Hello Happy Mamas!
Struggling to get the kiddos to eat some more nutrient dense veggies?
No problemo-I've got you covered.
My kids are generally pretty good. Well, two out of three downright LOVE veggies. The third-not so much. He'd rather have pizza and steak every night. For his health coaching mama, that's no bueno, so for the times when he's particularly resistant, I do have a few tricks up my sleeve. And if they help you, too-fantastic!
So, here are my top 5 tips for getting your kids to eat their veggies....
#1 Get a lil' Sneaky
When you're making something like a soup, stew, marinara sauce, meatloaf, or muffins, sneak a little goodness right in.
Shred some carrots (great for all of the above), chop some spinach or kale, or any other veggie you'd like your little ones to get the benefits from. It's incredibly easy to do, and they'll hardly notice that their meal just got super charged with nutrients.
#2 Make It Pretty
The more colorful a vegetable, the more nutrient dense it is. And kids love color, right? So use this to your advantage and create a bright and colorful plant-based stir fry or salad. You can also saute some brightly colored peppers, broccoli and yellow squash with some olive oil (or coconut oil, my new favorite-it's better for high heat cooking) and garlic, then toss it with some purple, yellow and green pasta. You can find pasta that's been dyed with natural colorings such as beet juice at health food stores. How much fun is that?
#3 Channel Your Inner Picasso
Get creative with your food! Design amazingly fun monster faces, sailboats, stars, holiday themed plates or whatever your mini me's get excited about with pepper strips, cherry tomatoes, broccoli...whatever you want to use. Pinterest has some great pics if you're in need of some visual inspiration.
And to really have fun with this tip, combine it with #4...
#4 Recruit Your Little Chefs
This can be a lot of fun for everyone. Start right at the beginning of meal planning and let them browse your cookbooks or go online and find veggie filled recipes that they'd like to help make. Getting the kids involved makes them feel valued and important plus they'll be much more interested in eating a healthy meal that they planned themselves. Take it even further and let them help you make it. Imagine the proud little smiles they'll have as they announce that dinner is ready. :)
#5 Break Out the Blender
Make some smoothies! These are fantastic for breakfast, a snack or dessert, even. Yes, I am telling you that you can turn veggies like kale, carrots and celery into a sweet post dinner treat. It's super easy to do and you'll feel great giving your kids a much healthier alternative to milkshakes. Throw some greens of choice in, some chopped apples (be sure to remove the seeds), some strawberries, a banana (or avocado) to make is smooth, sprinkle some cinnamon and top with some water or coconut water and blend away. Experiment with different ingredients to find what your family really likes. Also, check out recipes online-they're everywhere-for more ideas.
Well, these are my favorite tips for getting my kids to eat more veggies.
Want to learn more tips and tricks especially for busy mamas? Subscribe to my blog or sign up for my newsletter at www.ifmamaainthappy.net.
I'd love to hear from you, leave a comment below if you have any other special ways of getting more vegetables into your family's diet.
Until then, have a fantastic day!
~Cozetta
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