My DD needs to eat two vegetables per day...we're pretty lenient on not forcing her to eat foods she doesn't like, but we do want her to have at least two servings of veggies.
Any suggestions on how to prepare and serve some that she might like? She'll eat corn and carrots with no problem, but we'd like to get her eating something green (or just something new to add variety.)
My son always liked any raw veggie (green peppers, celery, carrots, red peppers) as long as he could have (light) ranch or other dressing for dipping.
Hi J. ~ My 3 yr old & & 7 yr old like broccoli, cauliflower & zucchini roasted I arrange veggies on a baking sheet drizzle w/olive oil season w/a little sea salt & cracked pepper. They will also eat broccoli, cauliflower, greenbeans, peas, corn & cabbage steamed seasoned the same way and grilled they will eat corn on the cob, zucchini & squash also seasoned the same way. My 3 yr old also loves raw green peppers & raw carrots; but for whatever reason will not eat either one cooked. They also like baked sweet potatoes w/brown sugar but will not eat regular baked potatoes. Recently I made smashed potatoes using the small yellow pototoes boil them w/the skin on until fork tender drain then place them on a baking sheet & flatten them w/a potato masher then drizzle w/a little olive oil & season however you want & top w/cheese & bake for about 20 minutes. My 3 yr old also likes the little salad cucumbers over the regular cucumbers my 7 yr old like cucumbers w/a little olive oil.
You can alway mix all kinds veggies into other food. I've mixed carrots into pancake mixture before. Sounds gross but you really couldn't taste them too much. Cauliflower into mashed potatoes. There's all kinds of things you can do to disguise the veggies. I found some links you might want to check out.
http://www.thesneakychef.com/
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes-and-cooking/tips-for-k...
http://www.livestrong.com/article/205951-how-to-hide-vege...
http://www.parenting.com/gallery/hiding-vegetables-food
I've had to do this a few times for my extremely picky eater. We just sometimes have to get creative. Good luck!!!
My ped suggested putting frozen spinach in our spaghetti sauce.
carrots served w/ranch (you can also serve red pepper strips, broccoli....
.....all served w/ ranch dressing. Give her a veggie she DOES like then
add 1 extra. Keep doing this over time.
green beans or corn served w/dinner. These are easier on the palate.
salad that includes carrots, tomatoes
steamed zucchini topped w/a tiny bitter of butter
I read a pediatrician's advice last week that picky eaters should be served a food they like, a food they will tolerate, and one they don't like or haven't tried at each meal every day, with the expectation they will take at least one bite of each. In all honesty this is what I had been doing with my almost 3 year old and the past couple of weeks he has eaten about 5 foods (and is loving them) that he previously didn't like due to taste or texture issues : )
You could look into making a mini bento box type thing. If you create characters with the veggies maybe your child will be more likely to eat it? When mine was younger she was more likely to eat something she made herself. Having her help in the kitchen meant she was going to eat the meal--especially when we would oooh and ahh over what a great job she did!
Serve her foods that have hidden veggies in them, like Ravioli or Spaghetti O's, they have over 1/2 cup of veggies in them. There are tons of other foods that would supply the veggie need. I know there are books too that are called hidden veggies or something like that. They shred carrots and stuff, then add them to different foods to sneak the veggies in.
We've actually mixed some veggies in our spaghetti sauce, omelets(cut small) and mixed in with rice(almost like fried rice).
These seem to work for us for now....still looking for other ideas...but we were told to mix it into their foods.
Good luck.
Keep trying. My kids will eat anything but I have found cheese makes everything better.
Try veggies you haven't tried either or maybe don't like a lot. You just never know what they will like.
My youngest will try most foods if I serve them on a toothpick. I tell him they are ___________ pops. This doesn't work for everything, but at least it has gotten him to eat apples instead of just applesauce and to try cheddar cheese recently. Good luck!
Draw trees on paper with her and then tell her she gets to have "trees" for lunch today!!! Make a big deal out of it and give her little broccoli trees and a "dip" that she likes. We did this and ours and they thought the trees were great, we later introduced them to cauliflower, "winter trees". Also buy a carrot cutter that cuts them zig zag, the kids love that. Fresh vegetables always need a dip the kids love, whether ranch, cheese, etc.
put cheese on anything, that's what i did for my kids they always ate it. Or i let them dip it in ranch dressing.
My kids always enjoyed dipping them in something- hummus, ranch, salsa, etc. The grew to love balsamic vinegar and would eat any veggie as long as they could douse it with balsamic. Also, try cooked vs. raw. You don't mention your daughter's age but sometimes its a consistency thing. Or cold vs. hot. My kids loved eating frozen peas as a snack.
Look into Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook. Its all about hiding veggies in unexpected places when cooking. Her pumpkin oatmeal is wonderful.
theres a few kinds of fruit juice out there that actually have a full serving of veggies in them and theres plenty of foods that have veggies in them or u can sort of hide them in.. im not a big fan of vegetables myself so i buy the frozen bags that u make in the microwave that have cheese sauce on them .. u can also see if she likes salad dressing .. give her some carrots or celery or whatever and let her dip them and eat them
My kids eat most veggies without a problem - BUT my oldest (4) prefers his veggies raw and no dip while my youngest (21 mo) likes them cooked and served with dip - go figure! So maybe see if she likes raw veggies over cooked - my oldest is currently snacking on bell pepper strips as I type this. If he does dip it is usually in peanut butter - loves celery and carrot sticks with PB. I also try to put chopped veggies into other recipes as others have suggested and a really great way to add veg to soups or sauces is to use purees. I love adding butternut squash puree to chicken noodle soup - gives it a really wonderful rich flavor. And shredded zucchini is great to add to baked goods - muffins, cakes, and breads are some of our favs.
I agree with MamaLucky about the spaghetti sauce - you can hide a ton of veg in there! I also make black bean soup with either spinach or swiss chard blended in and quesadillas. Broccoli cheddar quiche goes over well. So does this recipe for swiss chard pecan pesto on either pasta or as a pizza base (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Swiss-Chard-and-Pecan-Pesto/....
HI J.,
There are many ways to get more fruits and veggies into your child's body without stress. For instance how about finely chopping some spinach and adding it to Tomato sauce for pasta. OR making homemade soups with lots of fresh veggies in it---the goodness from the veggies seep into the broth. Broccoli is another easy one when finely chopped and added. Please see the cookbook Love More Feed Less for tips on adding more fruits and veggies into foods for children---especially those fussy eaters. It i easier than you think and the veggies do not have to be bland, unpalatable and a designated place on the Plate-----especially when you cook with such!
EX. when making homemade nuggets, make use some of that extra coating/breading with some fresh veggies too. Please see www.themuffnlady.com for ordering this cookbook to help!
