Vegetable Recipes That Kids Love

Let’s face it, kids typically don’t eat their vegetables despite their parents begging, pleading, and yes, even bribing, them to do so. So what’s a parent to do?

 

According to the CDC’s My Plate illustration, vegetables are the largest pie piece. Vegetables contain the most necessary of nutrients and are the best source of fiber, so despite kids’ tantrums, it’s best to ensure they’re getting their daily dose of vegetable goodness.

 

The main reason children have a distain for vegetables is due to them having more taste buds than adults. The more taste buds you have, the more intense flavors are. If you can imagine tasting the bitter and pungent flavors of vegetables magnified by 10, you would most likely put up the same fight against this healthy food group as well. Therefore, recipes that use sweeter or blander flavored vegetables and/or that mask vegetable flavors are the biggest hits with kids

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In addition to preparing kid-friendly vegetable recipes, the number one best way to get your kids to eat vegetables is to engage them with vegetables.

 

• Grow vegetable and leafy greens, such as bell peppers and lettuce, as an family project at home in pots, a yard or community garden.
• Have your kids prepare vegetable dishes with you so they can identify with, take pride in and EAT their creation.

• Read books together about vegetables and gardening.

Along with engagement with your children, the kid-friendly recipes listed below are a great way to get your kids to eat and love vegetables.

 

Ants On a Log

Ingredients:

Celery

Peanut butter (preferably with no sugar added)

Raisins

Preparation:

Cut the celery into three-inch length sticks. With a spread knife, spread peanut butter into the crevasse of the celery sticks. Take four or five raisins per stick, and place them on the peanut butter. Serve.

 

Fruit and Veggie Superfood Smoothie

Ingredients:

2 medium sized apples

2 cups apple juice

1 bunch of kale (about 7 leaves)

1/2 pint blueberries

Crushed or blended ice as needed

Preparation:

With a food processor, mince the apples, kale and blueberries. Mix in the apple juice. Add the crushed ice to taste and serve.

Serves three to four.

 

Cauli-Mashers

Ingredients:

4 medium-sized potatoes

½ head of cauliflower

4 tbs olive oil

4 tbs soymilk

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Quarter and boil the potatoes, with the skins, until cooked. Drain the potatoes from the water and then set aside. Steam the cauliflower until tender, remove from heat and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add the potatoes, cauliflower, olive oil and soymilk. Blend until creamy and serve.

Serves four to six.

 

Screwy Squashy Pasta

Ingredients:

1 small butternut squash

½ jar pasta sauce

16oz fusilli (screw-shaped) pasta

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Bake or microwave the butternut squash until done, typically 45 minutes, and then cool. But the squash in half, scoop the seeds out and throw them away. Skin the squash halves. Using a food processor or blender, blend the squash and pasta sauce until creamy. Add salt to taste.

Boil the fusilli noodles until done and drain. Place the noodles in a large mixing bowl. Add the pasta sauce, one cup at a time, until the desired pasta to sauce ratio is obtained and serve.

Serves four to eight.

 

About the author:

Mark Lynch is dedicated to providing amazing culinary articles to keep you and your family healthy and happy.  Read more culinary tips and tricks at www.chefs.edu.

 

Here is a really cool veggie style recipe card that you can print out for FREE!

click on the card