Idea to get kids to eat veggies...

[Anonymous]

Just wanted to share this simple (but ingenious!) idea I got from my friend to get kids to eat more veggies.

Just have a veggie platter in the fridge always ready to go with some low fat ranch dressing and/or hummus. I put it on the table before and during lunch and dinner. When I'm fixing dinner and they start whining that they are STARVING, I just put the veggies out and they go to town on them! It's nice for me because I rarely have to steam or roast a veggie. Costco has a huge veggie platter for $10. Totally worth the money, but I usually buy and chop the veggies myself so we have some variety. My friend did this when we stayed with them in a beach house. the kids came in from swimming and swarmed around the veggies. I was in awe, so I came home and got in the habit. It's such a simple idea, and we all serve these veggie trays at parties/picnics. But it never ocurred to me to make it a staple in our fridge!

It's been so helpful for me, I just had to share!

[Anonymous]

check out the mac and cheese with vegies in the pasta and the pasta with vegies in it.

[Anonymous]

Which vegetables do you serve them OP?

[Anonymous]

OP here. I usually have some combination of broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, red/yellow bell peppers, jicama, cherry tomatoes.

This year, they are growing their own tomatoes, broccoli, and peppers so that has been fun too!

[Anonymous]

This is a great idea--I may need to try it.

I'm not usually one for cookbooks but I use this one all the time by Jessica Seinfeld. Great recipes that use veggie purees. The banana bread with cauliflower is a huge hit in my house and its so moist (I usually end up eating most of it because its that good):

http://www.amazon.com/Deceptively-Delicious-Simple-Secrets-Eating/dp/0061251348

[Anonymous]

I tend to think find the idea of dipping platter is pretty counter productive given that most kids will eat far more of the dip in larger quantities than is healthy and cancel out any real nutritional value from the vegetables.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tend to think find the idea of dipping platter is pretty counter productive given that most kids will eat far more of the dip in larger quantities than is healthy and cancel out any real nutritional value from the vegetables.

Dip does not "cancel out" nutritional value of veggies. They are still getting all the nutritional value of the vegetables. They are just also getting the fat/sugar of dip.

[Anonymous]

I like that idea. If your kids are old enough, I've found that my daughter is more willing to try something if she's helped prepare it - she'll eat green beans if I let her help me cut them, or will eat more carrots if I let her peel them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I tend to think find the idea of dipping platter is pretty counter productive given that most kids will eat far more of the dip in larger quantities than is healthy and cancel out any real nutritional value from the vegetables.

Dip does not "cancel out" nutritional value of veggies. They are still getting all the nutritional value of the vegetables. They are just also getting the fat/sugar of dip.

Many vitamins and minerals in veggies are fat soluble. Far from "canceling out" the benefits of veggies, eating them with some fat makes them fully beneficial. Lots of dips are highly processed crap food though. Homemade hummus, guacamole, bean dip, or rich dairy based dips are great!