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 daughter used to be great about trying and eating just about anything and then she turned 2 ½. Now it is pretty much impossible to get her 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.
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. Great Soup Cookbook
Vegetable Soups from Deborah Madison's Kitchen
When you use the recipes from Madison's cookbook you are in good company, the recipes are both healthy and different from "the old boring" soups. Your kids will love them.
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Amazon Price: $13.57 (as of 07/05/2008)
List Price: $19.95
Used Price: $10.00
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. 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
Vegetables from Amaranth to Zucchini: The Essential Reference: 500 Recipes, 275 Photographs
This book is an absolute must for anyone serious about cooking. Winner of the IACP cookbook rewards, it covers every vegetable that you will ever come across in your grocery stores, in full detail.
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Amazon Price: $40.95 (as of 07/05/2008)
List Price: $65.00
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.
Start out with a can of crescent rolls. Unroll the dough, but don't pull the triangle shapes apart. Instead push the seams together and bake on a baking sheet according to the package directions. Let the sheet of dough cool completely, then spread with some crème cheese (we like a vegetable or herb flavored one) and top with some thinly sliced raw veggies. Cut into squares and serve. 
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
The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals
A must have for all parents!
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Amazon Price: $12.21 (as of 07/05/2008)
List Price: $17.95
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
Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers & Up
This is a big hit in our house, the kids love it so much they want to use these recipes only! Used from $4.99.
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8. If Everything else Fails,
Hide The Vegetables in other Food
My mom used to make us some special orange mashed potatoes. We thought it was very fancy, but all she did was to cook some carrots with the potatoes and mashed them right in there. You can also cover broccoli with tomato sauce or cheese. Think of a dish your child really enjoys and sneak a little bit of vegetable in there.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.
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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
Do you have a tip to get your kids to eat their veggies?
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lisadh
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. Posted May 15, 2008 |
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stargazer00
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. Posted May 08, 2008 |
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Evelyn_Saenz
Great Lens! Posted April 13, 2008 |
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forthekids08
Great Lens! Posted March 31, 2008 |
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eccles1
you are right getting the family to eat more veggies good job! Posted March 22, 2008 |
ADDA
Posted March 01, 2008
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georgieworld
Great lens! So what is your take on the Jessica Seinfeld book about hiding the veggies in the kids food? Posted January 06, 2008 |
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tonyab
VERY nice lens - I have this problem and these ideas are very useful!!! Definitely 5 stars. :) Posted January 01, 2008 |
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SmartWeb
You've been added to the links plexo on Healthy Secrets They Don't Want You To Know About... Welcome! Posted November 18, 2007 |
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Book-Club-Critic
I never make mac and cheese without cramming it full of peas and chopped broccoli. My boys love it, and I get an easy no fuss meal. Posted August 28, 2007 |
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QuietMom
Great Lens- 5 stars! Posted August 28, 2007 |
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webseitler
You have a wonderful lens here on such a needed topic! Love it! Thanks for these ideas. :) Posted August 23, 2007 |
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willemvanweperen
Nice lense. Sparkling ideas. Too bad my children are already grown up. Maybe I'll benefit in the near future when I become grandpa :) Posted August 20, 2007 |
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Swiftwalker
again another great lens on a valuable subject how to get your kids to eat vegetables. Posted August 08, 2007 |
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elsaivymom
Another great lens by surfsusan, 5 stars. Posted July 27, 2007 |
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Graceonline
My kids liked to cook with me in the kitchen. One of their favorites was "ants on a log." That's celery sticks, stuffed with crunchy peanut butter (we used the organic, unprocessed kind that you have to stir), dotted with raisins. (They're the ants.) Btw, I voted for this lens on www.lensroll.com. Posted July 26, 2007 |
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Minivan_Mama
I LOVE this lens! Great tips on a tough subject. 5 stars and I have lensrolled you on my Alpha Omega Homeschool Curriculum Review lens. Posted July 18, 2007 |
I put freshly washed baby carrots in their school lunch as their "vegetable/fruit" choice, along with a sandwich and dessert. Kids are so hungry at school by the time lunchtime rolls around that even if they have only a lukewarm feeling towards carrots -- they'll eat'em then!
Great lens topic!
Posted July 13, 2007
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sadiepal
What a great lense, keep up the great work! Posted July 12, 2007 |
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EverythingMouse
Great Lens. The idea to make them drink their fruit and veggies really worked for me with my 5 year old. Posted July 11, 2007 |
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CreativeArtist
Love your lens. Lots of great ideas! I plan to use some. Posted July 07, 2007 |
nice lense and informations are truely valuable, we all try or do as you mentioned above, thanks waiting for more
Posted July 06, 2007
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daoine
Letting kids try growing their own veges can help too. Great ideas! Posted July 05, 2007 |
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poutine
First time visitor and I must say that you have a great lens Susan. Worth the 5 stars I voted for. Posted July 05, 2007 |
No I don't and that's why I look up things like this. One thing I know is my oldest didn't take to vegetables when she was little but when she became a teenager she started to eat vegetables and now loves them (she's 20). Now I'm having problems with my 2 youngest and am hoping they follow their sis
Posted July 05, 2007
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.
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