Hidden Vegetables for Kids.

Got a Picky Eater? It can be so hard to get kids to eat their Veggies, Here is a great list of 15 Hidden Vegetable Recipes your Kids will Actually.
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I'm not suggesting that you stop offering veggie snacks and side dishes. In fact, the kids at the child-care center still had the chance to munch on baby carrots. I'm also not comfortable with slipping veggies into high-fat, high-sugar foods. The recipes here and in my new book The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet: Smart, Simple, Science-Based Strategies for Losing Weight and Keeping It Off contain a substantial amount of veggies and would be healthy even without the produce boost.

That's how my daughter uses it. Her 2-year-old and 4-year-old will munch on practically anything.

13 easy hidden vegetable recipes your little ones will love

But my 6-year-old grandson is super-fussy. My daughter is not about to let him off the hook, but she wants something, other than a multivitamin, to get him through this stage. Real food is always best — even if you have to put it through the blender first. I've got three girls under age 7, and when they won't eat something delicious that my wife, Jennifer, cooks, I'll admit that it's maddening.

Jennifer is a professional chef lucky me! But we chose not to go down that path. I've found through my research at Cornell University that there are better ways to get broccoli, lettuce, peas, and even kale into your green-phobe child and make a long-lasting positive impression in her eating habits. Let's start with the flaw in the stealth approach: It assumes that your child is never going to catch on. Kids have a killer sense of taste. You're born with all your taste buds, and as your tongue grows larger they become less concentrated. But in little mouths, they all stick together, making kids sensitive to bitter or sour flavors.

Also consider how savvy your child is. If she spots a sliver of carrot that didn't get pureed or sees you stirring green paste into sauce, she's going to get suspicious. When a kid realizes that you're not being up-front, it feeds her impression of veggies: They taste so bad that Mommy and Daddy have to hide them from me.

Now, you have a bigger problem than you did before. Of course, there are veggies that my girls don't like. My new study shows that the same is true for most families. I asked moms with two children to tell me their younger kid's and older sib's most-liked veggie. Without hesitating, three quarters of them had an answer.


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Younger ones tend to prefer corn and older ones go for broccoli. So when the stealth proponents argue that kids don't like veggies, I correct them: Kids like veggies; they just don't like every veggie. There's nothing wrong with serving your kid her favorite veggie every night, as long as you continue to offer others.

Mince red peppers into corn, toss broccoli with sweet potatoes. Fruit could be a starting point too. Another simple tactic that was the most effective solution of any I've tested is renaming a dish. Your kids will no doubt love the colour, and the natural sugar of assorted berries completely masks the taste of spinach - yes, there's spinach in there! Spinach is one of those greens that most children seem to abhor.

Its high iron content is vital for the correct function of red blood cells which transport oxygen around the entire body. Red peppers or tomatoes? Now this is some truly posh kiddy nosh! A Mummy Too has cleverly hidden red peppers in her cheesy savoury muffins. Red peppers become sweet when cooked, so this is sure to go down a treat with the kids. Red peppers contain more than percent of the recommended daily Vitamin C intake, which is even more reason to try this simple recipe.

Should You Make Hidden Vegetable Recipes for Kids?

Creamy, cheesy, cauliflower goodness. Cauliflower is a great ingredient for sneaking into food. When cooked and blended, the texture is extremely rich and creamy. Pinch Of Yum took advantage of this, by using pureed cauliflower to form the base of her creamy garlic rice. The is the ultimate hidden vegetable dish - your kids will never guess there's cauliflower inside.

The Case for Hidden Vegetable Recipes

Cauliflower is both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich - a wonderful addition to your child's diet. Hidden vegetable recipes don't get better than this! Spinach and chocolate aren't usually two things you'd put together, but that's where Southern Made Simple comes in. Her hidden vegetable recipe calls for two whole cups of these leafy greens - that's a whole lotta iron. There's also a banana thrown in for good measure. They might not look packed full of goodness, but that's the beauty of them! Knock some up for healthy snacks to give to your kids this week.

You'd never guess how much veg was in there.

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Lasagne is a family favourite in most households, but all that pasta, red meat and cheese doesn't make for the healthiest meal in the world. With celery, courgettes, carrots and red peppers all sneaked in there, it's a deliciously nutritious take on this classicly indulgent family feast. Courgettes contain Vitamin K which will help your children's bones to grow healthy.

As it's best consumed with fat for proper absorption into the body, a cheesy lasagne ticks all the boxes. Your child's new favourite biscuit. Shop-bought snacks are notoriously unhealthy. Although there are a few exceptions, it's unlikely you'll find anything as nutritious as Healthy Little Foodies ' Carrot Stars on supermarket shelves. These savoury snacks are perfect for on the go and full of nutrition. Oat flour is a complex carbohydrate which releases energy slowly, and eggs and cheese add protein. The real hero of this recipe though has to be the carrot, which is cleverly masked by orange cheddar.

EAT

What's not to like? What kid doesn't love an ice lolly? Although tasty, they're usually packed full of artificial colours, flavourings and refined sugar.


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    • Captain Bob Cat 's fruit and vegetable ice lollies are a little different. They're full of blended fruit and vegetables, which are added to high-protein Greek yoghurt and honey to make truly tasty treats. Never mind the kids, I'll be making myself some of these! Baked beans on toast - it's a classic. Although it's not the worst thing you can serve up for dinner, it's certainly not the best. Don't mistake beans for a vegetable - they are from the pulse family.

    Sneaky Veg 's baked beans are not just any baked beans, though. She uses an array of surprising vegetables including butternut squash and yellow pepper to make the rich tomato sauce - these are super baked beans! The ultimate hidden vegetable recipe! Now this is every child's vegetable dream! Hidden vegetables in the form of sausages make meeting that 5-a-day easier than ever.

    Tales From The Kitchen Shed shows you how to make your very own vegetarian sausages at home. Her recipe is surprisingly easy, and full of goodness including mushrooms, lentils, and walnuts. The slimy texture of mushrooms puts some adults off, so it's no real surprise kids don't like them. Hidden inside these veggie sausages, however, the texture is transformed. Mushrooms are one of the only food sources of vitamin D, which helps maintain healthy bones and teeth amongst other things. What kid doesn't love a cookie?

    Would any kids recipe roundup be complete without cookies? We certainly don't think so. The addition of courgettes to this moreish recipe not only gives them a nutritional boost, but also added moisture.