One common struggle that
most moms will face at some time or other is getting their kids to eat their
veggies. Most kids will turn up their nose at the site of anything green. So how
do you get around the veggie issue? Here are 6 fun and easy ways to get your
kids to eat their veggies.
1. Fun
Presentation Kids love fun and colorful food. Cut
up some carrot
sticks, cucumber rounds, sliced cherry
tomatoes and sliced bell peppers and
arrange them all in a plate. You can make a face using the cucumber rounds for
the eyes, carrot sticks for eyebrows, cherry tomatoes for
nose and mouth and
arrange the pepper strips to form the
face. Serve with hummus and cut pita
bread on the side.
2. Make it
Routine Try to serve at least one veggie with
each meal your child
has. You can alternate between salads and cooked or cut veggies but always serve
at least one with each meal. Your child may not eat them at first but if they
see that veggies are a standard part of meal times they may just start trying
them.
3. Set a Good
Example This one goes without saying. Just like making veggies a
routine part of meals it will also help kids to see mom and dad eating their
greens. Show your kids how nice veggies can be by filling your plate up.
4. Get
Creative Okay this is a little sneaky but
definitely works. Most
kids love spaghetti so place some
veggies such as broccoli, cauliflower,
peppers into a food
processor and whiz until liquid. Add the mixture to your
spaghetti sauce for a nutritious meal. But make sure you
don't go
overboard and add too many veggies as this will
change the taste of the
sauce. The trick is to start out
slow and gradually increase the amount of
veggies as your kid's taste palette changes.
5. Veggie
Muffins Add a little grated carrot or zucchini
to your standard
muffin recipe. Banana carrot muffins are
delicious and so are zucchini
chocolate chip muffins. You
can also bake pumpkin muffins or cake. This is a
great way to give your kids a yummy treat and still ensure they're getting a
good serving of veggies.
6. The One
Bite Rule We have a rule in our house. Even if the kids don't like the
look of the veggies they must at
least try one bite. If they actually don't
like it then they don't have to eat it. This avoids a lot of meal time tantrums
and a lot of the times the kids will actually like the food once they taste it.
Try it you may be pleasantly surprised at how many different foods you kids will
actually eat.
If you are tired of trying the same
old food for those picky eaters I recommend you try this menu Planning
Service.