my sims won't eat what I cook

I will cook a meal for the family and I will get the option to call to meal or grab a serving but then my sims won't get the food. They will approach the food but then won't grab it. I even tried putting the food away in the fridge and have them get leftovers. They will approach the fridge but grab nothing. I am only able to get them to eat quick meals, which in turn makes them feel unbalanced from too many quick meals. This happens more than not, especially when I use the add secret spice option. This is becoming very frustrating and I am getting an obscene amount of leftovers in the fridge that they won't eat and I'm constantly cleaning out spoiled food. Please help me. Cooking meals is a big part of my gaming routine that I really love and this is beginning to ruin my experience in my game. Thank you so much for your time and your amazing work on this awesome game that I am completely obsessed with. 

A huge fan,

Denise