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How to Sneak Veggies in Your Child’s Diet

As a new mom, I had dreams of feeding my children only the healthiest, most nutritious foods.  I imagined that they would grow up with a palate that didn’t crave junk, but only wanted the best for their growing bodies.

Looking back I almost laugh out loud at that thought, as my children often beg for gluten-free pretzels and dry Chex cereal.

Ha!  Oh, the ideals of a new mom who has never met the match of child who craves cake and cookies for breakfast!

 

I am thankful though, that besides the occasional junk food, my kids LOVE vegetables.  Raw, in salads, steamed; they seriously love their veggies.

But it wasn’t always that way.

For a long time I had to sneak veggies into their food, hoping and praying they were getting enough nutrition.

So from one mom to another, here’s my favorite tips to sneak veggies in your child’s diet without tears and tantrums.

Smoothies

Oh, the joy of smoothies!  Masked by natural sweeteners, such as fruit, honey and natural peanut butter, the options for hidden vegetables are endless.

Try spinach, carrots, kale, and/or beets to add a healthy dose of added veggies to the smoothie.

Kids love the delicious taste and are none the wiser that the “milkshakes”, as we call them, are loaded with healthy nutrition.

Here’s three easy smoothie recipes for you from Right from Home to help you  get started on your path towards smoothie blending.  Get the recipes here.

Juice Plus

I decided to incorporate Juice Plus into our children’s diets to boost their immune system and help them fight off illnesses.

My kids were sick all the time, and even though they liked vegetables, I knew they needed to boost their immune system to fight off those nasty school germs.

The Juice Plus gummies are packed with all of those vegetables you’d struggle to feed your child.

Each gummie is packed with all natural, whole foods, with no chemicals or additives.

I shudder to think about the chemicals and additives I was pumping into my children before Juice Plus!

The veggie gummie includes carrots, parsley, beets, kale, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, tomato, oat bran, and rice bran.

So in those seasons where my children refuse to eat their vegetables, I am providing a nutritious, whole-food alternative and don’t blink an eye when a plate of broccoli is pushed away.

That makes my mom heart jump for joy, and they are staying healthy, too!

{The veggie gummie is also paired with a fruit chewable, that includes apples, oranges, pineapple, cranberry, peach, papaya, and acerola cherry. Together, the gummie duo boots immune systems and provides optimal nutrition for growth and development.}

 Sauces

I make a lot of sauces from scratch, and will use my food processor to mince vegetables into unrecognizable pieces and add them to sauces to enhance the nutritional value and taste of the sauces.

Spinach, mushrooms, cauliflower, and onion are some of my favorite sneaky mom veggies to mix in, and the kids are none the wiser!

Baked Goods

What child doesn’t love a muffin or a baked treat from mom?  My kids will eat almost anything if I call it a muffin!

I started getting smart and adding in minced or shredded veggies to the already nutritious recipes I was making.

Try adding in mashed sweet potatoes, shredded zucchini, or carrots to boost the nutritional contents of your treats.

I even substitute raw honey for sugar and cut the amount used to lessen the sugar content.

These Triple Hitter Toddler Muffins aren’t just for toddlers, but are packed with multiple veggies, yet will fool even the pickiest of palates!  Visit Simply Made with Love here for the recipe.

Shredded In….

You might say I’m slightly obsessed with hiding vegetables from my kids, and have found that if you shred or mince, you can add them to pretty much anything!

My other favorite foods to hide the veggies in includes, omelets, soups, burgers, and home made pizza.

Sky’s the limit on where you can stash the veggies without kids knowing and don’t be afraid to try!

You can do it, mom!

What your sneaky mom trick for adding more vegetables to your child’s diet?

39 Comments

  1. Love this – my kids are grown but these are wonderful tips – AND I LOVE THE VISUAL!

  2. Smoothies are a huge thing in our house. Love finding new recipes. Love all the other ideas I’m going to try them for sure.

    1. Great, Suzanne! I’m so glad this was helpful. I know I too, am looking forward to trying these smoothie recipes. Yum-o!

