Getting the Husband and Kids to Eat their Veggies

(this is a work in progress - please share your ideas too!)

Actually, children are instinctively curious.  And they learn a great deal by example.  We eat dinner as a family every night.  We also try and eat breakfast together too.  I have noticed that one or more of our children have become more interested in at least trying what we have - that's our rule, you have to at least try it.  Of course, I still tend to make at least one other, and sometimes two other kinds of meals, but slowly they are trying new things. 

Have children help prepare and name the meals or foods.  Kids love to help cook, especially messy meals.  I find that they are fascinated by how things are made and what goes in and they love to shake the salt or measure (I like to teach good skills like counting and addition too) and pour it in and turn on anything electronic and watch it work. They will be more apt to at least try it if they've helped prepare it or if they've helped unpacked the groceries or chosen some of the produce.  Even online, your child can look at the pictures we have linked to the fruits and vegetables and choose one that they will try.  The site has pictures of most every item we carry along with nutritional information, recipe ideas, storage tips and even a fun food fact or two.

Make new foods.  Set good examples and try new foods yourself.  Set a good example by eating fruits and vegetables in front of your child.  Juice with your child.  We always have vegetables on the table and we try to always offer a nice selection.  They see that we eat them.  That's the easiest and best way to get them into the kids.  Eventually.

• Breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day.  Especially for children.  I find that my kids WILL sit down and eat a big breakfast even if they are floating about the table at dinner.  SO we make breakfast count.  Studies indicate that breakfast skippers are more apt to overeat later and feel sluggish while breakfast eaters will actually eat less calories in the day, have better insulin sensitivity, and will be more alert and healthier.  Eat protein first (eggs or yogurt) then some whole grain (oatmeal or bread) and then some fresh fruit (cantaloupe or berries).
  • We eat breakfast as a family whenever possible
  • We serve quite a selection at breakfast:
    • Yogurt and a selection of add-ins
      • add berries
      • add granola or oats (even raw!)
      • add nuts
      • add raisins and dried fruits
      • maple syrup and vanilla if plain yogurt (can also sweeten with apple juice concentrate or honey)
    • Bread
      • (Whole Grain! check the labels, something labeled Wheat or Grain may not actually be whole grain!)
        • with nut butter
      • Pancakes with fresh fruit
      • Grits (non-GMO) on the side
      • Oatmeal (steel cut is a great treat too but take longer to prepare!)
    • Add fruit or vegetables at the beginning of the day. 
      • Fresh Fruit - We always serve berries at breakfast - strawberries, blueberries and raspberries or any combination of those, melons like cantaloupe are particularly good for breakfast too.  We try and have a pineapple at breakfast at least once a week, it makes me feel like we're on vacation since that's what you'll always find at a great vacation breakfast.
      • Smoothies with fruit
      • Decorate the plate with Strawberries and Blueberries.  Make a shape or a face with eyes, nose and mouth.
      • We serve fresh Tomatoes at least three times a week on the side of eggs.  These are particularly important for the man in your life as studies show that a serving of Tomatoes a day can reduce the risk of prostate cancer.
      • We serve Avocadoes with the Tomatoes whenever possible.  When ripe, they make a healthier alternative to butter.  My 15 month old loves avocadoes.  And the husband eats them too!
    • Eggs from chicken fed a high-Omega diet (a boost of Omega 3s!)
      • Over easy - my son likes to eat the yellows this way
      • Slow scrambled - unbelievably delicious with Avocado and Tomato.  Be patient.
      • Frittatas - allow you to mix veggies into the entree so they get eaten; we add smoked salmon or nova to it sometimes too!
      • Omelets - stuff with veggies and/or cheese.  Stuff an omelet with mushrooms, leftover kale or spinach, cheese.
    • Drinks:
      • Orange Juice - in moderation, there is a lot of sugar in it!
      • Regular Milk
      • Juice veggies
      • Smoothie - We make smoothies at breakfast or as a 11am snack with frozen berries, frozen bananas (that were going bad, when they start getting brown spots, peel them and freeze them in a Ziploc bag for smoothies that won't need to be watered down with ice!  Same can be done for strawberries, apples, pears and other fruit that is just about past their fresh eating prime, freeze before they go bad and use them in smoothies or use your juicer to make fruit cream ice cream!)
  • More Breakfast Tips
• Snacks are a great way to add fruits and veggies
  • We have no chips in the house. 
  • We have no soda in the house (except for ginger ale we use on an occasional tummy-ache).  My kids drink water or milk.  We do offer juice on rare occasion.
  • Pretzels are a good alternative.
  • We have only a small selection of processed cookies, without hydrogenated oils, of course, and only organic all natural and no soy lecithin or emulsifiers.
  • Dried fruit or ripe fruit over other snacks - raisins, dates, Just Tomatoes products.
  • Celery with peanut or almond butter and raisins - ants walking up a tree.
  • Just Tomatoes Fruits are a great snack!
  • Just Tomatoes Veggies are also a great snack!
  • Raisins and Almonds go great together
  • Walnuts - good ratio of omega 3:6 fatty acids.
  • Apples, Pears, any hand held fruit can be fun
  • Wild Frozen Blueberries are a great snack - and kids eat them frozen!  Or add them with a banana to milk, powdered milk, wheat germ, vanilla and maybe a little honey to the blender for a delicious smoothie as a snack or for breakfast.
  • Smoothies with frozen fruit that was about to go bad or fresh fruit you have around like bananas, yogurt, blueberries.
  • Have a Rebar - 8 fruits and veggies in ONE bar!
  • Frozen fruit in the juicer makes a mock ice cream that's all fruit.
  • Make fruit kabobs - fresh and frozen fruit can be used.  Even offer plain yogurt dipping sauce with maple syrup and a dash of vanilla in it.  Or a fair trade chocolate sauce if it's a special occasion.
  • Yogurt is a great snack!  Especially with a selection of fun add-ins!
  • Frozen Peas are also a fun snack for kids.
  • Frozen Grapes are delicious and an easy way to "save" grapes before they go bad!
  • Make fruit kabobs with pineapple, apples, strawberries and other fruit cut into bite size pieces.
  • Nut Butter on Celery with Raisins or other dried fruit or Just Tomatoes products - ants climbing a tree.  Or put cream cheese in the celery and have the kids add the ants themselves!
  • Fun Shapes and sizes help - cutting into strips or chunks making it easy for fingers to grab.
  • Additional Snack Tips
  • Party Tip Ideas for Healthy Snacks
• Dinner is a time to sit together and talk about our day.
  • We eat dinner as a family whenever possible.
  • I try and get the kids to help make dinner with me and choose our menu or get out the items we need.  (Do you know another 5 year old who knows what Dragon Tongue Beans are?!)
  • Decorate the plate with veggies.  Make a face or draw a picture (broccoli trees, carrot and baby tomato flowers, cauliflower clouds, yellow squash sun)
  • Add a cheese sauce or melted cheese over veggies.
  • Have a yogurt or sour cream sauce for dipping veggies.
  • Casseroles allow you to mix vegetables in a "hidden" way - one pot meals are easy to make and add tasty healthy vegetables!
  • Legumes and beans add fiber, protein and nutrients.  Try black beans and rice or chick peas with tomatoes.
  • Pizza is a fun lunch or dinner - we try to make our own and I let the kids add the toppings they want for fun!  There is nitrate-free pepperoni on the market now too.  Pineapple, Cheese, Mushrooms, Peppers, Onions, there are so many things you can add to a pizza and if the kids make their own, they are more apt to try it.  We use a whole wheat crust too.
  • Tacos can be another fun way for the kids to make their own.  We don't do this too often, but we have a nice selection from which to choose - cheese, meat, chicken, lettuce, tomato, salsa, guacamole, rice, olives.  I just think it's good to get them involved in their food choices.  And I have seen their choices change over time.  For the better.
  • Tomato sauce has tomatoes!  And other veggies can be mixed in, even pureed in and no one will see them but the sauce will taste great!
  • Salmon - we call it "pink fish" and two of my three eat it up!
  • Make homemade fish sticks - easy enough and much healthier.  For a while I did this with Salmon and my little one kept telling me that "real" fish sticks were white so now I make them with White Salmon or Halibut and he eats them.
  • Make a sauce to dip vegetables, fish sticks, etc.  It's fun to dip.  We use special dipping saucers too.
  • Puree it - if they don't see it, they may eat it.
  • Mash it - mashed Butternut Squash with a little maple syrup, vanilla, and orange juice is delicious and gorgeous - even is great pureed!  A little cinnamon is good too!
  • Mix it in with other things they like, little by little.  For example, make pancakes healthier by cutting out the white flour and add whole wheat, wheat germ, oat flour instead.
  • More Lunch & Dinner Tips

