Vegetables - Saint Paul,MN

Candied sweet potatoes! They are really good for you (shh! Don't tell them that! LOL!). Start them out with lots of marshmallows with them...eventually, they'll eat them without all the sugar. :)

Let's see...peapods are fun...especially the fresh ones, but even the cooked frozen ones are good, too. They're like opening and eating surprise presents inside! They learn to count the peas inside, too.

Water chestnuts (are they veggies??) are interesting...

Corn is an obvious one, but doesn't have a lot of nutritional value...

If they'll eat broccoli, how about cauliflower?

Try different dips for the raw veggies...kids like to dip things...a LOT. LOL!

Have them help to make coleslaw...they get to eat what they made...

Ants on logs are good... (raisins on peanut butter on celery) (Triple bonus -- fruit, protein, AND veggie.)

I liked artichokes when I was young...just boiled and then cooled, and I peeled the leaves off and dipped them in mayo...well, Miracle Whip. I didn't eat the hearts, though, so you could use those for another dip with chips. :)

Again, if they like broccoli, and the whole "tree" thing, you could try asparagus...it's a mini-tree. :)

Candied parsnips are REALLY good...white carrots with sugar! YAY!

My oldest liked caesar salad...for a while...doesn't now...I have NO idea what happened there, but worth a try...

Ricotta Lasagna Swirls! REALLY good...and you can't taste the spinach...(I usually use a can or two of spaghetti sauce, or double the recipe for the sauce...and I add ground meat and garlic to the sauce.)

RICOTTA LASAGNA SWIRLS
This is based on a recipe by the same name from Frances Moore Lappe’s Diet for a Small Planet. New York [Ballantine Books, 1971]. Average serving has 14 grams of usable protein.

8 cooked lasagna noodles

Filling
2 pounds fresh spinach, chopped
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup ricotta cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash 2 pounds (less will work) fresh
spinach; place washed spinach in saucepan and steam for about 7 minutes, until it is limp but not mushy. Mix spinach cheeses, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Coat each
noodle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of mixture along the entire length of the noodle. Roll up, turning on end so that you see the spiral. Stand on end in a baking dish.

Sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Sauté garlic and onion. Add tomato sauce, basil and oregano. Pour sauce over noodles and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes.

Okay, that's all my ideas...good luck and have fun!

Roasted sweet potatoes are the best. I love them and so does my 17 month old son. You can cut them up and mix them with olive oil, Thyme, a dash of salt and a dash of sugar. You roast them at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes depending on the size. They are really great warm or cold. My son and I will eat them as snacks and with meals.

we do steamed asperagus and my son loves it. We just steam it then add butter and some garlic salt. very good. sometimes we just add a teriaki sauce to the veggies. I have a recipe for teriaki chicken with broccoli and rice that is very good. let me know if you want the recipe. a friend of mine made a really good salad and all she did was cut up some broccoli and califlour and add raisons, sunflower seeds and a poppyseed dressing. Mostly we just steam our veggies and add garlic salt. my mom makes candied carrots by adding some brown sugar to them and butter. those are good to. i love trying new recipes so i love reading these posts to see what everyone suggests.

I buy the cub brand frozen japanese veges and use in a stir fry...it has all kinds of different things: peapods, broccoli, mini corn, mushrooms, etc...kids love it.

what about making breads or muffins with carrots, zucchini etc??

and my kids like raw veges with dip, mostly broccoli, califlower, celery, but will also eat cherry tomotoes, cucumbers etc.

I'd recommend picking up the book "Deceptively Delicious" - it shows how to "hide" veggies in everyday kid-friendly foods.

You'd be amazed with the stuff you can make with pureed cauliflower. I know you said your kids are not picky, but this is a nice alternative to working them in the meals.

http://cookwithme.today.com/2008/07/02/cookbook-review-de...

There are a few sample recipes on this site, as well.

Hey J.!

