He Likes It! Hey, Mikey!

I'm thinking about starting a new blog. I'm going to call it My Kid Won't Eat.

Remember this kid from A Christmas Story?

 Remember how he wouldn't eat and his mother had to let him use his plate like a trough just to get some food into his body?
I'm pretty sure that's going to be Baby D in 4 years.

Fruit? Yes, as long as it's been cut correctly and it's not pineapple or blueberries. Yogurt? Any time, any flavor. Bread? Sometimes, but he's not a sourdough fan and it can't have butter or anything on it. Pancakes? Waffles? Grits? Hashbrowns? Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
And, what do you feed the kid who hates everything? Life cereal, of course! He only likes it with a little splash of whole milk, though. If it's dry, he won't eat it, nor will he eat it after it get soggy from the splash of whole (not skim) milk. It's also the ONLY cereal he will eat.

Unfortunately, that's it.

The little stinker will not eat meat in any form (although he will nibble on a Boca "chicken" patty), nor will he eat any pasta or cheese. We have the only toddler in America who spurns Cheerios, Goldfish crackers, and juice. I'm not a meat eater, so maybe he inherited that from me, but that pasta and cheese thing - what the heck?? If he didn't look so much like me, I'd wonder if they had sent us home with the wrong baby.
Veggies have to be served in one of those little pouches that turns them into a carrot/squash/apple smoothie. (shudder)

Oh, and please don't ask me if I've tried to get him to eat other things. I'm not an idiot. Of course, I've tried. Daily. Any offering of anything other than the aforementioned foods is met with a vigorous head shake and a defiant, "Nuh!" That's "no," for those of you who don't speak toddler.

He won't even taste anything. Good lordy, I'm a picky eater, but at least I taste stuff before I determine whether I'm going to say, "Nuh!" to it in the future.

The doc assures me that he's fine, it's just a phase, and it could be a lot worse. He could refuse anything but chicken nuggets and French fries.

I blame those darned Gerber commercials! I was convinced that if I only gave my kids healthy foods when they started eating solids, offered a variety of fruit, veg, and lean protein, and held off on any sweets until that first bite of their own birthday cake, they would eat like that for the rest of their lives. That's what I get for being so gullible and susceptible to advertising, huh? Now, I just have two picky eaters.

I hope I don't sound too hypocritical. I am a picky eater and I hate it when people try to make me eat things I don't like. Don't even get me started on potato salad, again. I'm 36 years old. If I can't make a simple choice like whether or not to eat something that makes me gag, without the help of someone who thinks they know better than I do, then just lock me up somewhere because apparently I'm not capable of taking care of myself.

I'd really like to get Baby D to try some different foods, though. Maybe he's not a meat eater, either, and it's ok with me if he doesn't like pasta. Everyone has their own tastes. But, I know he would like certain foods if he would just try them instead of shaking his head.
Any suggestions? I'm running out of ideas for packing his lunches on MMO days!
Please don't tell me to let him starve, though. I can't justify letting a 16-month-old go hungry just because he doesn't care for spaghetti. Besides, if his body isn't nourished, his brain won't be, either.

Are there foods that won your picky eater over?