Sneaky Vegetables
- Shanicia Boswell
- Dec 10, 2015
- 2 min read
Vegetables.
Every kid's kryptonite...every parent's struggle. It is like children have a sensor to run from anything green. It was not always this way and a part of me thought that we would be so lucky to skip the "I hate my vegetables" stage of life but like fate, it came in one cold night and never left. I convinced myself that she would remember how much she loved avocados and wake up asking for a plate but no, she would look at them as if I had offended her by even thinking that she, Kamryn, age 3, would even have the audacity to put something so yucky, so green into her tiny little mouth.
Ok toddler. I accept the challenge.
So we began this trial and error stage of trying to figure out how I could make her eat vegetables without her knowledge. Since I like to be creative in the kitchen, this was actually a challenge I was up for. I now consider myself to be the Pro Vegetable Sneaker so I will share some of my favorite wins with you.
Frozen Peas- Cooked peas? No bueno. Stick them in the freezer and throw them in a bowl of fruit. HEAVEN ON EARTH! She absolutely loves this. I do not know if she thinks she is eating ice or really tiny grapes and personally I do not care. All I know is that by the end of the grub, the peas are gone and I am one happy mama. If I am feeling really nice that day, I may even drizzle a little honey on top.
Cauliflower- My love for cauliflower runs deep. I will be sharing some great recipes in the future that you can use to incorporate cauliflower into your meals but it can be used as an awesome starch replacement, to imitate cheese, and it can be used as "meat" balls. Children love it and can never tell the difference.
Smoothies- This is a given. Whip up ANYTHING and throw in a handful of spinach! Works great. I will share some of my favorite smoothie recipes later!
Asparagus, Green Beans, or Okra- I choose to chop these vegetables up really small and add them in soups, rice, even mac and "cauliflower" cheese. This is a slippery slope though. You want to make them as undetectable as possible or chances are, you will fail at this one.
Spinach Pasta- My favorite farmer's market (Your Dekalb Farmer's Market) actually sells spinach pasta. I love to buy the tagliatelle and drizzle a little olive oil and throw in some tomatoes. (Disclaimer- I have read that spinach pasta does not contain a large amount of spinach so do not depend on this method for a daily dose of vegetables).
As I am typing this, I feel myself going on a serious tangent. I could type about sneaky vegetables all day long so I will pull the plug here with my favorite five. Do not worry Mama, your baby is not being malnutritioned if they went from devouring their greens to not standing the sight of them. It is only a phase! So, are you up for the challenge?
With love,
-Shanicia
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