It’s extremely important to offer a serving of fruits or vegetables at every meal. At first, it seems like all kids resist the healthy stuff, but with repeated offerings (even if you don’t push – just make it available), they’ll eventually give in and try it. Once you make healthy foods a normal part of eating, they’ll become hooked for life.
Sometimes, however, you have to get those healthy foods in when your kids refuse. Here are some clever ways you can sneak them into their meals.
1. Sneak vegetables into pasta sauce
Boil some vegetables in a separate pot from the pasta. Make sure they are cooked very well so they become extra soft. Once they’re done, mush them up with a fork and mix them in with the tomato sauce. The sauce will be a little thicker, but your kids won’t know the difference. You can do this with carrots, squash, zucchini, broccoli, pumpkin, mushrooms, spinach, and beets.
2. Use creamy cheese sauces
Kids universally love cheese. It’s a good source of healthy fats and protein too, so you don’t have to be shy about using it to hide vegetables. Again, you’ll want to cook the vegetables soft so they blend in nicely with the cheese. Your kids will enjoy the cheesiness so much, they won’t even notice the vegetables!
3. Serve smoothies
Smoothies are awesome because you basically hide anything in them and no would be any wiser. Start with a base of Greek yogurt and orange juice. The orange juice will mostly overpower any other flavor, especially vegetables which can’t compete with the acidity. From there, add any fruit you like, flaxseed, kale, spinach, avocado, fennel, carrots, cucumber, zucchini, mushrooms, and kelp.
4. Add zucchini or squash to casseroles
Zucchini and squash have very mild flavors. They quickly absorb the flavors of other ingredients, so they’re easy to hide in mixed dishes. If you cook them well and slice them finely (even grating them if you have to), they will easily blend in with other ingredients in a casserole. Cook them in a dish with ground beef, cheese, and other foods your kids like.
5. Make soups and stews
Have you ever stewed a plethora of vegetables with a piece of meat for a few hours? Everything tastes like the meat! Pull out your slow cooker (and easy way to make meals, too) and make your own soups and stews. After six or eight hours cooking, the vegetables will all take on the flavor of the meaty broth. Do this with celery, onions, mushrooms, carrots, beans, zucchini, olives, and green beans.
How do you get your kids to eat their vegetables when they refuse?
Written by Doodle Pants Team
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