8 Fun Ideas to Get Your Kids to Eat Their Veggies
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8 Fun Ideas to Get Your Kids Eat Their Veggies
Do you have trouble getting your kids to eat their veggies? I sure do.
My son used to be great about trying and eating just about anything and then after he turned 2 ½. Now it is pretty much impossible to get him to eat anything other than corn when it comes to vegetables. So I had to come up with some fun and sometimes sneaky ways to get some veggies in her. Here are a few of my favorites.
Contents at a Glance
- 1. Make a Big Pot of Vegetable Soup
- 2. If You Can't Make Them Eat, Make Them...
- 3. Have You Tried Offering Them ...
- All about Veggies
- 4. Take It Even a Step Further and Let T...
- 5. Get the Kids Together and Make a Cold...
- 6. To Get Them to Eat More Vegetables at...
- The Sneaky Chef
- 7. Get Them Involved in the Kitchen
1. Make a Big Pot of Vegetable Soup
and then add some fun noodle shapes
You can use alphabet noodles or look for some fun novelty shapes. You may be able to find some cartoon characters, toy and sports shapes etc. I have even seen pumpkin and Christmas tree shapes. With a little luck your kids will be too busy spelling words, or identifying the shape to notice all the veggies they are eating in the soup. 2. If You Can't Make Them Eat, Make Them Drink it
Pour some vegetable juice over ice and add a straw, a cocktail umbrella or a stick of celery and watch them drink it up.Here is a Kids Approved Juice
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated orange or lemon peel
dash salt
2 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
2 (about 3/4 lb.) Red Delicious apples, cored and diced
1-1/2 cups diced fresh pineapple
1 orange, peeled and sectioned
How to:
1) Combine apple juice, lemon juice, orange or lemon peel, salt and cinnamon sticks in saucepan.
2) Bring to boil and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Cool slightly.
3) Remove cinnamon sticks. Combine apples, pineapple and orange.
Pour syrup over fruit and chill.
Your kids may not get as much fiber as eating the entire vegetable, but getting them to drink their vegetables is better than not getting any vegetables in their system.
3. Have You Tried Offering Them ...
Some Raw Vegetables...
with some ranch dressing to dip them in? Many kids who don't care much for cooked vegetables will eat them up if they can dip them. Just grab a bag of baby carrots and cut up some red and yellow peppers and some cucumber.Arrange them on a plate with a little bit of ranch dressing or your favorite vegetable dip on the side.
You can also use houmous as the dressing, it is healthy and if you make it yourself you can ajust the garlic (or leave it out).
All about Veggies
4. Take It Even a Step Further and Let Them...
Create Artwork
... out of their vegetables. Offer raw vegetables in different colors and shapes and encourage them to make a vegetable collage on their plate. You can easily make a face using slices of cucumber as eyes, a baby carrot as nose and a slice of red pepper as a mouth. You can use watercress or shredded carrots or even some cheese as hair. Before you know it, you'll find them sampling their "art supplies". 5. Get the Kids Together and Make a Cold ...
Vegetable Pizza.
6. To Get Them to Eat More Vegetables at...
Dinnertime Try a Salad Bar
Put out some lettuce, some sliced or chopped tomato, slices of cucumber, shredded carrot, slices of red and yellow peppers, small broccoli flowerets and anything else you can think of.You may also want to offer them some choices when it comes to salad dressing.
Favorites in our house are Ranch, Italian, Catalina, and French. To top it all of set out some croutons and shredded cheese
The Sneaky Chef
7. Get Them Involved in the Kitchen
Especially When it Comes to Cooking

Ask them to wash the vegetables, if they are old enough let them cut veggies (under your supervision of course), let them help you stir, or anything else you can think of that would be age appropriate.
You'll be amazed at how proud they will be of their finished product.
Believe me, they'll try just about anything if they made it.
Cooking with Kids
8. If Everything else Fails,
Hide The Vegetables in other Food
Give a few of these ideas a try and see which ones work best for your children. Keep at it and sooner or later they will start to develop a taste for vegetables.
Your Secret Weapon for a Healthy Eating Lifestyle
Would you like us to help you cook healthier for your entire family? Join the Menu Planning Central today. We make healthy menu planning easy with kids approved meals.
Credits
Tanja Sund
The photo of the soup is taken by:
Cheryl Lee
The photo of the cucumbers/carrots with houmous dip is taken by Steven Woods
Photo with the black background is taken by Melodi T
The "saladbar" photo is taken by Josee Holland
The Food Pyramid for Kids
- MyPyramid.gov - United States Department of Agriculture - For Kids
- The following MyPyramid materials were designed specifically for children aged 6 to 11. MyPyramid Blast Off Game. An interactive computer game where kids can reach Planet Power by fueling their rocket...
... and tips for the families on healthy food.
How About Your Kids?
Do Your Kids Eat Their Veggies?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes - no problems
WindyWinters says:
Yes, because we love our veggies but need to try some different ones.
Posted August 12, 2011
darkhairedgirl says:
Yes, but I am very very sneaky and hide veggies in everything!
Posted September 25, 2010
Veggies-Kids is that a combination?
Kids and Foods in Breaking News
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byDo you have a tip to get your kids to eat their veggies?

