Healthy kids receipes

[Earthkanu]

My boys hate to eat vegetables. Does anyone know of any websites or books that could help me make some things where the boys won't know that there are vegetables in what they are eating. Any tips would help. I have tried a few things but nothing seems to be working they always seem to figure out that there is a vegetable in the dish. Thank you so much.

[Kitchen Witch]

There are a couple cookbooks out there using vegetables (hidden) in brownies, etc. Check out Amazon or B & N.

[karenlyn]

Some veggies dissolve better in food than other. I often grate a whole zucchini into the sauce when I make marinara, for instance, and my husband (another veggie hater) doesn't even notice. Are you chopping or grating your veggies before adding them to foods?

Another good option for sneaking in veggies is carrot muffins. Healthy, full of carrots, and really good!

-Karen

[MagnersPear]

I tend to find spaghetti Bolognese is a good way to sneak vegetables into childrens dishes, as most kids love this dish, but it is quite easy to sneak them in. Or perhaps make a homemade pizza and use vegetables as toppings, but use them to make a smiley face or spell out a fun message on the pizza?

[lvdkeyes]

Veggie lasagna is a goo way to sneak them in too.

[Navy_Brat913]

One thing which worked back when my son was younger and pickier was the simple--pick whatever salad dressing or condiment your kids like and serve it with the veggies to dip in. My son loves Italian dressing, has since forever, and through the whole dipping thing I've gotten him to love tomatoes, broccoli, carrots, celery, cukes, sauteed zucchini/squash. Another one, if they like marinara sauce or tomato-basil sauce, get them to try eggplant parm.

I have been lucky--my kiddo loves his veggies, but it wasn't always so. He's always loved tomatoes, and loves dipping, so that's how I got him into the rest. Another suggestion is a no-thank-you bite. I don't know how old your kids are, but it takes a child up to age 12 up to 10 tries of a new food to know if they actually dislike it or not. When my son was younger I made him try EVERYTHING I made, except really spicy food. He had to try it EVERY time I made it, even if he hated it the time before. By try I mean a bite or 2, not the 'finish it or you're grounded'. There are very few things he won't at least try now, and he really enjoys trying new things and suggesting making new things at the age of 12. He doesn't like everything he tries, but it's fun