  Recipe Ideas:

• Broccoli Pancakes
• Vegetable Pancakes - Zucchini, Carrots
• Mini-Veggie Muffins - even my picky eater eats this!  Use a mini-muffin pan for fun!
• Pancakes - add mashed bananas, blueberries, lemon zest, wheat germ, and 1/2 the flour in the recipe to whole wheat flour or whole wheat pastry flour and top with an easy homemade blueberry or strawberry syrup or organic maple syrup.  The sweetness of the bananas allows you to cut out the sugar.  You might not even need the syrup!
• Zucchini Muffins
• Zucchini Pancakes
• Sweet Potatoes
• Butternut Squash
• Spaghetti Squash
• Spinach Quiche
• Giant Apple Pancake
• Green Beans
• Peas
• Soups
• Pureed Vegetables (you can hid purees in a variety of meals. 
  • Pesto with sautéed spinach and a healthy handful of basil, pine nuts, garlic and olive oil.  Then toss with pasta or use as a sauce for pizza or to top chicken. 
  • Vegetable puree coating mixed with eggs for anything you'll coat in bread crumbs like fish sticks, chicken fingers, or use a creative puree as a dipping sauce.
  • Pureed Kale can be added to your tomato sauce for pasta and no one will ever know.
  • There are many books listed below with more ideas on hiding purees, even in desserts!
• Broccoli Trees
• Stir-fried rice with Peas, Corn and other vegetables and chicken or meat
• Chicken and Dumplings
• Healthy Cookies
• Chicken Pot Pie
• Carrot Cake - yes, you can even add veggies and fruit to dessert!
• Frozen Fruit Cream instead of Ice Cream as a snack - Frozen bananas, berries, apples and other fruits can even be added to the juicer to make "ice cream" with them.  Kids will eat that!  So frozen fruit is a really good way to keep fresh fruit and to eat fresh fruit and veggies!
• Salmon Fish Sticks
• Seared Salmon
• Splurge with a chocolate sauce for fruit dipping.
• Salmon soufflé for brunch or even a light dinner!  Use Smoked Salmon, canned Salmon (use the cans w/o bones and skin), or Nova for the soufflé.
• Granola Peanut Butter (or Almond Butter) Balls
• Chocolate-dipped Frozen Banana
• Garden Burgers - made with bulgur, I have gotten the husband to eat them with good spicing!
• More Ideas
• Cooking For Picky Eaters
• Veggies in Disguise
• Fruits & Veggies More Matters

Links:

• "What's Up, Doc?" -- A Creative Way to Promote Veggies, Dr Green, 2002
• Kids need organics, Better Nutrition, March 2003
• Breakfast For Champions, Kids Organic
• Jessica Seinfeld on Oprah

The basics:

Remember that kids need protein for growing bodies!  About 2 ounces of Meat, Chicken, Turkey, Fish, Cheese, Eggs (1 hardboiled egg), Peanut Butter (4 tablespoonfuls), Tofu, or Beans (1/2 cup) should always be in their lunchbox, .  Milk is a source of protein and calcium and is better than a Juice box.  A cup of milk is also quite satisfying in a little tummy. 

Include a fruit or two - 1/2 cup counts as a serving so a whole apple counts as 2 servings! Just Tomatoes Fruits are less messy or try a Fruit Leather or cut up Dried Fruit.

Include at least 3/4 cup of veggies.  Just Tomatoes Veggies make that easy! Carrots or Celery and Dip is always fun!

A slice of bread or other carbohydrate like crackers, low sugar cookies, or maybe even a waffle or pancake.

And kids need fat too so a teaspoon of butter won't hurt but don't load down the fats and of course, no hydrogenated fats.  Salmon also packs some important Omega-3 fatty acids.

Kids like a colorful variety.
 

