Anyone have recipies that hide veggies at are friendly to a toddler?

Richelle - posted on 03/11/2012

Alton Brown on Food Network has some good recipes that "hide" veggies in food. Check them out and good luck!

LeAnn - posted on 03/11/2012

You have received good advice so far, hiding veggies in their food has the advantage of getting them used to the flavor without them even realizing it. In addition to that you might try what I did. I started a two bite rule once my kids turned two. I would put a variety of healthy foods on their plate and make sure I included things I know they like. They have to take two bites of everything on their plate than they can eat anything they want (on their plate, I NEVER made my kids foods other than what the family was eating) There are very few things that my now 8 year old daughter doesn't like now. My three year old also eats most of the veggies and fruits I offer. We also eat quite a big variety of food. Also when I make sloppy joes half of the volume of the meat mixture is either carrots or spinach. The bbq flavor hides that very well. I puree veggies in my spaghetti sauce. I make latkes with shredded zucchini and carrots (which is fun because it is like pancakes) When we pretend (both of my girls like to play restaurant) I ALWAYS order salads and other veggies. I eat a ton of veggies in front of them and make a big deal about how much I like them. When they have eaten their two bites I show them how happy I am that they didn't want the rest of their veggies because now that is more for me. etc.

Amanda - posted on 02/27/2012

One of my son's favorites, when he was a toddler, was homemade potato soup. But he didn't like the chunks of veggies. So I'd ladle out his portion into a blender, whizzed it up into this thick creamy soup. He loved it! Would eat a second helping every time!



Now he's 7 years old, I now puree the veggies in the food processor, strain off the excess liquid and add the veggies to any meal. That way I know he's getting his veggies and life can go on :) Sure he'll ask me if it has vegetables in it and I ask him, do you see any? His answer is always no so then I shrug and leave it at that. I'm praying one these days I can finally have my chunky veggies back. Having a picky eater can be challenging.

Jordan - posted on 02/27/2012

There are several recipes on the OAMM site that I love! They have several that you can hide veggies in:



Zucchini Bread Pancakes, Pumpkin Spice Truffles, Sweet Potato Muffins and more!

http://onceamonthmom.com/mini-zucchini-b...

http://onceamonthmom.com/menu-plan-monda...

http://onceamonthmom.com/pumpkin-spice-t...

http://onceamonthmom.com/sweet-potato-sp...

http://onceamonthmom.com/pumpkin-quinoa-...



If you want to check it out: I wrote a blog about their site and how it helped us with eating healthier, saving money and time: http://simplyriver.blogspot.com/2012/02/...

Brittney - posted on 02/27/2012

I never had this problem with my daughter, but I do with my husband so...





grated cauliflower in mac n cheese, potatoes can be cooked anyway he likes, pizza, soups, spaghetti, Dark green vegetables are the healthiest of them all, but you just can't hide that color from picky kids. Here are three tricks I've learned from other moms.



Cut them into tiny pieces. Finely chop broccoli before adding it to rice with cheese. Do the same with spinach and add to pizza or lasagne.



Keep it plain and simple. Picky kids like plain foods. Peas, green beans, asparagus and other green veggie sides served plain in small quantities will sometimes be the first real vegetable that a child will try. Remind them that it takes trying it ten times before people start to like a food.



Make it fun. Serve kids a rainbow of colors every day. Try a salad face with a lettuce leaf head, two cherry tomatoes for eyes, a carrot stick for the nose, and green pepper strip for the mouth. Let them dip the pieces in a kid-friendly dressing such as ranch-style as they eat the face. Or, serve bright green broccoli 'trees' dipped in cheese sauce.



Try these sneaky vegetable recipes from around the web...



Macaroni and Cheese made with pureed winter squash



Mashed Cauliflower

Substitute these for mashed potatoes.



Spaghetti Squash

If your kids like spaghetti 'noodles', give spaghetti squash a try. We love it with butter, salt and pepper, and parmesan cheese.



Rutabaga Fries

I can't vouch for these, but I plan to try them soon.



Falafels

Falafels are a great treat made from chickpeas. For another great chickpea recipe, try hummus.



Carrot Cake and Zucchini Bread

Make them in muffin tins for carrot or zuchini cupcakes.