What Are We Havin' a Dinner For Night?

Just in case you're having trouble with that sentence, this is the nightly question from the 3 1/2 year old, as I stand over the stove preparing dinner. He wants to know what I'm fixing. That boy loves to eat, as long as it's something he likes, which is usually anything Mexican. I crave variety in my meals and often test out new recipes that I find on Pinterest. My children are usually less than thrilled with my adventures in cooking. That makes me sound like a disaster in the kitchen, however that's not the case. While some recipes end up being duds most of them are good, at least husband and I think so. However I feel as though my children think I'm trying to poison them with each new recipe. My children seem to have a serious flavor aversion. Each bite is tourturous, often causing gaging by the small one, if he finds it particularly unpalatable. I'm so tired of trying to convince them to eat food, fighting the constant battle. For the most part I don't feel like I'm trying to go far beyond their comfort zone. Sticking with variations on what they already eat. Sometimes I understand their hesitance to eat a new food. It's apparently a survival instinct of some sort, protecting them from being poisoned from unsafe new foods. An instinct that is not really necessary anymore, so not sure why it hasn't fallen out yet. Other times the aversion is just infuriating. It's chicken for god's sake! Just eat it! My favorite being, you had thirds the last time I made this dish and yet now I can't get you to eat more than a bite. 

My children have interesting tastes. The small one preferes anything Mexican, as previously stated. While the boy likes curries. Neither will eat a grilled cheese, or any kind of sandwich including PB&J. The small one will eat Kraft mac and cheese on occasion, and they both love broccoli and carrots. So it could be worse. However I get bored with cooking the same things over and over. I need to mix it up every once in a while. I'd like to say to them,' unless you've got something better, you'll eat this', and have that be the end of it. Sadly that's not the way my life goes. I will continue to attempt to widen their eating horizons and maybe one day they'll realize that trying new foods isn't so bad. Just wish that day was today.