Should I try canned veggies??

[echoecho1528]

I'm about to pull my hair out when it comes to my DD's vegetable intake. Basically, she will eat probably 2-3 tbsp of peas and 1/2 cup of carrots in a WEEKS time! I sneak some spinach into smoothies, have tried grated zucchini on pizza (she spit it out and now is skeptical about any pizza I offer ), and was somewhat successful in hiding broccoli in hashbrown potatoes. That is it for veggies for her
I've tried green juices, no go. And we're at the point now where she has been offered probably 20 different vegetables in 20 different sittings prepared in a hundred different ways. I'm nearly done trying.
The one thing I haven't tried is canned vegetables. But, I'm not sure if that is a nutritionally sound approach. I know the texture of canned green beans is very different than fresh/frozen and thought perhaps it might be an option.
Does anyone have any opinions? Like, is canned veggies better than no veggies?

[Alyantavid]

I'd try cooking raw veggies differently. Or letting her try them raw.

Vegetables taste a lot different depending on how they're cooked. Roasted veggies are really good and easy to do. Is there anything she does like?

[echoecho1528]

As I stated above, we have tried TONS of different ways to cook and serve fresh/frozen veggies. She won't eat any of it. She only likes heavily cooked carrots and SOMETIMES peas. Quantity-wise, she will only eat like 4 baby carrots or 10 peas at a time. We offer veggies at least 2x/day - raw/steamed/fried/spicy/bland and nothing passes the test.

[crunchy_mommy]

Have you tried roasted veggies? The texture is similar to canned & the flavor is way better. You can spice it up with whatever she likes (garlic or cinnamon or curry or nothing)...

The thing I'd be most concerned about with canned veggies is the salt & preservatives. Plus some have added sugar. I'm sure there are probably some canned veggies that don't have all that stuff in them if you search hard...

How do you normally cook veggies? I cannot stand steamed veg. (and I love veggies in general) -- I like roasted or stir-fried veggies best. Your DD might be opposite & prefer them plain & steamed or raw...

And maybe try some different veggies? Some of our favorites here are sweet potatoes, avocado, acorn squash, shallots, cauliflower (not from frozen though!), shitake mushrooms, spinach... trying to think of lots of different ones in case there are some you haven't tried!

Also you can try pureed veggies in a sauce (tomato sauce -- if she'll eat that -- with pureed carrots, or pesto sauce with spinach pureed in, etc.)

ETA: I think we cross-posted, ignore whatever's not relevant!!

[homemademom]

Only one of my kids is a natural veggie eater. When everyone else asks for a cheese stick, she wants some raw mushrooms or a cucumber!

A couple things I've been able to get my picky kids to eat is broccoli (well cooked, not crunchy) with homemade cheese sauce, baked sweet potato fries, a mix of mashed potatoes and cauliflower, frozen peas, carrot sticks dipped in peanut butter, roasted red peppers pureed into marinara sauce (or any other veggies cooked, pureed and mixed with marinara). They also like fresh salsa and guacamole with chips.

I decided not to worry about the fact that overcooked veggies aren't as healthy or that cheese sauce isn't the best because all I care about right now is getting them used the taste of vegetables and actually consuming them. I'll worry about making them healthier as their palates adjust. And actually, my oldest is a lot more adventurous now than he was as a toddler and he'll at least try whatever vegetables I prepare, so I think it's working

[dakotablue]

Have you looked at the vit count on canned veggies? I was eating them, then noticed the only nutrition I was getting was sodium.

Personally I think none is better. Have you looked at the sneaky chef? maybe your library will have it, could help.

[echoecho1528]

Originally Posted by crunchy_mommy

Have you tried roasted veggies? The texture is similar to canned & the flavor is way better. You can spice it up with whatever she likes (garlic or cinnamon or curry or nothing)...


How do you normally cook veggies? I cannot stand steamed veg. (and I love veggies in general) -- I like roasted or stir-fried veggies best. Your DD might be opposite & prefer them plain & steamed or raw...

And maybe try some different veggies? Some of our favorites here are sweet potatoes, avocado, acorn squash, shallots, cauliflower (not from frozen though!), shitake mushrooms, spinach... trying to think of lots of different ones in case there are some you haven't tried!

Also you can try pureed veggies in a sauce (tomato sauce -- if she'll eat that -- with pureed carrots, or pesto sauce with spinach pureed in, etc.)

I've done some roasted, mostly steamed or boiled to make them really soft (which she tends to prefer texture-wise) and then sauteed with butter/garlic/onion or tamari & gf-teriyaki sauces. Non of it passes the test other than a few peas and carrots with butter.
She DOES like homemade french fries and sweet potato fries on occasion, so I think I will try some different squashes cooked in the same way.
I think my next step is to puree some veggies into marinara. She eats gf quinoa pasta with meat sauce (has to be very light on the sauce) but I will try to put some more veggies into the sauces.
Thanks for the great ideas

[echoecho1528]

Originally Posted by homemademom

Only one of my kids is a natural veggie eater. When everyone else asks for a cheese stick, she wants some raw mushrooms or a cucumber!

Wow, how lucky!

Originally Posted by homemademom

A couple things I've been able to get my picky kids to eat is broccoli (well cooked, not crunchy) with homemade cheese sauce, baked sweet potato fries, a mix of mashed potatoes and cauliflower, frozen peas, carrot sticks dipped in peanut butter, roasted red peppers pureed into marinara sauce (or any other veggies cooked, pureed and mixed with marinara). They also like fresh salsa and guacamole with chips.

Hmm... I'm reading this thinking, "Echo would never eat any of that." She doesn't like cheese sauce or mashed potatoes and she seems to have an aversion to putting anything green in her mouth - she refuses to even taste broccoli (even though I hide it in things) or avocado.

Originally Posted by homemademom

I decided not to worry about the fact that overcooked veggies aren't as healthy or that cheese sauce isn't the best because all I care about right now is getting them used the taste of vegetables and actually consuming them. I'll worry about making them healthier as their palates adjust. And actually, my oldest is a lot more adventurous now than he was as a toddler and he'll at least try whatever vegetables I prepare, so I think it's working

I worry so much about DD's health. She has gluten intolerance and is pretty sensitive to dairy She has had a plethora of minor health issues that all pretty much point to malnutrition I am hoping that she grows out of her pickiness soon so that she can have a healthier life.

[echoecho1528]

Originally Posted by dakotablue

Personally I think none is better. Have you looked at the sneaky chef? maybe your library will have it, could help.

Thank you for your opinion. "None is better" is kind of what I was thinking.

In a perfect world, I would like for her to enjoy eating food that nourishes her body. But, I'm thinking that if I have to hide it, at least she is getting it and we can work on liking it and having healthy eating habits as she gets older. Thanks for the book rec.

[crunchy_mommy]

Originally Posted by echoecho1528

She eats gf quinoa pasta with meat sauce (has to be very light on the sauce) but I will try to put some more veggies into the sauces.
Thanks for the great ideas

NP! Another thought, what about homemade meatballs with things like ground mushrooms & onions added in? Homemade crackers made from veggie puree (someone posted about that somewhere not long ago!)