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passionfitness
Dec 16, 2011 @ 10:23 am | delete
- Love this lens!
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DeterminedDolphin
Nov 3, 2011 @ 1:01 pm | delete
- Great ideas on helping kids get more veggies into their diets. Thanks for the lens.
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surfsusan
Nov 3, 2011 @ 1:05 pm | delete
- I m deligthed you like the lens, it was fun to create.
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Mamaboo
Oct 2, 2011 @ 1:43 am | delete
- I need these in the worst way...or should I say my kids do!!! Thanks for sharing
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surfsusan
Oct 2, 2011 @ 2:36 am | delete
- LOL, you are welcome.
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RecipePublishing
Aug 18, 2011 @ 7:47 am | delete
- Cute lens.
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Milan Scott
Jun 2, 2011 @ 12:54 pm | delete
- Great suggestions on how to get our kids to start eating healthy. I will try some of your tips on this lens to make sure that my child would not become obese like me. I've had a DePuy Pinnacle hip implant in the past, and my weight simply added more pressure on my hips which added discomfort while I was recovering. Unfortunately, the device has recently been scrutinized and is said to be defective. Reports have stated that there is a high possibility of a DePuy Pinnacle recall.
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Joe
Jun 1, 2011 @ 11:42 am | delete
- This is quite informative. Great lens on how to get our kids to eat veggies
Airplane Manuals, Plane Maintenance Manuals, and Repair Guides.
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OhMe
May 7, 2011 @ 3:30 pm | delete
- Enjoyed these tips for getting your kids to eat veggies. Lensrolled to my Crunchy Hawaiian Chicken Wrap which is one of our elementary school's entry in the Recipes for Healthy Kids Challenge. We are so excited because this recipe is in the top 15 nationwide.
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happynutritionist
Apr 15, 2011 @ 10:21 pm | delete
- Great tips for getting kids to eat those veggies:-) Blessed and added to "Diet and Nutrition Squid Angel".
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Sep 15, 2010 @ 9:43 pm | delete
- That is great! Thanks for sharing this.
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poutine
Nov 22, 2009 @ 4:15 pm | delete
- Hiding carrotts and zucchinis in muffins is one way to have the kids
eat their veggies.
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surfsusan
Oct 14, 2010 @ 1:59 pm | delete
- I have tried to bake zucchini cake and that was a great success - great idea.
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lingstar
Jun 18, 2009 @ 6:06 am | delete
- Fantastic lens! I plan on using some of those ideas myself.
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ChineseKitesforKids
Jun 2, 2009 @ 9:53 pm | delete
- My Mom used to mix veggies in her mash potatoes.... ha ha That's too funny that you said that. One thing that I like to do in my daycare is teach the kids sign language. I know it sounds weird but it really has been a terrific resource for getting kids to eat veggies. The kids are excited when they can communicate effectively with me and they love signing foods. Naturally they sign for a cookie, ice cream or candy first....ha ha But when its time to choose foods that are healthy they know how to sign carrot, corn, green bean, peas, grapes, apples, etc. They love signing "carrot" and then getting a carrot for snack, they're just tickled to death.
You have some really great tips here! Thanks for sharing! 5 stars! Come and check out our lens Daycare School Nutrition.
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Wysiwigs
Dec 16, 2008 @ 9:21 am | delete
- Great ideas! Believe it or not, my daughter eats veggies just fine - I'M the one that hates 'em :o) I wonder if it works in reverse?
Http://www.squidoo.com/ConnieCrankpot
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oneskms
Oct 6, 2008 @ 11:46 am | delete
- Some good ideas here and also think daoine has an idea with a little vegetable patch for them to grow some of their own. Please stop by our Disney Pixar Toys lens
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lisadh May 15, 2008 @ 2:25 pm | delete
- Great ideas. My kids and I! enjoy spinach brownies, which sound awful, but are amazingly good. (Just doesn't eat them when they're warm.) The link goes to Parents magazine, which invented these treats. Try it. You'll be amazed.
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stargazer00
May 8, 2008 @ 10:43 am | delete
- Nice lens, great subject. I puree green peppers and onions and put them in spaghetti sauce. What about letting the kids grow sprouts? They might be more likely to eat them.
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Evelyn_Saenz Apr 13, 2008 @ 11:52 am | delete
- Great Lens!
Fancy Nancy is blessing your lens with extra stars. You made my day a fun and fancy.
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forthekids08
Mar 31, 2008 @ 8:19 am | delete
- Great Lens!
terrificparenting.com
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eccles1
Mar 22, 2008 @ 3:08 am | delete
- you are right getting the family to eat more veggies good job!
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DAS
Mar 1, 2008 @ 7:51 pm | delete
- ADDA
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georgieworld
Jan 6, 2008 @ 5:35 pm | delete
- Great lens! So what is your take on the Jessica Seinfeld book about hiding the veggies in the kids food?
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tonyab Jan 1, 2008 @ 2:05 am | delete
- VERY nice lens - I have this problem and these ideas are very useful!!! Definitely 5 stars. :)
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About The Author
by surfsusan
Being a nutrition counselor I know how important it is to eat healthy expecially for our small ones. more »
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