I too have struggled with a little one that doesn't even want to look at a vegetable, much less put it into his mouth. In addition, he has food allergies (peanut & tomato) ... so he has given me quite a challenge these 5, almost 6 years. I wanted to tell you about a cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld (Jerry's wife) ... "Deceptively Delicious". She has some wonderful ideas on how to get good healthy foods into your kids, without all of the battles. She uses vegetable purees and adds them into recipes. Her recipes are not only great, but the cookbook is super cute. Anyway, you can look it up at www.deceptivelydelicious.com.

Good Luck!
D.

P.S. I thought it was worth mentioning that since my little guy has started kindergarten, and eaten some of the school lunches, he seems to have become more willing to try more vegetables. He has even admitted to liking some, sort of. Hallelujah ... there may be hope for us all!

My kids love kale! All we do is remove stems, toss it with a little olive oil and bake for about 10 min at about 375 then flip and bake for another 10 min or until the kale is crisp, then sprinkle with a little sea salt. The texture is similar to a chip...

Also if your kids are a fan of pumkin pie they might like this: Baked sweet potatoes mixed with cinnomon, nutmeg, ginger and a little vanilla. If not sweet enough add a touch of honey or vanilla yogurt. Top with crumbled grahmcrackers and a touch of whipped cream. My 18 mo old LOVES this! Or you could spread the sweet potatoe mixture on the grahm crackers and top with whipped cream to make mini pies!

My lilttle one loves to dip so we slice mini sweet peppers, cucumbers and have fresh snap pea pods ready to dip in hummus...

I also chop and add fresh spinach to everything when cooking! Pasta sauce, pastas, sandwiches, dips, ect..

Good luck!

I know you have a zillion responses already, but I wanted to throw in my 2 cents:

My son (almost 3 yrs old) loves to choose his own vegetables and fruits at the store. Just the other day, he selected brussel sprouts! My mom cooked them up for him and he ate a fair amount. He also has asked for the soy beans, which are good sauteed or raw, in salads or alone. What I notice about my son and produce is, the more involved in the process he is, the more likely he is to want to at least TRY it, if not eat a healthy portion. I have also stopped making a big deal about what parts he won't eat of any given fruit or vege. He won't eat the skins from cucumbers, apples, or potatoes. He only eats the seeds and juice out of tomato slices, and will suck on but not chew orange slices.I figure it's better if he eats part of something than none of it.

You can also try cutting produce into different shapes, making shavings, or putting it in tiny little cups - my kid will eat anything out of a restaurant dressing cup. And any healthy dressing can be "dip" to a kid.

I don't know the nutritional value, but our school serves jicamma (yickama).
they cut them bigger than julienne, and they look like french fries.
I can't explain the taste...sort of like raw potatoes, but not as strong. sort of like rutebega (sp). They have a lot of water content. I think they are good. But like I said, if you cut them right, they almost look like fries.
? Give them a try.

My kids love edamame (soy beans in their pods) and artechokes because both of these involve doing something- poping open the pods or pulling off the leaves and dipping them in sauce.

*1 bag frozen veggies...I use the California blend
Cook veggies as directed
*1 tub garden veg cream cheese
*1 can cream of celery soup
Combine cream cheese and cream of celery soup and mix together with the cooked veggie mixture in a casserole dish
*1 bag seasoned croutons..I use the texas toast kind
Crunch up croutons and sprinkle over veggie mixture

Bake in oven for 20-30 minutes @ 350. Watch so croutons don't burn...it really only needs to heat up in the oven.

This is a very yummy recipe...even my 19 month old eats it!

My family loves green beans (canned works best). Empty the water out and put in frying pan with butter and onions. They darken up a bit and taste great and are supper easy to make!

One of my favorites is cabbage and rutabega. Boil and drain water when rutebega has softened. Cover with butter, salt and pepper.

I haven't read all the other responses so sorry if I repeat any of them, but my family all loves sweet potatoes or yams. Just peel them and cut them into smaller pieces, then either roast them in the oven or toss them into a pan with salt and butter. To make them sweeter you can put a little bit of maple syrup on the top. You can either mash them or leave them in chunks, they are loaded with nutrients and always delicious.

