I have never been one to sneak vegetables into my kids’ food. It feels rather sneaky and counter-productive. I do want them to want to eat their veggies, and maybe, learn to love them! (As a kid, I often asked for green beans for snack and ate the kale garnish from the plate, before kale was recognized as more than a decoration! Weird, I know!)
I have worked on encouraging my kids to develop a good relationship with veggies. Simple things like growing a garden, and snacking directly from the plant! To letting the kids pick out a new vegetable at the store and helping to prepare it. Of course, I serve at least one or two veggie options with most meals. If I serve soup, the kids now know it’s full of veggies and say, “Let’s see if we can guess all the veggies!”
Now, I know it may be hard at first to get your kiddos to join you in eating more veggies, but here are some great ways to up your daily servings:
- Raw- simply chop and eat!
- Sauteed- in coconut oil, avocado oil…or BUTTER!!
- Smoothie- freeze fresh bags of spinach or kale to add to your favorite fruits
- Deep Fried- yeah, I know… but this is probably the only way my kids will eat zucchini or okra. Pick your battles, friends!
- Roasted- even I am picky about some veggies, like carrots, and will only eat them after they’ve spent about an hour in the oven
To roast carrots: Simply cut the carrots into your favorite size, or leave them whole! Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and lay flat on a cookie sheet. (We use a baking mat on the pan to avoid sticking!) Bake at 400* for about an hour, or until the edges get black and crispy (Trust me!! Almost tastes like a roasted marshmallow!)
What are your family’s favorite way to eat veggies?
