Added vegetables that please picky eaters

Dawn Earnesty<wilcoxd4@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension and Taylor Booher, MSU Dietetic Intern - February 07, 2017

Creative ways to sneak vegetables into your child’s meals.

Do you have a little one (or maybe not-so-little one) at home who cringes at the sight of vegetables? Does it seem that no matter how hard you try to convince them and no matter how many ways you prepare the vegetables they still won’t try them? Currently, young children are not meeting the 2015 Dietary Guideline recommendations for consumption of fruits, vegetables and dietary fiber. Over 90 percent of children do not meet the daily requirements for consumption of vegetables according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Here are some ideas to sneak veggies into the pickiest of eater’s mouths. These recipes are sure to leave you and your child happy.

“GREEN” SMOOTHIE

This recipe is loaded with vegetables, fruit and low-fat dairy in addition to antioxidants, vitamin C, fiber, protein, and vitamin A to keep your child feeling full and keep their body healthy during this season.

½ cup spinach

¼ cup blueberries

¼ cup blackberries

½ cup carrots

4 oz. orange juice

½ cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt

Water as desired

Place all ingredients into a blender and add water to get desired consistency.

HINT: The dark colors from the berries will mask the colors from the spinach and carrots and their taste is so mild they will never know they are there.

HIDDEN VEGGIE PIZZA DIPPERS

Ditch delivery and try this healthy, veggie-filled pizza. In addition to vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy, this recipe is high in vitamin C, folate, B vitamins, calcium, and fiber.

1 whole-grain pizza crust

½ cup green pepper

1 cup spinach

8 oz. tomato paste

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Roll out pizza crust. Blend together green pepper, spinach, and any desired spices into tomato paste. Spread pizza sauce onto dough. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake as directed. Serve with extra veggie-filled sauce on the side.

Adding more vegetables into your child’s diet will provide them with more vitamins, minerals, and fiber to help them stay healthy. Vegetables can be so easily hidden in recipes that even the pickiest of eaters shouldn’t notice them! Staying motivated to make a difference in your child’s diet can be hard but becoming more creative in how you approach this challenge can make it easier.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).