ADDING MORE VEGGIES

Options
melodymedlin
melodymedlin Posts: 254 Member
in Food and Nutrition
OK GUYS SO I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT WE DON'T EAT ENOUGH VEGGIES. I'M GOING TO ADD VEGGIES TO LUNCH, FRUIT (MORE) FOR SNACK AND EXTRA VEGGIES FOR SUPPER. ANY IDEAS TO FIT THIS IN WITH A 3YR OLD AND A PICKY HUBBY????
THANKS IN ADVANCE.

Replies

  • drmerc
    drmerc Posts: 2,603 Member
    Options
    GRIND IT UP SO SMALL THEY CAN'T PICK IT OUT OF THEIR FOOD
  • hmuh
    hmuh Posts: 379 Member
    Options
    Head to the farmers market! Its a great place to start and get your heart set on eating more fruits and veggies. Let your little cutie look around and help pick something new out each week. Also, letting your kiddo help to wash, prep, and cook in anyway will motivate him or her to eat it as well. Best wishes!
  • melodymedlin
    melodymedlin Posts: 254 Member
    Options
    lol we tried that with homemade chicken meatballs my daugther had a fit because she found green peppers in her meatball. So from now on I dice very, very small and she hasn't complained since!
  • kacarter1017
    kacarter1017 Posts: 651 Member
    Options
    My food processor is my best friend. I've made spaghetti sauce with peppers, mushrooms, onions, zucchini and no one knew! Also, the hiding method works for starters, but serving vegetables "out in the open" to start to allow your daughter to try them is a good idea. It might take several times to get her to eat them, but there is at least one veggie at our supper (usually a salad as well). The rule is everyone has to taste it. Just one bite. This would include your picky hubby. One bite has never killed anyone and the exposure is good.
  • Flowers4Julia
    Flowers4Julia Posts: 521 Member
    Options
    Well, I say never mind them and just do it for you!

    what I know about kids is that they eat what they are given unless they like starving......... and well husbands are grown and you don't need to take care of them....

    Just take care of you for now!
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    Options
    GRIND IT UP SO SMALL THEY CAN'T PICK IT OUT OF THEIR FOOD
  • THuffman1967
    THuffman1967 Posts: 114 Member
    Options
    Look for the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry Seinfeld's wife). She came up with all kinds of ways to sneak fruit and veggies into her family's meals without them realizing it.
  • Bobby__Clerici
    Bobby__Clerici Posts: 741 Member
    Options
    I hate veggies.
    I bought a juicer and drink fresh juice to make up for what I will not eat.
    Also, I supplement with fiber.
    Some of us are just lost causes when it comes to veggies...:embarassed:
  • mom2rpkp
    mom2rpkp Posts: 181 Member
    Options
    1) get them involved in the cooking and shopping - makes a huge difference!
    2) serve veggies first when hungriest
    3) green smoothies!
    4) puree spinach and add to spaghetti sauce
    5) soups, soups, soups - vegetables taste bitter to young taste buds and long slow cooking mellows the flavor
    6) in contrast, a lot of kids don't like veggies when they are overcooked and slimy
    7) add a little corn and a TINY bit of butter or Butter Buds with any other veggie you serve - they mellow the other flavors
    8) carrots and celery with natural peanut butter - eventually provide less PB "dip"

    By the way, this is just me but I don't believe in "sneaking" them into kid's food. Yes, adding more but I'm not secretive about it. I've had 11 foster kids, most of whom have had primarily processed food before coming to my home, and don't have the taste for real food.

    I have other tips, but #'s 1 and 2 above are my stand-bys and have worked: I have a 13-year old who comes home to eat salad for after school snack and a two year old, who, so far, has only refused three foods - white bread, polenta, and cooked red cabbage. She eats the red cabbage, however, when it's in small enough pieces. Good luck!
  • rrrayondesoleil
    rrrayondesoleil Posts: 17
    Options
    I've heard (being an 18 year old I am no expert on raising children) that kids tend to be pickier when the parents are picky. If I were you, I wouldn't let your husband voice any veggie complaints unless the kids are out of the room, and maybe make an active attempt to try different veggies raw or cooked very simply with your kids? I was one of those kids to lived to please so if I ever noticed that my parents really liked a certain vegetable I scarfed it down like there was no tomorrow :)

