Veggies + Kids = drama.
Am I right?
Sigh. Since becoming a mom, I have struggled with getting my 3 picky kids to eat veggies. But after much trial and error, here are 4 ways we get it done at my house.
1. Raw veggies with a trio of dip options
Each of my children has at least one veggie that they will eat raw. My oldest likes carrots, my middle guy likes cucumbers, my baby likes cucumbers, carrots, and bell peppers. And all 3 of them enjoy “dipping!” So, often I serve their veggies with 3 different dollops of dips, dressings, or random condiments. Ketchup, Ranch dressing, hummus, guacamole, salsa, honey mustard, – I just use whatever I have in my fridge. They enjoy talking about how each one tastes and sometimes even mix two of the dips together. Boom, veggies down the hole!
2. “Trees with snow”
…Also known as lightly steamed broccoli served with a small pile of grated parmesan cheese for dipping. Again, dipping for the win! I keep it simple (and inexpensive) by buying large bags of frozen broccoli florets, then just steam a bowlful at a time in the microwave. I serve them literally plain with a small pile of “snow” on the side.
3. Ninja Turtle Smoothies!
On the weekends we often have smoothies for breakfast. I wanted to start adding in veggies but couldn’t figure out how to sneak them past my kids. So I thought to myself, what do they love that is green. Duh! Ninja turtles! So we make our smoothies as usual with frozen fruit, greek yogurt, and a splash of orange juice, and then we add in the “secret ninja turtle ingredient”: gobs of frozen spinach!! They loved “ninja turtle” smoothies and they have now become our standard!
4. Snack products with hidden veggies
My kids love juice boxes for a treat. Did you know that there are some that have hidden veggies? We don’t have juice boxes everyday, but when they do get one, why not sneak a little extra veggie in their life too? 🙂 The same goes for squeeze pouches. My kids eat one of these almost every day. They love them and I love that there is half a serving of veggies mixed in with the fruit!
I hope you have found my weird, sneaky, delicious list helpful – or at least entertaining! I would love to hear ways that you get your children to eat more vegetables! Happy veggie munching mommas!
