Choking down the broccoli

I am somewhat opposed to the government telling me what I should eat and how much, but I thought I'd check out the ol' food pyramid to see what they say my kids should be eating. Turns out a 4-year old girl who gets 30-60 minutes of daily exercise should eat: 5 ozs grains, 1 1/2 cups of veggies, 1 1/2 cups of fruit, 2 cups of milk and 4 ozs of meat or beans. A 2-year old boy should eat: 3 ozs grains, 1 cup veggies, 1 cup fruit, 2 cups milk and 2 ozs meat. The big question is: can Pirate's Booty be substituted for veggies?

Veggies are a tough sell around here. My daughter will eat green beans and a couple of baby carrots. My son has eaten yams in the past, though he denies it. I was all set to try this smoothie idea I read about on AskMoxie.com, but then spinach became as scarce as Paris Hilton's modesty. Apparently you can add spinach to fruit smoothies or ice cream-based drinks and not taste it. Yeah, it won't look pretty, but it will taste delish. I'll believe it when I see it, if we ever get to eat spinach again. So the struggle continues. I need some clever ideas for tricking my kids into eating their greens and oranges!

(Note: Originally posted by Heather)

Comments

[Amy M.]

Have you tried zucchini or carrot bread? You can even make it with whole-wheat flour for extra fiber (children are less likely to notice the difference with baked goods). Also, if your offspring like omelets, it's so easy to toss in a handful of chopped veggies straight from the freezer. This is how I get spinach into my tot (frozen spinach is still safe).

[Liz]

My kids really likes spaghetti. So I can usually sneak in a little squash or carrots, and the tomato sauce covers the taste of the other veggies. I puree extra veggies that I make for the family, and then freeze them like baby food in the ice cube trays, and pop a few into every dish of spaghetti they eat. They are none the wiser.

[Heather]

These are great ideas, though I don't think they'll go for omelets. Love the bread and spaghetti sauce ideas. Thanks you guys!

[holly]

another food that "hides" veggies well is mashed potatoes. i add either spinach, mustard/turnip greens, mashed sweet potatoes/pumpkin or just about any other green and orange.

[Jilly]

Do your kids like Ranch Dressing? Make Salads. Ranch will hide any myriad of lovely, fresh, vegie-type, get-out-of-town, good-for-you things...add nuttie, crunchy things, too. Cut the vegies very small and mix it it up really well. Also, if your kids don't like omelets (which mine does not), but like quiche; get your vegies in there. Remember, the most important thing to do is to keep offering. Marketing is important, too; give it a different - very goofy, silly kid - name. My daughter loves YakiSoba and Chow Mein. We got her to try it by naming it "Wormy Noodles". I make her "souped-up" Ramen at home. In addition to a protein something, add carrot shreds, slivers of scallion, chopped peanuts or cashews, cilantro and edamame...in addition to a bit of sesame oil, soy and asian sweet chili sauce. The smaller you chop things, the easier it is for them to eat and the more difficult it is to pick things out.Another big trick...let them help make their own meals. If they have ownership by creation, they might be more excited to try it.Last resort...bribery.