My daughter loved every new kind of jarred baby food she tried. Around a year old, she no longer let me spoon feed her, but would suck down any puree pouch flavor! I thought I really lucked out with a non-picky eater. But alas, the number of foods she’ll eat now are dwindling. She only wants the same food groups I liked as a kid: carbs, dairy, and proteins.
I imagine our doctor will recommend that she starts on a multi-vitamin soon. But there’s one other major issue: lack of fiber. I hate seeing her struggle to poop! Simply adding vegetables to the side of her plate, or slipping peas into her pasta, doesn’t work. I’ve had to become a sneaky Mom! Here are a few ways I’m tricking my kid into eating vegetables – without too much effort in the kitchen:
Muffins
The individual size of muffins makes them the perfect snack or quick breakfast for everyone in your family. And because they’re sweet, you can load them up with vegetables without being obvious. Zucchini is a great option, because they add moisture, with minimal flavor. You can experiment with healthy substitutions in muffins like maple syrup or honey instead of sugar, or apple sauce in place of oil. Keep playing around with recipes and pop the leftovers into the freezer!
Veggie Noodles
You’ve probably noticed all sorts of legume-based noodles in the pasta aisle lately, such as chickpea or lentil flour. There’s also the spiralizer trend: using actual pieces of vegetables as noodles! I found the best of both worlds in the freezer section: bean and veggie noodles, prepared with sauce. My daughter doesn’t seem to notice that these aren’t her usual boxed macaroni and cheese! Four minutes in the microwave for the win.
Cauliflower Crust Pizza
P-I-Z-Z-A is my daughter’s favorite word! No doubt she got her pizza enthusiasm from me. I have to admit that I was hesitant to try cauliflower crust pizza. I really love bread. It turns out that the cheese and the sauce are still super-satisfying, though! Even my cauliflower-hating husband enjoyed these thin-crust pizzas. I plan on making them from scratch – but it sure is nice to have the frozen option in supermarkets now.
I love that feeding my toddler more vegetables results in us eating more of them, too. Someday she’ll enjoy picking out vegetables at the farmer’s market with me and growing them in the backyard. Until then, I’m not above using trickery to get more nutrients in her meals!
Do you have a favorite vegetable-concealing recipe?
