I’m a Dietitian and my children won’t eat vegetables… My mummy friends think it is funny that when our children eat together their kids are tucking into the tomatoes and cucumber, while my kids go for the cocktail sausages and ham! Then one day, one of the mummy’s said ‘well at least you know how to get the vegetables into them without them realising!’ Of course I do, I’m a Dietitian! Vegetables and fruit are an important source of vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants, so aim for 5 child size portions of vegetables / fruit per day.
Here are my top tips for getting your kids to eat their fruit and veg
- Blending Vegetables into a sauce for pasta /rice. My oldest won’t eat chopped veg in a sauce, but will eat them as a smooth sauce, I even have to blend bolognese sauce with added vegetables and kidney beans!
- Disguising chopped veg in a sauce. Small pieces of cauliflower, mushroom, peas or sweetcorn in a white / cheese sauce with pasta. I often gate beetroot into a white sauce to made pink pasta, my girls love it! Or purée up cooked cauliflower in a smoothie blender with a thick white sauce to make a cauliflower white sauce and serve with pasta!
- Grating vegetables (carrots, courgettes, celeriac) into shepherd’s pie / fish pie.
- Make thick vegetable soup, sprinkle cheese on top and dip in bread/toast and butter.
- Homemade pizza with veg on top, sweetcorn, thinly chopped peppers and mushrooms. I make my dough in my bread maker and cook the pizza on a pizza stone, yummy!
- Offer fruit as snacks. My littlest will often throw fruit on the floor at the end of a meal, but when it is given as a snack as the only choice, she will eat it!
- Add raisins, dried apricots, banana, blueberries or grated apple to porridge while cooking. Blueberries turn the porridge purple!
- Add raisin, blueberries or banana to pancakes or grated beetroot for pink pancakes.
- Adding fruit to puddings – bananas in custard, jelly with fruit in the bottom.
- Home made banana loaf or muffins.
Have you got any good ideas to share?
I LOVE this post. I struggle so hard to get fruit and veg into Luke. If he sees it, he won’t eat it – with the exception of banana. I have taken to using my blend active smoothie maker lately and steaming up some fruit and veg and basically making puree again (not really puree but, minimal lumps) and mixing that with pasta sauce. He doesn’t even like the pasta! I also bake with him, he’s 18 months old so it can be a bit of a challenge, but we bake banana and other fruits into muffins and freeze them so he gets one for a snack each day. I love the pink pancakes!! I’m going to try a few of these ideas, thank you ! #MummyMonday
Thanks for the brill ideas, I’m worried my 8 month old isn’t getting enough fruit and veg. I find them too slippery for him to pick up whole or cut into pieces.
I’ve tried making a veggie pasta sauce but that’s hot and miss whether he eats it.
Will have to try some of the above. Thanks
Kate x
#MummyMonday
http://www.mydaywithjack.wordpress.com
The sad thing is I have to do this for the husband!!!!! X #maternitymondays
Thanks all for lovely comments, just a word of warning… grating beetroot also makes your fingers pink!
Ahh that must be so annnoying when your friends say that haha! Amelia is great with veg and I shove it into everything we eat but fruit she is terrible with fruit except for strawberries but I do offer her fruit all the time. These are some great tips though to hide the fruit and veggies!! Thanks so much for linking up #MummyMonday xx
I don’t seem to be able to get any veg past my son at the moment. He has stopped eating any sauces so can’t hide them in there. I’ve tried putting them in nuggets and he refuses. Luckily he will eat fruit but only way to get any veg is to make cake with it!
Great tips. I also find giving them fruit or veg as a snack when there is no other choice works well. Coincidently, my post this week is ‘Traffic Light’ scones made from spinach, beetroot or carrot. My kids love them, even though they’d turn their noses up at spinach or beetroot on their dinner plate! I’m going to turn their pasta pink tonight… #mummymonday
Oooh Traffic light scones sounds good, will give them a go!
Great tips, thank you for sharing. I hide vegetables in sauce a lot but my children both love fruit as a snack – I try and keep the fruit bowl well filled and my girls can ask for fruit if they are hungry between meals – I generally only say no if I’m about to dish up dinner. Never thought of grating beetroot though so will have to try this.
Great ideas, sometimes my little boy can be a fuss pot, other times he is pretty good. It can be difficult getting a toddler to eat veg, he told me the other week that he didn’t want to eat trees (broccoli) which I guess is fair enough!
Helen X
#maternitymondays
#mummymondays
I know! It can be so frustrating when the little ones refuse to eat the healthy stuff. I had the same issue about six months ago. Camouflaging everything in tomato sauce worked best for us and now my toddler is back on track.
See, the cobbler’s children have no shoes. I have a dentist friend whose children refuse to brush their teeth! #mummymonday
Glad to hear your little one is back on track, there is hope for mine…!
He he That is so funny 😉
I’m really impressed with the beetroot ideas. In my opinion, there is not enough pink food.
Thanks for linking up to #MatrrnityMondays
I LOVE these ideas. I must admit I hate beetroot so never thought of giving it to Freddie…will be grating away from now on! Thank you x
Thanks Jo, poor Freddie, all his food will be pink!