Every stage of childhood (and consequently, parenthood) comes with a new set a of challenges. My daughter has been a great eater since birth. She tried anything we gave her and ate with relish. Even more satisfying was her love of anything green…(you should have seen my grandmother squeal with delight as she watched her great-grand-daughter devour her famous broccoli rabe!)
Now, as my toddler gets older (ripe old age of 2 1/2), more vocal and worse, more opinionated, getting her to eat anything remotely healthy requires the tenacity of a sherpa. Not one to submit to her challenges, I have since introduced a few tricks to sneak veggies into her favorite foods. Here are a some great ideas, from my magic hat to yours:
1) Marinara, Bugs Bunny Style – I know if sounds kind of nasty but the handy thing about pureed carrots is that they blend beautifully into pizza or pasta sauce. As long as you don’t use too much (can’t compromise all that good tomato flavor), you can rest easy knowing that each slice of pizza or bowl of spaghetti is better fortified.
2) Kale Chips – (get the recipe here). I once read that kale is the single best vegetable you can eat. It is jam packed with vitamins, minerals and all the good stuff. This recipe is super easy and whenever I make it, I give my toddler a bowl to eat as a snack while watching her favorite shows. It tastes so much like s a snack food, that she has no idea it’s a vegetable. Also, I crumble it into my 8 month old’s food as well… Gotta love the 2-for-one win!
3) Cauliflower Camouflage – This one is a no-brainer. Steamed cauliflower breaks apart like a dream and blends right into a hearty bowl of macaroni and cheese. Boil macaroni, drain, toss with cauliflower and add butter, cheese, and whatever else you normally use to yummify your mac-n-cheese. Your kids will never notice and they might even look at you sideways when you encourage a second and third helping!
4) Lentil Burger – Over cook and mash lentils and mix them into your meat along with seasoning for burger patties. They add an awesome texture to the beef and they are sooo nutritious. I do this one all the time and my daughter loves it! It even works with dark meat turkey burgers.
5) Cabbage Con Taco — Cook down shredded cabbage and stir into chicken or beef for your next taco night. Blend with taco seasoning. Once again, it lends a great hearty texture and it’s a healthy addition to a meat and cheese heavy tortilla. However, you might want to think twice about adding refried beans to this medley — it could make for one disruptive movie night. lol!
How do you sneak veggies into your kids’ meals?