Getting kids to eat their veggies is an age old war that has been fought at dinner tables for generations. However now there are some clever ways you can hide veggies in your dishes so your kids are none the wiser including:
Mystery Ingredients
Try using vegetables as a mystery ingredient kids won’t notice. Look for new recipes with hidden vegetables or use them in different ways. For example if kids love spaghetti try pureeing tomatoes, peppers or even zucchini and eggplant and adding them to the sauce. Often what they don’t see won’t hurt them!
There are also plenty of baked goods that can contain veggies such as carrots, zucchini, squash and even tomatoes. Mashed potatoes are the perfect place to get creative with hidden veggies such as cauliflower, turnip and paler coloured squash. For babies mix veggies with a bit of fruit puree.
Get creative
Make veggies more creative by having some fun with them. Cut them into fun shapes, put them on skewers, serve them with yummy dips, or even get kids to join in when creating interesting meals.
Camouflage with Cheese
You would be surprised what some melted cheese will do to veggies. There are many ways to add cheese to veggie dishes from mashed potatoes to yummy cheese sauces on mixed veggies like broccoli and cauliflower.
Candy It
Candied veggies can be quite delish and kids love things such as candied yams and even carrots. A glaze with honey works great for many vegetables as does maple syrup, or brown sugar. It is not the ideal way to do things, but it will get them to at least try them.
Bread Them
Breaded veggies can also be more enticing for kids. Dip sliced veggies in an egg wash and then plain bread crumbs and roast them for a crispness kids love. Serve them with a nice ranch dip or even ketchup or barbecue sauce. (Breading works very well with zucchini.)
Make Chips
You can bake sliced beets, sweet potato, turnips and even green beans to make a healthy snack kids will love.
Dips
Create yummy dips with spinach, broccoli or try hummus. There are many dip recipes packed with vegetables. Serve them with multi-grain or pita chips. Salsa is great too.
A few tricks and a bit of creativity is all it takes to get them to eat their veggies.