creative ways to give your children vegetables?

paleirishmother

Hello.
I am the mother of a 2 1/2 year old who (like most) is a very picky eater. It has become a concern to me, that he will eat everything on his tray, yet work around his vegetables. I have tried every vegetables I can think of, and he will not take more than a bite before making gagging noises, and spitting them out. Tonight, I tried sneaking some finely chopped carrots into his rice, he spits them out right away! When he was younger, he had no problem eating vegetables. Now, it seems that he has limited the foods that he will eagerly eat to, peanut butter sandwiches,rice, meat ,bananas,blueberries,cheerios and milk. I do present him with a variety of healthy foods every day, he only loves to eat those few. He will not even eat mashed potatoes. I have even tried making him cute veggie plates, that look like smiley faces. I've tried veggie pizza that looked like an owl! I have tried everything I can think of, I would like some new ideas.


My question is, are there any mothers out there who have found creative ways to give your children vegetables?

P.S-
I posted this same question on yahoo answers. I only received comments on my misspelled words, and one comment that read "Parents don't let their children act like children anymore!" Hmm..not to helpful.

LotsOtots5

Sorry, no advice. My son is nearly 3 and he will only eat veggies in the form of "applesauce" meaning...I buy the Beechnut character pouches with Pixar Cars on them. He doesn't eat any meat. No pasta. He will eat peanut butter sandwiches and cheese though...this kid is a pain!! When I serve dinner he will choose to put veggies on his plate but never, EVER eat them!! I got so excited one night when he licked a piece of broccoli!! My other 4 kids eat everything under the sun...figures!!

I say just keep trying.

emmuci

I'm not a mother but when i was a child, for me one of the best meals was vegetables dipped in fondue. I even ate broccoli and such

pamelak5

I sound like a broken record because I am always recommending it...but check out Ellyn Satter's book, Child of MIne. Basically, you're doing the right thing by repeatedly giving your kid opportunities to try new foods. Don't stress out if he doesn't eat them. IT's totally normal for kids to go through aversion stages; don't make a big deal of it, and it'll pass.

shaxnax

Food processed into spaghetti sauce! Or else I have made veggie burgers made out of black beans, onions, garlic, processed peppers and mushrooms. You would have to google for a recipe because I just wing it. I have a three year old who's favorite food is broccoli so I guess I am lucky but I do the processed sneaky things more just to make sure the food is healthier. I have also heard of some kind of veggie chicken nuggets but have never looked them up or tried them. You could also buy the deliciously prepared fresh juices they usually sell in produce sections, just read the labels to make sure its fruit and vegetable juice and not full of sugar.

heidimaggott78

My children are 5 and 2.

I buy veggies and then make purees and hide them in food.
Eg: I'll use a butternut/sweet potato mix puree and add it to beaten egg to make french toast.
If we go out (like we are today) I will pop a tub of homemade puree in my bag and add it to the mac and cheese that I know they will order (and eat). I also add plenty veg to sauces (like bolognaise and the mince for my lasagne etc).

My friend even adds them to her pancake batter. Her boys get the option of green or orange or white pancakes and they don't even realise!

I also lie to my children. No my darling, broccoli is NOT a vegetable. Or no that's not potato , its mash.

My son LOVES carrots (raw) so I have planted some, and he eats them straight out of the ground (after washing them).

Its not the ideal way of doing things, but it works for me, and that's all that really matters.

My children love fruit so I also make sure they eat plenty fruit and I reckon that's also good for them.

paleirishmother

Thanks for those suggestions!

Robot1976

I don't have kids, but I am always looking for ways to get more veggies. If your child likes pizza, try the cauliflower pizza recipe that I found here on MFP (I've attached a link to a version of it). I also really like peanut butter on apple slices. Or maybe throw some Kale into a smoothie? Or a vegetable soup? Does he eat soup?

http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/recipe-detail.asp?recipe=249048

tinlee

Saute shredded carrots in a little olive oil with a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon and a teaspoon of sugar added right at the end. It tastes like a dessert and the kids will love it. After they get used to eating the carrots, reduce the sugar each time you cook it. At this age you're just trying to get them to associate veggies with a nice taste.

dakotababy

You can do a smoothie topped with cool whip with some yummy veggies put in there. Of course, fruit covers all.

