Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables

Have you ever made peas and carrots for evening meal and put them on your child's plate? If you have, then you now know the many ways children will hide these green and orange pieces from their plates. They will lose them on the floor. They will feed them to the dog. They will hide them in their napkin. They will scoot them under another item on their plate. Kids will try just about anything to not eat the peas and carrots sitting in front of them.

Take those same veggies and add them to fried rice or to fettuccine alfredo and all of a sudden kids gobble them down.

12 OUNCES EQUALS HOW MANY CUPS

We love dips in my house. I make spinach dip, artichoke dip, broccoli dip and a cauliflower dip. Here are a few recipes for dips that my kids have enjoyed over the years:

Cauliflower Dip

1/2 head cauliflower

1 green onion with top, chopped into 1 inch pieces

3 tablespoons sour cream (you can also use yogurt or mayonnaise)

2 tablespoons ranch dressing mix (powder)

Break cauliflower into florets, for cooking. In medium saucepan, bring about 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil. Add cauliflower, cover and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Run under cold water to stop the cooking; drain well.

In a food processor, puree cauliflower and green onion until smooth. Add the sour cream and dressing mix. Process 1 minute. Put into a serving dish and chill before serving.

Spinach Dip

1 container frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed

1/2 cup chopped parsley or parsley flakes

1/2 cup green onion, chopped

1/2 teaspoon dill seed

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Mix all ingredients and chill overnight so flavors can blend.

Note: I use both light sour cream and light mayonnaise and it's still delicious.
And finally, a very easy artichoke dip:

Artichoke Dip

8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

Cut artichoke hearts into small pieces. Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350 degrees, about 25 minutes until melted and lightly browned.

Another favorite way to help kids eat vegetables is to put the vegetables into a marinara sauce. Cut the vegetables up fairly small. They will add a phenomenal flavor to the sauce and the sauce will be nutritious for the kids. The sauce can go over any type of noodle. It can also be poured over cooked fish or chicken.

My final advice is to start a vegetable garden. Kids love to eat what they themselves have grown. When the child has helped water, weed and cultivate the garden, it is so much fun for them to pick the vegetables and then eat them. They are so proud to eat their own work.

These are just a few alternative to peas and carrots on a plate.

Getting Kids to Eat Vegetables

12 OUNCES EQUALS HOW MANY CUPS

Dessert Recipes - With Vegetables Please

In our effort to get healthier, eat better, and watch our waistline, we often take drastic measures like cutting all sweets out of our diet. And those diets rarely last because we feel deprived. So rather than going completely drastic, here is a question I ask you to consider: Why not try small changes that you can live with? So instead of cutting all sweets out of your diet, why not replace the typical sweets you eat with a dessert that is healthier and that you can feel good about? And what tastier way to help you get that daily intake of veggies than through dessert? Here are a couple of recipes to help you in your urge to get healthy but not feel deprived.

Zucchini Crisp

12 OUNCES EQUALS

5 cups sliced zucchini, peeled and seeded

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup lemon juice

3/4 cup water

Combine all of the above ingredients in a large saucepan. Cook the mixture until it starts to boil. Then boil the mixture for 15 to 20 minutes. Put the mixture in an 8- or 9-inch square pan.

Topping:

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

In a small bowl, combine the flour, salt, brown sugar, and baking powder. Mix well. Cut the flour into the mixture and combine until it is crumbly. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the zucchini mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 to 45 minutes.

Avocado Pie

1 (3-ounce) package lime or lemon-lime jello

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 can (8-ounce) crushed pineapple

1 medium avocado

1 cup boiling water

2 tablespoons lime juice

1 package (3-ounce) cream cheese

1 cup whipped cream

9-inch graham cracker pie crust

In a large bowl, put the jello, salt, and boiling water. Stir the mixture until the jello is dissolved. Drain the pineapple juice into a measuring cup. Add the lime juice to it. Add enough cold water to make the mixture equal 3/4 cup. Add this mixture to the jello mixture. Put the jello mixture in the refrigerator until it is very thick. While that is cooling, peel and half the avocado. Cut up half of the avocado into small pieces. In a small bowl, mash the other half of the avocado until it is smooth. Add the cream cheese to the mashed avocado and mix until well blended. Add the cream cheese mixture, avocado pieces, pineapple, and whipped cream to the jello mixture. Mix well and put into the pie crust. Refrigerate until the mixture is firm.

Dessert Recipes - With Vegetables Please

12 OUNCES EQUALS