Being a mom of a 4 year old and 1 year old, I’m always looking for ways to incorporate more veggies into my children’s diet. With March being National Nutrition Month, this seemed like the perfect time to look back at what’s worked for my family and maybe provide some new ideas for your family.
I was lucky with my first born in that he ate almost any vegetable puree presented to him as a baby. Now that he’s 4, he’s developed opinions on what vegetables he will and won’t eat, but for the most part he has a good appetite for a variety of foods. With my daughter, I wasn’t so lucky, she pretty much hated most vegetable purees and getting her to eat vegetables now can be a coin toss. While this can be very frustrating, I’m not going to give up. I’ve discovered some ways that make it easier to eat more veggies. It’s still not perfect, but these have helped!
Be The Example
Kids learn by watching what others are doing, and the best way to have your kids eat a healthy diet is to set that example for them. Being a food blogger, my life revolves around delicious food. I’m also a firm believer that healthy food doesn’t have to taste bland and be boring. Typically on the weekends we splurge a little more and eat out 1 or 2 nights, but during the weekdays we eat dinner at home, together as a family. I only make one dinner for everyone, but depending on what were are eating, I’ll alternate the dish for the kids. For example, if my husband and I are eating a spicy curry, I’ll cook the protein and veggies separate, and have the kids eat that with rice. We’re all still eat the same thing, just slightly different.
Purees and Hidden Veggies
Since my daughter had an aversion to vegetables early on, I needed to come up with ways to incorporate them in the dishes she enjoyed eating. Her favorite thing to eat is pasta and noodles, and I can’t blame her, they’re delicious! I experimented with a few recipes and so far she’s enjoyed pureed butternut squash in mac and cheese, small diced veggies in spaghetti meat sauce, shredded veggies in meatballs, and a family favorite is turkey chili made with pumpkin puree.
Alternative Pasta Options
Most kids love pasta, and luckily now there’s quite a few alternative options for pasta. You can find pasta made from Spinach, Chick Peas, Quinoa, and even Beets. All of these have added nutrition and taste just like regular pasta! Use these with your favorite pasta sauce and you have a quick and easy meal. Check out your local health food grocer to see what options they have.
Dip It
Meal time shouldn’t be stressful and making it fun can definitely help. Dips are perfect for introducing more veggies to your child. Something about dipping, kids just love it! We love to eat hummus with baby carrots and sliced cumbers, or ranch made with Greek yogurt. You can either make your own or they have it in stores. Same great taste as ranch but the Greek yogurt gives it more protein, a win- win!
Keep Trying
It’s frustrating when you keep offering a food to a child and they keep refusing, and that’s OK. My daughter hated broccoli, but I would still offer a couple pieces and now she at least takes a bite. The key is to still provide the option and offer small amounts of veggies. Children’s palates are developing and changing often, and just like adults they go through phases of what they like and don’t like to eat.
I’d love to hear ways you get your kids to eat veggies. Leave me a comment below!