My kids liked raw veggies with soft cream cheese or dip, or apple slices and celery with peanut butter. They also liked pasta salad that I loaded up with a variety of veggies. I added chopped spinach to ham and cheese quiche which was also a favorite.

How about trying a stir-fry? We stir-fry with broth instead of grease and toss summer squash, zucchini, mushrooms and whatever we have on had. Sweet potatoes have that sweet flavor and your child may like that. You can add spinach to spaghetti sauce and lasagna and it is nearly invisible. Jicama, cut in pieces like a carrot, daikon (tastes a bit like a radish). My daughter used to love mashed rutabaga when she was little.

Edemmame is a hit with my 18 month old. You can buy it frozen and already shelled so you can just heat and serve with a dash of salt (for adults or older children) or just plain. My little guy gobbles 'em up like candy! I think they also sell ones that you can cook right in the bag - and they have Spongebob on them so kids will think its a cool veggie anyway!

Strange enough, but my ds loves cooked beets. I just simmer them till tender and then dice them up. They are very sweet and I like to eat them like that too. If you need sauce, sometimes I'll do a little sour cream mixed with dill or a vinegar sauce (Harvard beets) but my ds isn't a huge vinegar fan. =) He also likes yam fries (just slice like fries and toss with oil or oil and a little nutmeg and bake)and turnip fries. I'm mentioning lots of roots because, at least at my co-op you can still find some locally grown roots that have been stored till now. We do a lot of tomatos and peppers too in tacos or burritos (and beans)but we froze a ton from the Farmer's Market last year. Good luck.

My daughter who is 2+ actually loves asparagus and eats it no problem. She also likes peas and corn cooked. But she has liked all those things since she was little. She loves cut up cucumber just as a snack. There are some veggies she's getting more picky with and says she doesn't like. Doesn't like anything leafy. Maybe it's just a stage? Good luck.

J., I have been a daycare provider for 30 yrs. I know what your going through. Some kids will eat anything and others won't try a thing. One vegetable that my kids love though is beets. Surprising isn't it. I started feeding them beets right from the start and they grew up loving them. I just make sure I cut them up in bite sizes. They love the little square canned ones you can buy in the store, but you can also cook the fresh ones after you've peeled them. Just sprinkle with a little salt-free vegetable seasoning. (I use just a little Mrs. Dash)! Another thing they like for broccoli is melting a little cheese over the top of them. Velvetta melts nice, but the real American cheese is healtier. You can also use a can of cheddar cheese soup. Works great with alot of vegetables. I've even given them jicama. Pronounced, hick-a-ma! You peel and cut it up like little french fries and serve it with dill dip or a homemade vegetable dip. They also like celery stuffed with peanut butter or cheese. If you use sauces and dips, they seem to be willing to try anything once. This doesn't work for all kids though. Some just won't try anything. I keep trying though and sometimes they come around when they get older. Make sure they see you and Dad trying these things too. If Dad doesn't eat them, they won't. Good Luck! Nancy C.

You can search the internet for healthy kids food and find all kinds of ways to sneak fresh produce into favorite kids food. My family loves roasted veggies and pasta, so we kind of mix it up all the time with different whole grain & tri-color pastas with different veggies (in season). Sometimes together, sometime not. Then we try different recipes with the same foods raw. The best way I found all this was searching the internet for "kid friendly celery recipes" etc. You will be amazed how many recipes people post all over! We are having fun trying new things. Good luck!

jicmama
i used to do daycare and all the kids liked it. It is a mexican potatoe.....just peel it (like a potatoe) and I would cut it into "carrot stick" size pieces. Also rally good in stir fry!

