Cooking Healthy for Kids: Sneaking VegetablesThe previous article discussed vegetarian kids. Having a vegetarian child is definitely not normal in terms of the majority of the child population. Most children detest vegetables, and don't like eating them at all. Many times, vegetables are the reason behind the fights between young children and parents at the dinner table. As a result many bad feelings are associated with vegetables, and children dislike them even more! Parents need not struggle any longer, though. They can just learn to repackage vegetables for children who do not like eating them. As the main cooks of the house, parents can learn to disguise vegetables, and as a result sneak vegetables into their children's diet. If you are a parent and you have to sneak vegetables into your children's food, the idea of getting them involved in the kitchen may not work and completely backfire on you. If they see you putting the vegetables into the food, they may choose not to eat it. While extra help in the kitchen is usually welcome, the task of sneaking in vegetables must be done covertly. One of the first ways to disguise vegetables is to turn it into a soup. Pumpkin soup is very tasty, so is carrot soup, cream of spinach, tomato, and mushroom soup. Liquefy your vegetables with a bit of milk, this provides some dairy, and don't forget to add some spices for a bit of flavor. You can pretty much turn any vegetable into a soup, and your children will probably not realize it. If they get turned off hearing real names of soups, call it “orange soup” instead of pumpkin or carrot, and “slimy soup” if it's something green like spinach or peas. Get creative with naming your dishes, and it will help your children dig in. If it works well, you can serve vegetable soups as a starter dish for all your dinners or weekend lunches as your way of getting your children their needed daily-recommendations of vegetables. Another way to mix vegetables into your children's foods is to pair it with something they feel comfortable and safe with. Mashing up some squash or carrots into your mashed potatoes is one way to mix two vegetables into one dish (never forget that a potato is a starchy vegetable). You can do the same for broccoli and other greens like spinach or parsley. This will also end up coloring your mashed potatoes, and colored food is usually fun for children to eat, and it can be easier to get them to eat things that are colorful. Vegetable lasagna and vegetable pastas are also good ways of hiding vegetables. Children usually love lasagna and spaghetti. You can just substitute the meat for some chunks of vegetables like artichoke hearts, mushroom, olives, zucchini, eggplant, and even carrots. If you choose sweeter vegetables to mix into your foods your children will probably not complain about the taste of the food at all! One other alternative that uses foods that most children are comfortable and safe with is to make vegetable meat burgers. You can mash the vegetables and make them yourself, or you can purchase the veggie meat at grocery stores. Vegetable meats are also made into hot dogs, meat cubes, and meat strips. These are great alternatives to eating meat, for those who want to really amp up their vegetable servings. Finally, introduce your children to new cuisines which can help you disguise the vegetables. Mexican food allows for a lot of vegetarian choices. Vegetable burritos, enchiladas, or making vegetable and cheese quesadillas are some of the ways you can hide your vegetables into your Mexican dishes. Greek food also provides many avenues for vegetarian eating. Gyros and pita wraps can be completely healthy and really tasty that your child may really enjoy eating it despite the vegetables! Vegetables can be sneaky, you just have to help them out. Since there are so many different types of vegetables to choose from, trust that you will not run out of ideas for what to serve or how to hide them especially if you consult different cookbooks on different vegetable dishes. Keep it creative and make sure it tastes good. For as long as it is yummy, your children usually won't notice a thing! |
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How To Get Your Kids To Eat Healthy Food - Without A Fight!
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