest part of trialing, I feel, is when there is a new food that Hank can eat and likes. We buy it, he loves it and we make it apart of the menu, whether it is a snack or a meal. Since I hate to waste money, I will buy when I find items on sale, or when I can fill an Amazon Pantry box. But that also means that I may buy more than just one to make sure that we have it in our “stock”. You see where this is going, yes? You know what is going to come next? When, and only when, I have more than one box in my stock, that is when he decides that he doesn’t like it. Thus, causing me to eat it myself, or store it to try again or donate.

Right now, I have 4 boxes of carob granola bites, 6 bags of everything free Hank-safe stuffing mix, 4 carob suckers, two bags of “new” beef jerky and three boxes of cereals that he liked and rejected. He really likes to stick with what he knows and loves. We re-introduce these foods a few weeks later, but maybe 80% of the time, dude rejects them again.

Last week, I took the remaining box of muffin mix from Enjoy Foods, we started with 6, and tried them again. The first time, I had used a donuts shaped tin and coated them with cinnamon and sugar. He loved them. The one time, that is. I had made them again and he refused. I have added carob chips, blueberries, brown sugar crumble and he has hated them all. For this batch, I added two bananas, a cup of mini carob chips and three tablespoons of SunButter. HE ATE THE WHOLE BATCH. So, as I am a creature of habit, I already have another 5 boxes in my Amazon Pantry box, ready to do this all over again.

The best advice that I have, if you are going through the same thing, is to not get frustrated (SNORT). Eating for him is hard and he only eats so much in a day, so, slow and steady progress. We go on binges every month or so, when we go to the grocery and scour the aisles for food that is Hank-safe and then present it, very scientifically, for him to try.

We sit down as a family and watch food programs, not to frustrate anyone, but to learn what other people are eating. I assure everyone that we can figure out how to make the meal taste close to the original, as long as everyone understands that I am not a professional chef. Bizarre Foods is a family favorite, even if it does sometime turn my stomach. Sorry, Andrew Zimmern, but at times, you are cray –even if Hank thinks you are amazing.

Once I have pressed “Save” on this, I am going to start this week’s grocery list and I think that I am stuck this week. Throwing back to the menu planning post, what are you having for dinner this week? Because if I’m not careful, we’re going to have a meal of bugs and blood stew…