Food ideas for kids refusing vegetables

[Hannahly]

Our DD's love veggies. All we ever did was eat lots of them ourselves, they always want what's on someone else's plate!
I can understand why some parents hide them in food but IMO I think they should be encouraged to eat them, not tricked into it.

I disagree. 'hiding' or disguising veggies isn't 'tricking' in my books. Just cause its in a pie/casserole/pasta dish - its still veggies. Encouraging is a great idea of course (even better if you have obliging children like yours). For the more belligerent variety I figure at least they are still getting vegetables whilst we encourage for 5 years them to eat carrots, peas, beans etc.

[4underfour]

Take a look at the book 'deceptively delicious'. It's my bible for kids cooking. Basically hiding healthy stuff in everything!

I don't agree that hiding vegies is bad. My kids eat vegies they can see, but not a significant volume. So I hide a few more vegies in their chocolate brownies.

[Bunny Lover]

I tend to PURÉE veggies with a Stick mixer after cooked and add them to almost any dish, like casseroles, spaghetti, rissoles, lasagne, even sauces!

[smootch]

Take a look at the book 'deceptively delicious'. It's my bible for kids cooking. Basically hiding healthy stuff in everything!

I don't agree that hiding vegies is bad. My kids eat vegies they can see, but not a significant volume. So I hide a few more vegies in their chocolate brownies.

I've just ordered this book in the hope it helps here. Ds is just not an 'eater' he would live on a handful of grapes, pear and toast

[Dannielle]

I have the 2nd book Double Delicious too which is okay as well.

Mixing puree's in sauces etc works ok for DD1 & DD3 but DD2 doesn't like any kind of sauce. Although there has been the odd few things that she will eat if you take it out of the sauce and not serve a spoon of it on her plate. But if she is having meat, then she prefers it to be just cooked with nothing on it and she wont eat cooked vegies. Even if we are having tacos she wont eat the meat if its spicy. So, we do a bit of cooked mince on its own. The only vegies she eats are mashed potato, raw carrot and raw capsicum. But she will eat the nuggets crumbed with the sweet potato puree, tandoori chicken cooked with pureed carrot and a few other things.

[rainbow road]

One of the boys I look after won't eat veges. I will puree zucchini and carrot and mix into tomato paste and then we make pizzas together (on tortillas for base) - with other veges on it. He wouldn't eat the veges offered, but will eat the sauce so there was no pressure for him to eat them. He eats mushroom and capsicum pieces now!

[TwinkleFi]

DS (2 and a half) is a very picky eater. There seems to be a direct correlation between the amount of effort I put into making a meal for him, and the likelihood that he will refuse to try even one mouthful.

I have recently started giving him little platters for dinner and lunch. cut up cheese, cut up fruit and vege, mash of some kind and protein of some kind (cut up sausage, cold meats, egg etc). He will also eat anything in "cake" form, so I make mini muffins with wholemeal flour and fruit (no sugar). They are disgusting to me, but he (and his 10 MO sister) will gobble them up. I would rather he eat the same meals as we do, but at least he is eating something now.

What really drives me nuts tho, is that at daycare they always say what a great eater he is! Little devil!

[HugsBunny]

Get yourself a copy of the book 'vegie smuggling'