How to Get Your Kids to Eat Vegetables .....and LOVE them!

As a busy mom of a finicky 3 yr old (one day she LOVES carrots, the next day they make her “tummy hurt”), I’m always looking for quick and easy ways to make sure she gets the necessary nutrients.

Last year, at a Holiday Yankee Swap, I won a copy of Jessica Seinfeld’s, Deceptively Delicious cookbook. In it she incorporates, basically hides, freshly pureed veggies in many of the recipes. The recipes are great but to be honest, I don’t have time to puree the veggies and even if I did, I don’t have room in my freezer to store the leftovers. My sister came up with the idea of using baby veggie purees. This worked great for me since I still had a lot left from when my daughter was eating them. Now, I had a purpose for the many  jars of Gerber sweet potatoes, squash, carrots and garden veggies that were taking up precious space in my already crammed cabinets.

I use the vegetable purees in almost everything I cook, red pasta sauce, pizza, mac-n-cheese, chicken, sloppy joes, soup, grilled cheese, eggs…even brownies. The hidden veggie really cannot be detected (by my husband or daughter) and adds nutrients to my  homemade dishes. I now also use pureed chick peas and red beans in dishes for added protein and fiber. These secret ingredients also make me feel a little less guilty when I make boxed mac-n-cheese or canned soup for my daughter’s school lunches.

Veggie Enriched Mac-N-Cheese -Veggie (diff colored) pasta. Boil with mixed veggies and cup of frozen spinach. Drain. Mix in 1 jar baby squash, 1/2 can chickpeas ( can purred if your child won't eat whole), 2 tbsp butter or olive oil, some shredded cheddar cheese. Mix. End us super creamy and squash can't be tasted. My daughter is eating it now and keeps saying "yum". You can use whatever veggies you want.

Yummy Homemade Chicken Tenders- Coat Chicken strips with pureed sweet potato and roll in crushed fishy crackers. Spray bottom of cookie sheet. Bake for 15-20mins in 400deg. Oven.

Creamy Scrambled Eggs- Mix 1 jar of sweet potato or squash with mixed eggs. Cook as usual.

         Top  with some shredded cheese.

 3 yr old Fave Mom Approved Healthy Grilled Cheese: whole grain bread, slice cheese, thin layer of chick peas (hidden of course!). Assemble sandwich and place in toaster oven for non-fried version. A hit every time :)

Thicken up Canned Soup for Thermos lunches: add jar baby sweet potatoes or squash, and frozen veggies before heating. Added nutrients, fiber and protein

Brownies w Hidden Veggies- Follow directions on box(make sure to spray bottom of pan) but instead of 1/2 cup oil, use 1 container baby veggies a 1 tbsp oil

I have given you just a few ideas. Once you get started, you will find that you can add these yummy goodies to basically anything. Be creative!~ Let me know what you come up with....