I really enjoyed my moms brussels sprouts or broccoli boiled then a cheese slice melted on top of it. Make sure the cheese is fully melted or it will be disgusting. I always enjoyed baby carrots with ranch dressing as well.

sleepytexan

I put the veggies on the plate and say "eat them". There's no other option at my house; I do not run a restaurant. That being said, I always serve fresh veggies, either steamed, grilled, or broiled. No sauces, just some butter or olive oil, bit of sea salt and pepper. Brussels sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, and green beans are the ones I serve most often.

Mother of 4.

Jen800

I'm not a mom either, but I use these sneaky tricks on myself and on my family members... HA!

1. Quesadillas. I use super-fine chopped kale, spinach, peppers, roast chicken, pretty much ANYTHING! And, with lots of salsa (added veggies) and a bit of cheese, you can't taste anything but the cheese and salsa.

2. this is just a suggestion, but try cutting cucumbers into sticks instead of circles. He might like it better.

3. eggs. When I make scrambled eggs, I always grate broccoli into them. You could also try an omelet.

3. Try putting a tiny bit of melted cheese sauce on broccoli or asparagus. I know I can't get broccoli down without it.

4. smoothies. I made one just today, and it tasted amazing. What was in it? Baby kale, baby carrots, spinach, almond milk, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and a banana. You could also add peanut butter. Healthy and delicious! he might like it.

5. Chili loaded with veggies (homemade) or spaghetti sauce. MMM!


I'll edit if I come up with any more.

littlemrsmosher

i have a 5.5 yr old boy and a 4 yr old girl, we didn't leave room for options when it came to veggies with our kids, we tried to have them at lunch + dinner as much as possible - even the Mac n Cheese nights there was steamed brocoli or cauliflower in everyones bowls - adults included. My best advice would be to make it part of finishing supper,ie "no dessert if you don't eat X amount of veggies" and stick to it, also offer it to them as bedtime snacks if they complain about being hungry. Sorry if that seems harsh but it has worked for us. Toddlers/preschoolers are all about testing the waters and trying to push boundaries.

Also portion sizes, try not to overwhelm them with large portions of "new" things ( in this case the veggies you want them to eat) we generally stick to this example ie 2 tbsp of veggies cause you are 2...or whichever ages you are dealing with. Kids meals at restaurants are horrible examples of proper serving sizes, most of the time they would serve an adult just fine.

Try offering cooked/steamed/however you like to make them veggies instead of raw/hard ones, at 2.5 their molars aren't usually fully exposed if at all and it's pretty hard to chew things like baby carrots! I remember thinking my boy wasn't going to like raw veggies because he preferred them cooked when he was younger and after he turned 4 he seemed to enjoy them more and be able to eat them easier.

Last thins is....don't stress too much, it's hard as a mom but if your child is growing + healthy + getting nutrients from fruit + other whole foods, don't let it get you don't. I fully believe that kids who see their parents enjoying a healthy diet + trying new things ( how about a green spinach smoothie) that they will be open to trying new things as well. 2.5 is still young!!

happy cooking!

ps both of my kids still don't like mashed potatoes but they love beets, spinach smoothies and curried cauliflower soup!

chubbygirl253

I think u have to give it to then very young and keep trying. Make it fun and yummy and dont make him eat the ones he truly hates. When we were infants my mom didn't give us the pureed fruits till we liked the veggies first. And never let them see you "not liking" any healthy food. Kids are very impressionable when it comes to food. My older sisters have a different dad than my twin and I. Their dad would only eat corn or canned green beans, and my sisters grew up refusing all others veggies as well. My dad ate anything and my twin and I luv veggies. Shes even a vegetarian and has been since age 13. I was so impressionable with food choices I liked everything my dad ate. He liked cake in a bowl with milk poured on top, so I ate soggy cake too. And until several months past my dad's death I even ate peanut butter and bologna sandwiches, his fave. My grandma took a sandwich in her purse to bingo every tuesday evening and my twin and I insisted we have sandwiches made for our play purses too. My point is, if the adults your kids admire rave about veggies and eat them (or pretend to?) the kids will be more likely to follow suit...eventually. Keep trying with pizza, raw veggies with ranch dip, cooked veggies with cheese sauce. Cut down the ranch and cheese later.

dakotababy

I put the veggies on the plate and say "eat them". There's no other option at my house; I do not run a restaurant. That being said, I always serve fresh veggies, either steamed, grilled, or broiled. No sauces, just some butter or olive oil, bit of sea salt and pepper. Brussels sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, and green beans are the ones I serve most often.

