Before I had kids – you know, back when I was super wise – I said that my kids wouldn’t be picky eaters. Nope. Wasn’t going to happen.
Well, to my chagrin, I am now the proud parent of two picky eaters. (Lucas isn’t old enough yet or I’d probably have to say three ha!) (Have I mentioned that parenting is humbling?)
As a parent, I now realize that picky eaters are kind of par for the course. Now, does that mean I encourage pickiness? Absolutely not. I want my kids to learn to eat what they’re given and be grateful. But wow, that is much easier said than done sometimes, am I right?!
We have the policy that the kids have to at least try new foods – because “you’ve got to try new food ’cause it might taste go-ood.” (Thanks Daniel Tiger!) If it’s a food they’ve had before but don’t particularly love, we’ll usually enforce a certain number of bites (especially for vegetables.)
But, the best thing is when we don’t have to enforce any bites, because either they want to eat it, or because they don’t know they’re eating it! 😉
I don’t have all the answers, that’s for sure, but here are some of my favorite tips and tricks for getting picky eaters to eat one of the most important foods for them, vegetables!
How to Get Your Picky Eater to Eat Their Veggies
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Consider the timing
Offer veggies before the meal
If I offer my kids raw carrots (our go-to easy veggie) while I’m getting lunch ready, they’ll gobble up a whole bunch of them! But if I wait to serve the carrots with their lunch they’ll hardly eat any.
Serve them as the first course
If you’d rather not offer veggies before your meal, consider serving them as a first course. The veggies will probably look more appealing to your kids if they’re not right alongside something your kids like better.
Prepare or serve veggies in a new way
Serve with dip
Okay, so this tip doesn’t actually work with my kids because they’re weird and don’t like any dipping sauces (not even ketchup!) But, a lot of kids will be much happier to eat their veggies if they can dip them in something they like.
Roast them
If your kids aren’t fans of steamed veggies, try roasting them instead! Veggies drizzled with a little olive oil and sprinkled with some salt and Parmesan cheese are SO yummy.
Serve in a fun or cute way
Kids love eating things that look cute! Try serving your kids “ants on a log” with celery, peanut butter, and raisins, or check out this article with lots of adorable ideas.
Hide veggies in other foods
Fruit and veggie pouches
Fruit and veggie pouches are one of my favorite healthy convenience foods! We don’t buy them all the time, but when we do the kids gobble them right up. I love that there are so many varieties to choose from at the stores now – such a great way to get kids to eat their veggies!
Smoothies
Smoothies are SO great for hiding veggies. I usually throw spinach in ours and the kids don’t even notice it! Right now I just use our food processor for smoothies but I have my eye on this awesome looking Ninja blender.
MuffinsÂ
I LOVE adding veggies to muffins. Here are two of my favorite recipes to use:
Puréed vegetables in sauces
So, I haven’t tried this yet, but I’ve read that puréed veggies can be easily hidden in pasta sauce. Here’s a recipe I’m interested in trying!
Now I’d love to hear from you! How do you get your kids to eat their veggies?