recipe: picky eating + autism

nope. this isn't one of those recipes to help you lose weight. this one is for the extreme-picky eater in your house...especially your picky eating special needs child. 

a few months ago i shared that one of our children is on the autism spectrum. PDD-NOS, to be specific, if we're talking about where he is on the spectrum. following that post, many of you reached out to me expressing how much my organized special needs binder helped you or you asked questions about other ways one could organize these mounds and mounds of paperwork. you even e-mailed to ask for help with resources for your child. 

whatever the case, please know that as a parent of an ASD child, i will always be available to answer questions. whether organization related or not. 

since the binder post received great feedback and caused many of you to respond and comment to one another, when there is something worth sharing on the topic i will blog about it. in this case, i'm talking about picky eaters on the spectrum. 

our son is a very picky eater. sure, everyone has children with picky eating habits. all parents are not immune to this frustration. it wears down even the best of us. but children on the spectrum take picky eating to entirely new heights. a level of epic proportions, if you will. the truth is that developmental delays and picky eating go hand in hand. over the last year, as our son's menu of already very limited items continued to dwindle down further. during this phase i've spent a lot of time talking with his therapists, our pediatrician and researching the topic on my own (online, at the library and with friends). i've also tried all sorts of tactics, including hiding the foods i would like to see him eat inside his regular foods. 

yup, that does not work. 

during the last 2 months the amount of food our son eats has really become an issue. just when i think he can't surprise us anymore, he does. 

so, a few weeks ago i started reading this book....

and i double-downed by taking him to the nutrition clinic at our local children's hospital. 

bam. don't mess with mommy!

after a thorough assessment with a clinical nutritionist, we left with a plan. the main focus points for now are to continue with his current vitamin supplements (which he does enjoy eating) and add in some high-calorie, nutrient-dense recipes. which brings me to this milkshake recipe.

again, while this is a nutrient rich shake, it's high calorie...and high fat. please proceed with caution. 

oh, and it's totally delicious. even your pickiest eater will love it and ask for more. 

here are the 3 simple ingredients: ice cream, half-and-half, and carnation instant breakfast...

to a blender or processor, you'll add 1/2 cup of half-and-half and 3/4 cup of full-fat ice cream. i chose vanilla...

then sprinkle in one entire packet of carnation instant breakfast powder - i used the rich chocolate flavor...

blend and serve...

then watch it magically disappear.

this is intended to be a "breakfast" smoothie, but it tastes good no matter what time of day. i've been making them for our son a few mornings a week. not every morning as he requests. :-)

the shake has a little less than 500 calories, 53g carbs, 13g protein, and 25g fat.

when the nutritionist suggested creating recipes from carnation instant breakfast, i was questionable. for some reason i thought it was more like a "junk food" type product. then she handed me a sample that listed all of the vitamins and minerals. i figured it was worth a shot. in case you haven't seen a box of these packets for a while, here's some great info straight from the box itself...

if you have a child with picky eating habits, here are some great articles/websites i found online:

* autism research institute: the picky eater

* autism speaks: encouraging picky eaters with autism to try new foods

* thinking persons guide to autism: feeding issues and picky eaters

* she knows: healthy recipes for picky eaters with autism

* autism-help: fussy eating and autism

* usda choose my plate: picky eaters section on their site

* usda choose my plate website: has great info on many other topics, like how to be a healthy role model for your child, a breakdown of daily food plans, how to add more vegetables each day, and ideas for kid-friendly veggies and fruits.

i've discovered there is a lot of info out there on this topic, but you should always first begin with your child's pediatrician or therapist. our pediatrician didn't have a whole lot to offer on the topic, which is why he sent in a referral to children's for our son to be seen there.

as more recipes get the thumbs up from our son, i'll share them here. feel free to leave a comment below if you have any tips to share as well!

(i linked up with house of hepworths, the 36th avenue, tatertots & jello)