    Or fruit. Nature's candy :) and ANY veggie tastes good with hummus on it ;)
  • fnm101
    fnm101 Posts: 116 Member
    Options
    I would add veggies to EVERY meal and/or snack so that no one can avoid them completely. You can start small and gradually increase them, too. Here are a few suggestions:

    Breakfast: add peppers, tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, onions, salsa, etc. to scrambled eggs or omelettes; hash brown potatoes with any of the aforementioned veggies; fruit smoothies with sweeter veggies (e.g., carrots, red and yellow peppers) blended in

    Lunch/Dinner: any of the above; salads (add favorites, like cheese, initially, then cut back), sandwiches, soups (great way to blend in pureed or chopped veggies)

    Hope this helps...Best wishes!
  • Katiedid717
    Katiedid717 Posts: 48 Member
    Options
    I've found that kids are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables if you give them a funky name - try sliced apples with a peanut butter "lollipop" (a tablespoon of peanut butter), or "ants on a log" (celery stalks filled with peanut butter or cream cheese and topped with raisins). I used to make breakfast burritos for kids I babysat - whole-wheat tortilla spread with peanut butter, wrapped around a banana (maybe with a few mini chocolate chips thrown in).

    Something my mom used to do when we were little is make "faces" for us kids - homemade chicken nugget eyes, a carrot for a nose, strips of green pepper for ears, pineapple chunk teeth, and ramen noodle hair. Meanwhile, she would make a stirfry of the chicken, pineapple, and veggies for her and my dad - I've made it a few times since moving out of the house and it's soooo good.
  • Firefox7275
    Firefox7275 Posts: 2,040 Member
    Options
    OK GUYS SO I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT WE DON'T EAT ENOUGH VEGGIES. I'M GOING TO ADD VEGGIES TO LUNCH, FRUIT (MORE) FOR SNACK AND EXTRA VEGGIES FOR SUPPER. ANY IDEAS TO FIT THIS IN WITH A 3YR OLD AND A PICKY HUBBY????
    THANKS IN ADVANCE.

    Fresh and dried fruit with breakfast cereal, soup for lunch, veggies blended into pasta sauce, homemade vegetable pizza, stir fries, stews/ casseroles, vegetable curries, roasted meat and veggies, smoothies, fruit salads.

    Hubby needs to suck it up and set a good example to your child for the sake of your child's health. Make your three year old take a bite of everything every meal, they should still be open minded at that age but it can take a few tries to like something.
  • daniellescsu
    daniellescsu Posts: 101 Member
    Options
    I add very finely shredded carrot to almost everything. You cant even tell it is in there!
  • windycitycupcake
    windycitycupcake Posts: 516 Member
    Options
    looking for more friends with veggie heavy diets in their diaries..i love to stalk diaries and i love veggies so if you are proud of what you eat please add me!
  • ahjenny
    ahjenny Posts: 293 Member
    Options
    Don't tell them you're adding in veggies! Seriously. You can make things like pizza crust from cauliflower. Google ways to make more dinners with veggies. Paleo/Primal recipes might be just up your alley. They make a lot of substitutions of veggies for other things. Good luck and keep quiet. :)
  • MarthaLoraine
    MarthaLoraine Posts: 34 Member
    Options
    They say it takes up to 15 for kids to like something new so don't give up!
    and kids will eat what you eat if they see that mommy loves eating it they will too.

    my nephews eat veggies all the time. We even have to hide them sometimes so we can use it for cooking they steal it from the fridge :P but not when there mother is there because she doesn't like them and makes faces and makes the kids think its not good. Just make them believe its a treat.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    Options
    Add vegetables to a meatloaf, even oats instead of other fillers. If you think they'll pick them out, put them in a blender first (vegetables, not your family) and then add.
  • amyann2
    amyann2 Posts: 69 Member
    Options
    Check the blog Weelicious. There's a recipe for kiwi/green pea popsicle (called "Pea Wee Kiwi Popsicles"), and lots of other recipes of veggies. She also has a cookbook that I bought, and I don't even have kids!

    I do like veggies but I'm always looking for new ways to incorporate them everywhere. I want to try that popsicle recipe this summer because one veggie I don't like is green peas, so if I can manage them this way, terrific!

Categories