Hi J.! I love www.allrecipes.com they have a green bean recipe that is amazing! It's green beans with cherry tomatoes and it's in a basil butter sauce!
You can do sweet potato fries and even butternut squash fries! Who knew! :)
Oven roasted asparagus with parmesan cheese is amazing! You can also steam it with some lemon and pepper.
you can make squash with a pure maple syrup glaze....
roasted carrots are good too!
I rarely buy processed foods. I rarely cook with sugar too and I find recipes and modify them to suit me. That's why I love allrecipes!
Have fun with your veggies!

A white sauce is good or a cheese sauce.
You take and melt 2Tbl of butter add 2Tble flour slowly stir in 1 cup milk working the lumps out and you can add cheese to this. Add a little salt and pepper too. Very simple sause to put over the veggies.

Here's a great cauliflower side dish my kids and I love:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Roasted-Garlic-Cauliflower/D...

I too want ideas on how to eat more veggies.
L.

My daughter loves artichoke/spinach dip. She likes it with fresh bread, wheat crackers, etc. Many cookbooks have recipes along with the produce sections in some stores and google.

My kids like corn and peas mixed together.

Hi,

I really like the sauce recipes on the back of the Argo corn starch container. It's easy to make some of them low fat by substituting skim milk.

I use the cheese sauce recipe for broccoli, or homemade mac and cheese. The alfredo sauce recipe is really easy and is perfect for asparagus or noodles.

I served some lima beans the other day -- just microwaved some plain frozen lima beans -- and, to my surprise, my 2 year old loved them. She loves edamame so I guess it makes sense.

my 18-month old loves fauxtatoes (cauliflower pureed with mayo & milk to resemble potatoes). i was shocked!

she also loves any form of cooked red cabbage, i think because the color looks like ketchup (which she would eat by the cupful if i would let her)

Cream sauce on peas is really good, also on carrots; those are my favorite. Just use some of the hot liquid, add some flour and some milk, shake up, mix in and stir until thickened. It's really good. Also, my family loves beets and especially when I bake them like potatoes. Cut off the tops and bottoms, poke with a fork, wrap in aluminum foil and back at 350 for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours, depending on the size. When you open them, they are easy to peel and then just slice and butter. Scrumptious.

I haven't read through the replies yet, so I apologize if it's been repeated! Cook carrots until done to likeness. If you cook in water, drain and return to pot. Add honey and curry powder (YEP!) and maybe a tab of butter. I like them really sauced up so I add a lot. Also, if there a Trader Joe's in your area? Granted - they are frozen, but.... they have Pring Green Beans, saute the beans, add a good number of raw shrimp. When the shrimp are cooked add the sauce packet and 1/2 can of coconut milk - yum! TJ's also has julienned carrots, frozen, again, but it's like 3 diffenent kinds of carrots. Oh, steamed Edemame with a bit of lemon, in the shell, make it fun for them!

I think it was AllRecipes.com that has it, but there is a recipe for mashed butternut squash and pear. Very good, kind of rich. Or maybe it was food network, IDK. Good luck!

I try to mix the vegetables in as much as possible, and make it a one-dish meal. For example, tonight I mixed leftover rice with mixed vegetables, chopped up chicken, and cheese sauce.
Another thing they like is pasta mixed with cream of celery, tuna, and peas.
You can also stir peas or mixed veggies into macaroni and cheese. My boys recently discovered they like tuna mixed with that, too.
We had taco salad the other night made with rice, rinsed black beans, 1+ cup corn, 1 jar salsa, 1-1/2 cups of water, and taco seasoning. Heat together, serve over chips, and top with cheese.
Super easy chili: 1 can rinsed black beans, 1 can red beans, 1 jar salsa, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 cup water, 1+ cup corn, and chili seasoning.
My family LOVES home-made split pea soup with potatoes and some carrots blended in, topped with bacon bits and cheese, served with home-made rolls.
I also have a great, easy recipe for potato corn chowder that we all like.
I always buy frozen veggies, but never the kind with sauces.

Edamame (green soybeans) are a favorite here. My son just eats them frozen so I don't have any sauce recipes but I'm sure there are some interesting ones on the Internet recipe sites.

