Okay... so maybe, just maybe most of that is fantasy. What can I say? Can you blame me for dreaming?
To be honest, my kids are not terrible at eating veggies but they could be a lot better. They also can stand to try new veggies and some different fruit other then bananas would be nice. So, even thought I don't have a sure fire way to get the kids to eat healthier (there are books that offer that - Sarah Matheny's “Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love,”) I do have my own Top 10 List to Get My Kids to Eat Their Veggies!
1. Frozen! I feed my kids frozen veggies and they love it! It started when they where teething. Frozen broccoli is wonderful for swollen gums. Frozen corn is brilliant to give a crabby baby while making dinner and frozen bananas are just yummy!
2. Mix them into their favorite foods. Corn in Spaghetti O's and shredded cauliflower in mac & cheese are unobtrusive and tastes good!
3. Leave the veggies where they can be reached. Easy access when the kids are hungry or when you want them to leave you alone you can say, Go get some carrots! Grrr!
4. Grow a garden! Let them see how veggies happen and because they are so proud of the garden... of course, they will eat the "fruits" of their labor!
5. No Garden? Take them to a farmer's market. Let them pick produce out among the farmers.
6. No farmer's market? Check out books in the library about veggies.
7. My son loves to cook with me and makes up his own recipes. Did you think I wanted to put corn in Spaghetti O's?
8. Find examples of other kids eating veggies. Kids copy other kids.
9. Read: Sarah Matheny's “Peas and Thank You: Simple Meatless Meals the Whole Family Will Love,” for some ideas on how to make new dishes.
10. Eat your veggies. That is just a no brainer. You eat, they will eat them, too.
not my kids |
How do you get your kids to eat their veggies? Feel free to comment or leave the link to your post about getting kids to eat their veggies.
I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Peas and Thank You blogging program for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here