  3. Great ideas! My daughter used to fight veggies too, but thankfully due to our persistence she loves veggies! Another way I hid veggies was in scrambled eggs. I chopped spinach and tomatoes very finely and she ate it right up 🙂

    1. Oh spinach and tomatoes in eggs is one of my favorite secrets! It’s amazing how if it’s chopped small enough, they won’t notice. It’s wonderful your daughter eats veggies now! Good for you. 🙂

  4. I use most of these tips with my oldest they work wonders! I make a creamy vege bake that they love and it doesn’t even have any meat!

    1. Sounds delish! I am always looking for ways to sneak in veggies, so I will have to keep this in mind. Thanks!

  5. I love the smoothie idea. I do this often with one of my granddaughters! Oh, and of course in the baking! Thanks for sharing these great ideas. I’m passing this on to my daughter.

    1. Thanks for sharing, Tina! As a mom and grandmother, I’m sure you have all kinds of tricks up your sleeve!

  6. Oh I can totally relate to this. As a new mom just a few years ago I had the same vision! Thanks for sharing these great tips with us!

    1. I’m so glad they helped! It’s comical to think about my ideals before I had kids and them now. I’m glad I’m not the only one!

    1. Your secret is safe with me! 🙂 I totally agree that those crazy veggies just have to be hidden. Ha!

  7. These are great ideas! My son loves broccoli, carrots, and fruit. He’s not too big on some of the other veggies yet. Spinach is undetectable in smoothies, I sneak it in there for my husband. My son doesn’t like smoothies yet, but I think he will as he gets older.

    1. I’m sure the taste will grow on him, yet even if it doesn’t, you can use other methods to help him get those veggies.

    1. Well, happy baking, then. There’s some delicious recipes on my Pinterest board!

  8. These are great ideas I can pass along to my daughter who is getting ready to have her first baby! Thanks, Sarah Ann!

    1. Laurie I SERIOUSLY can not believe you are going to be a grandmother! You’re so young looking! 🙂 But I appreciate you passing along this info. Blessings to you, my friend!

    1. Good for you that your kids love smoothies! Keep up the good work, mama!

  9. This is something I am a little worried about with my son as he gets older. He is only 9 months right now. My husband is pretty picky and I can’t sneak anything by him! Hopefully, my son will like veggies. I’m going to follow your pinterest board of healthy children’s recipes. Thanks for sharing these ideas!

    1. You can do it! Just start early and don’t give up. Your little man may surprise you. 🙂

  10. We do smoothies all the time and I sneak protein in with Chia seeds and peanut butter but I’ve yet to sneak in veggies. I’m going to need to try it. Stopping by from #sitsblogging

    1. Thanks, Teresa! I will have to try chia seeds for added protein. What a great idea!

  11. These are great tips! I have been trying to eat healthier and more natural lately, which of course means the same for my kids and they are not the happiest about it. Some dishes go over smoother than others, so I will definitely have to try these tricks. Thanks for sharing!

  12. Great post! I actually make veggie purées as I have time and freeze them into ice trays. It makes it so easy to pop them out and drop into any food I sneak veggies into. I put it in almost anything, too: sauces, sloppy jos, casseroles, meatloaf, burgers. The things we do as moms! 🙂

    http://growingpainsbykellydavis.blogspot.com/

    1. I LOVE the idea of the purees! I will have to try that. Great suggestion!

  13. Muffins and Smoothies! YES! That is how I get even my pickiest eater to get some greens 🙂

    1. It’s amazing what you can sneak past the kiddos if it’s in a treat!

  14. That Juice Plus seems pretty amazing! My husband and I have been discussing how to get the kids to eat more veggies. They just aren’t getting enough. The cold seasons are the worst for us because with four kids, school, and inadequate immune systems, we stay sick the whole season!

    Thanks for the tips! I’m headed over to check out Juice Plus!

    1. Oh I LOVE Juice Plus! Please let me know if you have any questions. It’s been such a blessing to our family!

  15. These are great ideas! My little one is not quite eating solids yet, but will keep this page bookmarked for the coming years!

    1. It goes by so fast and before you know it, they’ll be eating what you eat. Enjoy those little years!

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  17. We smoothie a lot! (I have to drink mine in hiding when I don’t want to share!) For breakfast today I bribed my toddler with popcorn to get her to drink milk. “First 2 drinks of milk. Good job! 2 pieces of pop corn! Repeat” ABA at its finest.

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