I like to bread and fry zucchini. Then dip it in dressing. U can make it healthy depending on the oil u use (I like just cooking spray).

My family loves roasted vegetables. Asparagus is our favorite but this can be can with almost any vegetable, (especially root veggies, squash, zucchini, eggplant, etc.). Put sliced veggies on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, put in 425 oven for 15 min or so until nice and roasted. It really changes up the flavor of the vegetables. We also like grilled romaine lettuce, it's really good and nutty tasting.

Well my son loves Green Giant canned sweet corn. It has Dora on the can....It's the only canned veggie I buy, but he likes it so much that it's easy for those nights you might want to order pizza or have something easy and then at least he still gets a veggie even if it's not the most nutritious, it's better then no vegetable at dinner.

My husband steams asparagus and it's very good. He boils water along with seasonings (whatever kind you want)and puts the asparagus in a metal strainer above the boiling water. This way the asparagus doesn't get soggy, but stays somewhat crunchy. It's very good and doesn't need any type of sauce.

We add a bit of Italian dressing to our frozen green beans and then sprinkle them with parmesan cheese.

Lastly, for grilling, cut up zucchini & red & yellow peppers and put in foil and grill for appox. 10 minutes, then add (again) Italian dressing & parmesan cheese. This is actually my favorite!

our son loves spinach sauteed with garlic! sweet potatoes roatsted with garlic. he really likes hummus...and dipping veggies in it! also loves tahini which is wonderful for all of us! we also put veggies in quesadillas. good luck!

i am very lucky that my daughter loves everything food and even tries new kinds all the time. i believe it's because after cereal, i started her on veggies instead of fruits first. it's actually my husband that is kind of picky! i find that putting cheese on them is a big hit. especially broccoli, cauliflower, carrots. make creamed peas or beans or spinach by making a butter/flour white sauce. green bean casserole works all year, not just the holidays. i used to put baby food veggies (mostly carrots) in meatloaf and nobody was the wiser! stir fry is mostly veggies but kids don't always think of it that way. fry breaded things like summer squash, zucchini, eggplant. eggplant parmesan is smothered in sauce so they may think it's the meat. i could go on and on but maybe it's easier said than done when my daughter likes them all. even beets and spinach! just try things earlier on so the kids are used to them. they're young enough you could just get excited about this new "food" instead of this new "veggie". spinach can be snuck into meals easily like italian wedding soup. make a big salad and chop up all kinds of veggies (carrots, tomatoes, olives, celery, and all the others you can think of that don't have to be cooked)and let them build their own salad. you can even have tuna or chicken or steak to put on top if you're a family of meateaters. hope this helps.

S. m

I'm so impressed that you make your food from scratch! My 2 year old loves raw red and green peppers, and cucumbers. She also loves green leaf lettuce and spinach cut up into small pieces so she can dip them in low fat dressing.

My kids LOVE Orange Peppers, raw. I cut them into slices (dice for my one year old, and they can't seem to get enough. Yellow and Red peppers will get eaten too, so I usually mix them up.
I tried a recipe for asparagus the other day that was super easy and yummy. Toss with a little olive oil, salt/pepper, spread on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 for 10-15min. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, and melt in oven. It's good finger food for the little ones.
Last night I made a dip from pureed peas/a pureed avocado, 4 eggs (I cooked in microwave 4 min and chopped up), a can of tuna and a TBSP of miracle whip,light. If I'd have had tomatoes, I'd have added that too. It was really good on a sandwich, in a tortilla, and on crackers.
Butternut squash is excellent in applesauce. Cut it in fours sprinkle with 1/8 tsp cinnamon, add 2 Tbsp water and cover with suran and cook in microwave 10 min. Let it cool a little and scoop it out/puree it up and mix with the applesauce.

We love Edamame Beans (soy beans). Buy buy them frozen in the pod, boil them as directed, drain and put in a bowl. We salt usually with sea salt and the kids like squeezing them out of the pod and eating the beans. They are easy, nutritious, and fun.
D.