Spinoff: how to sneak veggies into 5yo's diet

[Pepe]

Hello!  I was looking at the "full tank of junk/half a tank of healthiness" thread, which prompted me to wonder how to to include more veggies in DS's diet.  He's 5 and rather picky.  We would like to get more vegetables into him by (a) being direct about strong food and not offering seconds until everything has been tasted, etc. as well as (b) slipping some in here and there, such as pureed in tomato sauce and that sort of thing. 

Do you have any ideas or strategies for the latter?  Thanks for your ideas and tips.

[goinggreengirl]

I don't have personal experience doing it with a child but I actually do it just for DH and me sometimes. I always add onions and peppers to taco meat, but this last time I added cut up steamed sweet potatoes- it actually added a great flavor. It's not because we don't want to eat our veggies but it makes it easier on me- I don't have to worry about a side dish when all our veggies are in there already!

I've found that Mexican food is great to add extra veggies to because the spices are so strong that it's hard to tell. Grated carrots would work well in tacos or enchiladas as well.

Add finely chopped spinach to eggs (tell him it's green eggs like from Dr. Seuss).

There are great muffin recipes out there for zucchini and carrots.

Spaghetti sauce is also a great one to add extras to- really any cooked and pureed or grated veggie could be added.

[elisheva]

We found the veggies the kids will actually eat (right now bell peppers and cucumbers) and make sure to serve those basically every day in addition to whatever additional veg I prepare (salad, cooked greens, broccoli, etc.). I generally make them at least taste whatever is on offer.

Dips: my kids love the store-bought hummous (they like my homemade less) so we offer this occasionally for veggie dipping. Plain yogurt or pureed cottage cheese (I use my hand blender - so much protein in cottage cheese!) with a little ketchup or with some Montreal Steak Spice makes a great veggie dip. 

I also make my own pizza and spaghetti sauces from a base of tomato paste - I steam and puree veggies like broccoli or cauliflower, add pureed garlic, olive oil, and salt. 

I also use pureed cauliflower in my homemade mac and cheese. 

Grated zucchini can be added to an omlette while it's cooking - my kids are hit-or-miss with this. 

We *do* offer lots of choices and don't depend on the "hidden" veg, but I like to augment the nutritional value of our food wherever I can.

[One_Girl]

I used to do the one bite thing, but I had to get in a power battle to get dd to try one bite that she then claimed was disgusting anyways so I backed off.  The power battle made her resistant to even considering the food as edible.  Some kids will be fine with a one or two bite rule but some will resist you all the way and dig in their heels even more when you force them to eat, I saw one go as far as refusing any food when she got into a battle with her teacher over the one bite rule just last month. 

I found that by just always having the food on my dd's plate and modeling eating it my dd grew out of being picky on her own.  I didn't allow her to take the food off her plate but I also didn't force her to try it.  I would sometimes talk in an upbeat way about a food she had tried and found she liked but I didn't push it past encouraging her through stories of past foods she has liked.  I also allowed her to help me pick out a lot of our food (within a range of healthy choices that I was also okay with)  because she liked feeling ownership for the food.  She would almost always eat the food she picked out.  I also cut food in fun ways because it made it more appealing to her and I personally don't like to eat food that looks gross.  Salt and ketchup also work wonders for making hot food good.  She eats things now that I shudder inwardly to eat and is always looking for new foods to try, she ate a pear cactus yesterday and will eat turnips as a snack. 

[~Boudicca~]

I discovered that there is an awful lot that you can hide in tomato sauce

When I was little I was a huge PITA where food was concerned.  The only green thing I would eat were my grandmother's spinach cookies.  My kids love them.  If you want the recipe PM me.

[goinggreengirl]

Also, if you do hash browns- sweet potato makes THE BEST hash browns ever! DH likes them more than regular hash browns and he's picky!

[Bellabaz]

We insist on tasting as well but I also sometimes grate zucchini or carrot into sauces. If you grate it fairly fine it almost melts into the sauce. I bake various veggies into "french fries". It doesn't alwys work. I give veggies as snack too or make dips like hummus or white bean dip. I don't rely on the hidden veg but it makes me feel a little better when kids are picky.