Mother of 4.

This is actually an..interesting...idea! Serve veggies with something SUPER disgusting (to a kid) like ... full shrimp (with eyes!), or brown rice! The child is sure to pick the veggies up then!

I have also heard of maybe giving the child options like for a snack saaaay "you can have either carrots with ranch or...whole wheat rice" or "celery with cheese or fibre one bar!" (the 1st time, the child will pick the fibre one...but after that - never again!)

DeirdreMum8

We have 8 kids (3 adopted and 5 biological, we are always told we look young, but yup 8 in 11 years awesome kids)

But very different eaters! I recently wrote about serving oatmeal for a week of dinners because I was fed up with food rejection, it worked wonders on picky eaters. Not sure I can list a blog here but you can google OtisSidekicks

My picky eater ideas:
Yup hide food, but I go the easier route and just buy baby food mash and hide it in breads very often, also pancakes and sauces. Pumpkin bread made with apple sauce is very healthy and a treat around here

DIPS Some like hummus some like ranch, some like Italian dressing but everyone loves to dip

Stir fry. Loads of salt but a good stir fry and all the kids eat at least some if not all the veggies when they have the stir fry sauce, Trader Joe's makes a lovely pineapple one when I am in the states or tesco soy sauce and peanut oil with a bit of honey & pineapple bits.

Cucumbers with garlic salt. We slice them , fill up a big bowl and add a few pinches of sugar, garlic salt and a squeeze of lemon. All 8 of the kids like those!

mini sweet peppers are also a hit.

After school I put washed veggies and sits on the counter as we do studies and the kids nibble as they go by. It is not the first choice but if it is there they veggies are eaten:)

And of course fruit is a wonderful option, but I agree having kids used to veggies will help them have better life time food habits. I have 2 that would love to live on noodles & cheese so I get it!! Great ideas all! ~

mmddwechanged

Keep offering. Seeing the food is exposure to it. Touching it is good too. Kids need exposure to a food they don't like dozens of times before they try it. Keep calm and believe its simple. They can sense when we are anxious. Put your child in situations where he sees other children eating veggies, don't talk about it, he'll see. He might not copy there and then but it will be stored for later

neanderthin

I put the veggies on the plate and say "eat them". There's no other option at my house

Mother of 4.

Yes mom......lol. Sounds familar.

Amberonamission

I use my ninja and whip veggies into everything. For example if I am making rice. I will put some tomatoes and carrots into the ninja with some water and measure that for the liquid needed to make the rice.

My tomato sauce is liquified eggplant, zucchini, onions, celery and carrots.

I do this as much as I can in everything. It slowly acclimates their taste buds to veggies. My daughter used to hate mushrooms. I would grind them to dust and use them. She'd say iwww I hate mushrooms. I laughed in her face and said she had been eating them for years. She eats them now no fuss.

Got to be tricky about it.

diadojikohei

I have 4 children now 20, 18, 13 and 11. They all eat veggies, some more than others. I just put a bowl of mixed veggies in the middle of the table and salad and cherry tomatoes, carrot sticks celery etc and they pick what they want. I have never pressured them but they have different tastes, personally I HATE brocolli, but the kids love it! I do a mix of cooked and raw veggies too. Let them chose, we all have our preferences!
In my experience don't make a fuss over food whether they eat it or not.

Susanthecatwhisperer

It's hard to get a HUSBAND to eat veggies too! I've found a mashed cauliflower works great for mashed potatoes! For lasagna, make a meatless one, with some veggies (broccoli, etc) instead. It's about consistency of the food! I've also had miracle or super noodles that replace pasta. It's made from veggies!

Firefox7275

Blend the vegetables into mashed potato, soups, stews, pasta sauce. Add soft cheese or block creamed coconut if you want to make a rich texture. Remember that tomato paste, beans and lentils, sweet potatoes all count towards vegetable intake. Otherwise serve smoothies or fruit salads - berries are low sugar and packed full of nutrients, apparently it is possible to totally disguise spinach in a smoothie! You might also pick your battles, some vegetables are more nutritious than others, some are easier to hide than others.

osualex

I am a child when it comes to eating my veggies. I hate them normally, but I'm coming around to them b/c I know they're good for me.
Here's what I do:

Roast them. Roasted broccoli with some lemon and parmesan cheese is amazing. Roasted squash, yum!
Mix it into other stuff. I put frozen spinach in my eggs, they blend right in.
Season them really well. Asian dishes are good for this.

