It's easy to get your kids to eat burgers and French fries, but when it comes to vegetables, not so much! Check out these 5 simple ways to bring all those essential vitamins into your children's everyday meals.
1. Mix veggies into their favorite meals.
Adding vegetables to dishes your kids already love. Make a cauliflower pizza crust, or substitute mashed potatoes for cauliflower mash. Add chopped spinach and carrots to pasta sauce. Substitute French fries with vegetables like zucchini, kale chips, and crispy green beans.
Have two veggie options and ask your child if they would like one of them or both of them. Usually, children will choose to eat at least one of the options, since they feel that they have control over the decision. Bonus points if they end up picking both!
If your child is stubbornly refusing a certain vegetable, like broccoli for example, serve them a different way. Try roasting vegetables, or serving them raw. Offer them up with a healthy dip like hummus or melt a little cheese over them. Giving your child more complex flavors can help them learn to love vegetables they previously refused to eat!
If your child is old enough, get them to help prepare the food they’re about to eat. Let them experiment with different herbs and spices, allowing them to put their own “touch” on the dish. The more involved they feel in creating the dish, the more willing they are to try it!
5. Blend up the veggies
Whether in a smoothie or a soup, having veggies in liquid form can make it easier for kids to accept. Simple recipes, such as a kale and banana smoothie or a blended vegetable soup, can be made in minutes and will give your kids a healthy dose of the minerals and vitamins they need.
Use these 5 easy ways to introduce more veggies into your children's everyday meals and maybe they'll even learn to love them!