Rigid Eaters

Sometimes kids find specific foods they like and are hesitant to try anything else. This can be trying for mom (who does not want chicken nuggets for dinner every day) and it can be nutritionally hazardous for a child. How can you get your child to branch out? What happens when they become entirely tied to a routine and will not bend?
Here is one idea that I have seen work, you might want to give it a try...
Expand on the familiar routine. Instead of taking a complete U-turn and really throwing your child stay with what he is comfortable with and add a little something new.
Example: "My child loves to eat mac-n-cheese for dinner. When I try something else he flings it on the floor or just spits it out if I put it in his mouth. Sometimes I can get him to eat spaghetti noodles or other starchy foods but he will only eat a little. He eats best when it is mac-n-cheese"
So to try my idea this parent could cook up a box of mac-n-cheese and give her son a little in a very small bowl next to whatever the family is eating for dinner. Then her son will have his staple favorite to help ease him into whatever the new food is. Mom is expanding by adding new foods next to his familiar mac-n-cheese.
Another way to expand...cook only the macaroni noodles and serve them with a new sauce...maybe Mom's homemade cheese sauce with pureed carrots or sweet potatoes added, maybe a new Alfredo sauce, whatever goes along best with what the family is eating.
One more idea: Mom could give her son macaroni noodles plain and let him dip them into several kinds of sauces (his favorite cheese sauce and others).
The whole idea is to show your child that his routine is ok and that adding new things doesn't have to replace his routine, instead they can compliment it. (This is not the end target of being a flexible eater but it is a good way to take a beginning step towards that goal)