And try to find maybe 3-4 veggies he does like and prepare them like this. I'll never be able to enjoy some veggies and I'm ok with that.

paleirishmother

Thank you all for the suggestions. I am going to use a lot of this advice, and take a new approach.

ChristineS_51

I am a mother of four grown ups. I can remember as a child gagging in beans and pumpkin, then "discovering" pumpkin at my boyfriends house at dinner (I couldn't say "I don't like that" could I!!) I came home and told my mum I loved pumpkin, she nearly hit me!! I remember puréeing pumpkin and putting into spaghetti sauce or my fusspots. You can be really sneaky as above posters have suggested. As long as your child gets fresh foods, some sort of fruit or vegies, and you keep offering things in different ways, hopefully it might work.

2 1/2 year olds are notorious for stamping their authority - you are the top dog so you have to be smart and not dance to his tune. Don't let it become a power thing - don't let his attitude stress you. Keep calm and carry on as they say!

Have you tried taking him shopping in a lovely fresh vegie market and let him choose the shopping?
Get some seeds or seedlings and grow some vegies? Peas, cherry tomatoes, carrots, watercress, maybe even sprouts in a jar?
Get him involved in the preparation?
Offer fresh, steamed, mashed, roasted etc.
At pre-school here they have fruit time - could you "play" schools, or if he goes to a playgroup they also tend to have fruit time.

Good luck! He certainly doesn't look malnourished, very cute little boy :flowerforyou:

pamelak5

Saute shredded carrots in a little olive oil with a tiny sprinkle of cinnamon and a teaspoon of sugar added right at the end. It tastes like a dessert and the kids will love it. After they get used to eating the carrots, reduce the sugar each time you cook it. At this age you're just trying to get them to associate veggies with a nice taste.

What's funny is that there is an Indian dessert (gajjar halwa) made out of shredded carrots that are cooked down...it was my favorite food when I was a kid!

Firefox7275

What's funny is that there is an Indian dessert (gajjar halwa) made out of shredded carrots that are cooked down...it was my favorite food when I was a kid!

Oh that stuff is so good and I don't even normally like cooked carrots. Does it have milk in? I may try to make that, I have so many carrots in my refrigerator it's silly.

pamelak5

If I recall correctly you can use nonfat dry milk in it . little butter too (but not a ton of it). If you're interested in the recipe, send me a message and I will dig it up for you.

Pandorian

Sometimes it's the preparation method rather than the veggie they really don't like.
For instance mom boils everything pretty much out of existence, but name a veggie and cook it other than boiled... steamed.. sauteed, in a stir fry, roasted along with the meat, crockpot... chili... stew... change up the prep method and you may find a formerly "hated" veg is a favourite.

RachelSRoach1

Personally... I don't like "sneaking" veggies so I make sure to include my kids in every process such as choosing the veggie, cooking it, and raving over my amazing delicious brussel sprouts (which I do seriously absolutely love)

HOWEVER if you are interested and sneaking and have no issue with it, I own this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-Delicious-Simple-Secrets-Eating/dp/006176793X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1354671457&sr=8-2&keywords=double+delicious
which has some really creative ideas in pureeing and adding veggies to dishes that kids already love and don't associate with veggies. There are two books and I like using the ideas because they are smart anyway... not necessarily because I want to sneak. Maybe you will like it too?

zephtalah

I put the veggies on the plate and say "eat them". There's no other option at my house; I do not run a restaurant. That being said, I always serve fresh veggies, either steamed, grilled, or broiled. No sauces, just some butter or olive oil, bit of sea salt and pepper. Brussels sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, and green beans are the ones I serve most often.

Mother of 4.

This is kind of my philsophy too. If I have a child who is being persnickity at the moment about their veggies, I serve their veggies first and they can get the rest of dinner as soon as those are done. I make it a reasonable portion, but the rule stands. We have veggies with pretty much every lunch and dinner. Occasionaly, I will allow a little dip with our fresh veggies, but that is more of a treat reserved for now and then.