befriending vegetables

Before having kids of my own, I knew my kids would love vegetables and would eat them without complaints or looks of disgust. I knew that if I just offered them a variety of fresh veggies from the start they would love them as much as I do. Boy did I know wrong! I ended up with one who will avoid most veggies at all costs, though the other hasn't turned one down yet. At nearly 5, H is finally at least tasting veggies before declaring them foul, but for the most part he just doesn't like them. Here are a few ways that he will consume them, even knowing they are hidden since he usually helps me prepare food. What is great about these is that they don't alter the taste much other than adding a little natural sweetness.

Fruit smoothies

• yogurt, or kefir
• frozen berries or mangoes/bananas
• milk or water to thin
• greens - baby spinach, romaine, red or green leaf lettuce, etc.

Blend together and drink!

Mac and cheese
Follow your favorite homemade baked macaroni and cheese recipe, but add in 2 cups of pureed butternut squash. Another thing you can try is steamed and pureed cauliflower, but I prefer the taste of the squash.

Spaghetti with "carronara" (carrots and marinara)
Steam some carrots, and then puree them with water. Add to your marinara sauce.

Zucchini bread
Zucchini, when grated and added to bread, doesn't add any noticeable flavor at all. Here is a recipe - don't forget you can use applesauce in place of oil and reduce/replace the sugar with honey!

Almond meal pancakes
Though nuts aren't vegetables, H also refuses to eat nuts, so I thought I'd include this idea. He is allergic to peanuts so for a long time we were advised to avoid all nuts. When we tried to introduce nuts other than peanuts, he refused to eat them. One tasty way to get some into him is with almond meal! We love the stuff. Almond meal pancakes are delicious; you can add some of your regular flour for a portion of the almond meal if straight almond meal is too much for you, but we love these!

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head, but I'll add more as I think of them or if anyone has more suggestions!