I love love love veggies… which is a good thing since I don’t eat meat! ha! However, my love for vegetables did not get passed on to my kids! It turns out I am not alone, since many of my friends are often looking for ways to sneak more veggies in their kids meals. In fact, only 1 in 10 Americans eat the daily recommended amount of veggies. Don’t worry, I am here to help!
Sneaky Ways to Get Your Kids to Eat More Veggies:
Offer Variety: I am constantly offering my kids a taste of whatever vegetable dish I am eating. They are pretty good with at least trying a bite of something new. I always say, “Imagine if you thought ice cream had looked gross and decided to never take a bite?!” It works every time. 😉 Also, don’t be afraid to go back to a veggie they didn’t like a few months before, since they may change their mind.
Enhance the Flavors: If you want your kids to enjoy vegetables, make sure they actually taste good! There’s a good chance you don’t love bland, steamed veggies… yet that is how a lot of people prepare them for kids! Roast up a colorful platter of veggies with seasoning to make the flavors pop. When it comes to my kids I have no problem using a good amount of butter or glazing veggies with a little coconut sugar. Obviously, I don’t want to make every vegetable a sugary treat, but I think doctoring them up a bit to make them really delicious helps kids become more open to trying new vegetables.
Take Advantage of Hunger: I pack a ton of veggies in my kids lunches, since I know they will be pretty hungry and will be more likely to eat them. (especially for my son) I pack his lunch full of chopped veggies and fruits and he almost always eats them all.
Lunch fruits & veggies!
Hide Them: I want my kids to like vegetables, but sometimes you just have to sneak them in. Pureed veggies can easily be hidden in sauces. Throw a few veggies in the mix for taco night. Try adding veggies to baked goods. Since I am a horrible baker, I love Garden Lites muffins. This company makes it easy to eat your veggies, since the first ingredient in these delicious muffins is zucchini!! (but your kids will never know!)
My kids love these muffins! All you do is pop them into the microwave for 35 seconds and they are ready to go! (I toss them right into their lunches frozen and they are thawed by the time the kids eat them) Hudson was SHOCKED when I told him the first ingredient was zucchini and said there was no way he would have known.
The Garden Lites Chocolate Muffins are my son’s favorite and I love that they are 33% vegetables!! They also have no-GMO’s and are allergy-friendly. (Gluten, Dairy & Nut Free) They are the perfect breakfast or after-school snack and my kids love them. You can find this and all Garden Lites products in the natural foods freezer section at Publix!
There are my favorite sneaky ways to get your kids to eat more veggies! If after going through all this, your kids still turn their nose at vegetables, don’t worry! They have plenty of time to come around, just keep trying! Be sure to check out Garden Lites for more information!
These are awesome tips! I’ve been buying more carrots and less jello. They go for the carrots!
I am always looking for ways to incorporate veggies into my kids diet- thank you for sharing these tips! I’ll be bookmarking this one 🙂
Such great tips and love Garden Lites muffins!
I’ve never tried these but they look so good! I hide veggies too!
I’ve always been pretty lucky with my kids eating veggies, but I would love to get some of these muffins for us anyway! they look so yummy
Those are some great tips. Now that my son is older he is very difficult when eating, I can’t even hide them anymore.
My oldest is so stubborn and picky, so sneaking them in is basically the only thing that works. The muffins look amazing!
I’m a private chef and I have a picky eater with one of the families that I work with and I’m always looking at new ways to get veggies in him. Offering variety sounds perfect! (I already sneak them in him)
I may need to use these on myself! I like veggies but when given a choice between them and something a little more unhealthy… Oh well. Let’s see if your ideas work on adults too.
I’ve heard about the Garden Lites and look forward to giving them a try! We could all stand to get a little more veggies in our lives!
I have been struggling to feed my little veggies. This post is really handy and has great tips.
wow..33% are vegies, this is a hit..I am going to find the product and try them for my daughter now. Its so hard for her to try new vegies.
It’s so important to make sure the food actually tastes good! If you don’t like it, I’m sure your child will definitely not like it lol First impressions are important! I love your ideas, that one was my favorite because I believe it to be so spot on.
Great tips! My parents need to learn the tip about enhancing the flavors. They made us eat brussels sprouts. I hated them growing up. I didn’t realize I loved brussels sprouts until my sister-in-law made them in a dish with dried cranberries. She used fresh, whereas my mom used frozen. It’s all about how they are made!
My granddaughter is almost 2 so I am always looking for ways to get more veggies in her.
My kids LOVE these! They’re so tasty and so deceptive!
My kids absolutely LOVE these! They used to sell them at Costco and my daughter would legit eat two a day (at 12 months old – lol!).
These muffins will surely be loved by kids! 🙂
Those garden lites look delicious! I love your creative ways to sneak in veggies with your kiddos.
Why are your kids the cutest??? I need to get some of these muffins for my older girls.
I haven’t found the perfect way to hide veggies yet, but once I realized my kids like crunchy veg instead of soft, I’m getting them to eat a lot more! We usually have a small bowl of raw peppers, tomatoes or carrots at dinner and they eat them right up. Mom win!
Cutest kids ever! I think these tricks can work for adults too who wont eat their veggies, lol
Have a great day Lauren!
Valerie
So many great ideas. I think we will have to try those muffins, I’m sure my girls will love them 🙂 Thanks for sharing 🙂
So many great ideas! I utilized many of these when my daughter was younger and I’m happy to say she loves her veggies now 🙂
erin | sandsunandmessybuns.com
All great tips! I love “take advantage of hunger!” Also love those Garden Lites muffins!
Great post! Tbh I don’t have kids but I might try these on my husband haha I’ve been trying so hard to get that man to eat his veggies! I need to try those muffins…yum!!
Love these ideas. I am struggling to feed veggies to my little one.
Hiding them is great for adults to. These muffins look yummy. I like to get more veggies by putting them into my smoothies.
Thank you for sharing! These are such great tips!
I find that anything they can dip in a yogurt dip I make, hummus, or salsa they’ll gobble pretty happily. Packing them in muffins and sauces is a great idea though!
While roasted veggies with butter are a winner, tucking them up in muffins is a clever and fun recipe idea. I also load up patties with lots or carrots, cauliflower or potatoes too. Thank you for sharing!