Today is actually Eat Your Vegetables Day. What better time to have a vegetarian supper. In our house, we have at least 2 suppers a week without meat. Fortunately, we all love vegetables so much that we never even miss it.
Some people have a lot of trouble getting their kids to eat vegetables. It’s funny, my three daughters have always been really, really good about eating their vegetables and fruit. Compared to a lot of other kids, they’re culinary saints. I’m not sure if the reason is that I’ve always fixed them and tried to make them as creative and delicious as possible or if we’re just lucky.
One reason may actually go back to when they were babies. When each of my girls were ready to eat baby food, I started them out with vegetables. My thinking was that if they got accustomed to the sweet, delicious fruit baby food, they might not be interested in the corn, green beans, sweet potatoes, or beets. So, each of our babies had corn as their first baby food. Then sweet potatoes… then apple sauce.
Whatever the reason(s), they’ll try any vegetable or fruit put in front of them and finish off most of them.
Any parent of “grown” children knows that when your children reach their teens and twenties, you get new children: Their boyfriends/girlfriends! Our youngest daughter’s boyfriend is a sweetheart and we love him to distraction. When it comes to vegetables, he’s like most kids – if it’s green, he doesn’t even want to look at it! He loves green beans, though, but they’d darned sure better be seasoned with ham or bacon!
One of my signature dishes is a great Spinach Artichoke dip. My husband, all of my girls, and our oldest’s boyfriend adore this dip. But I always make sure I have salsa or a cheese dip for Mr. Not-If-It’s-Green!
If you have kids in your family who have similar aversions to fruit and vegetables (even if it is just green ones), take heart. With a little creativity, you can present vegetables and fruit to them as a fun food. Many restaurants are making it easier.
- When you take your kids to Subway, order a fun little bag of apple slices.
- At fast food restaurants, order salads to go with their sandwiches instead of fries.
- The fruit and yogurt parfait at McDonald’s can be approached as a “treat.” Treat it with the same excitement you would an ice cream cone and your kids will pick up on the excitement.
Around the house, let your kids help in the kitchen. Encourage them to pick out vegetables and fruit they want to try at the supermarket, then let them help you fix them. Many parents make the mistake of treating fruit and vegetables as something “healthy” that their kids HAVE to eat…. sort of like medicine! Treat vegetables and fruit like any other food – something delicious and fun to eat.
Disney’s Family Fun website offers a lot of cool ideas for getting your kids to eat their vegetables. The adorable creation above is their Cucumber Snake. Is he cute or what? His “snake pit”? Hummus!
Gather lots of different vegetables for your kids to come up with their own creations. You can use hummus, ranch, or peanut butter for dipping fun.
Click the following link for the recipe/directions: Crazy Cucumber Snake: Get Your Kids to Eat Their Vegetables!