• A beautiful small ripe Banana is quite appealing to a youngster (or adult).  No bruises and beautiful bananas are a good way to start but I try and make sure they are a nice small size too, not those big ones that are better for smoothies and milkshakes.
• Tupperware makes a cute box for an Apple that is in the shape of the apple.  Certain apples, like the Gala, do not brown quickly so you can cut them and put them in a cute container like that.  But I always drop my cut apples into some orange juice as added insurance against browning and a little added flavor.
• Fresh Strawberries!  My kids love strawberries in their lunch box.  One likes the greens cut off the other likes to use it as a handle.  That container usually comes back empty!
• Just Tomatoes Fruits are a delicious easy way to add fruits to the day.  Add some berries to their lunch boxes as a snack.  Add some to pancakes or smoothies; add it to muffins.
• Just Tomatoes Veggies can be eaten like popcorn as is, or add them to stews, rice dishes, pasta dishes.
• Salmon Salad is a great way to get some Omega 3s into your child and grow their brain!  We just mix the canned salmon with a little mayo and our eldest loves it.
• Nova on a Bagel and cream cheese, if your child is so inclined, will add Omega 3s too.
• Mix Canned Salmon with pasta and a white sauce and peas and put that in a stainless steel (instead of plastic) thermos.  Also makes a great dinner!
• Nuts pack protein and can be fun to eat.  Almonds and Walnuts have the added benefit of omega fatty acids.
• Quesadillas can be prepared in the morning with cheese (and even chicken and cheese) and then kept in parchment paper and aluminum foil for lunch time.
• Yogurt Drinks that are out now are an easy way to boost their calcium and yogurt intake and get them some good nutrition all in their drink!
• And don't forget the friendly notes - my kids LOVE the notes I put in their lunch boxes!  I cut out different shapes, decorate them, use symbols before they can read, make them easy to read, and just show lots of love in how I prepare their meals and in the extra message they get with their lunch!  They come home and read it again (or in the car as the devour the rest of their lunch on the way home!)
• Salmon Fish Sticks or Chicken Fingers are a nice break from a sandwich.
• Use cookie cutters for sandwiches - I have a lot of size stars and hearts and those are fun!
• Visit KidsOrganic.com for more ideas!
• Stir fry with rice and leftover veggies and an egg - add soy sauce and a dash of sesame oil too
• Frittata - at room temperature can be a colorful addition to his or her lunchbox and full of veggies!
• The O'Mama Report - Packing a Powerful School Lunch
• A month of Organic Lunch Ideas by Organic Valley
• Dr. Greene's LunchBox Challenge
• Stonyfield Yogurt Lunchbox ideas
• Applegate Farms Lunchbox
• Earthbound Farms Organic Lunch
• Mothering Magazine
• Mercola Healthy Snack Ideas

Yogurt - add blueberries - good source of calcium and better for you than ice cream.

The best Dark Chocolate is a nice choice when you need your chocolate.  Skip the regular sugar-laden, and chemical infused chocolates and select only the best.  Higher in antioxidants than milk chocolate.

• Juice.  If you make it, he may drink it.
• Add fruit or vegetables at the beginning of the day.  We always serve berries at breakfast - strawberries, blueberries and raspberries or any combination of those.  We try and have a pineapple at breakfast at least once a week, it makes me feel like we're on vacation since that's what you'll always find at a great vacation breakfast.  We make smoothies at breakfast or as a 11am snack with frozen berries, frozen bananas (that were going bad, when they start getting brown spots, peel them and freeze them in a ziploc bag for smoothies that won't need to be watered down with ice!  Same can be done for strawberries and other fruit that is just about past it's prime.  Frozen apples and other fruits can even be added to the juicer to make "ice cream" with them.  Kids will eat that!  So frozen fruit is a really good way to keep fresh fruit and to eat fresh fruit and veggies!)
• Like kids, cheese and cream sauces seems to do magic to vegetables!
• Salads with a mix of vegetables and even fruits and a nice home made vinaigrette is a good way to start off dinner.  Salad doesn't have to be boring.  I add Strawberries to Arugula.  I add Pecans to Romaine with Apples and it gets devoured!  Use the bagged salads as a base and then be creative!  Homemade dressing helps too.
• Soups are an easy way to get vegetables into men, especially since you can add meat to them too and disguise it more.  Soups are also easy to make since you throw it all in the pot and let the simmering do the rest.  Broccoli and cheese soup is comforting and delicious.  Especially if you add some beer and hot pepper flakes to it, it's really delicious.
• Spice it up!  Spices can make a meal and can help get veggies in.
• Chili and stews are another good way to get in some hidden veggies.
• Add a nice sauce - tomatoes are important as they are linked to a reduced risk of prostate cancer, make a sauce with tomatoes and other vegetables to pour over things.
• Puree it - if they don't see it, they may eat it.  You can hide purees in a variety of things.
• Soufflé it - ooh la la!