How do you get your picky eaters to eat their veggies?
That time of the year is almost upon us – the back-to-school and back to regular meal routines season. For many moms, including myself, this means getting back on track to ensure my kids get enough vegetables in their diets. But, this is often easier said than done!
Here’s an infographic that proves I’m not the only mom out there who struggles to get her kids to eat their veggies. It’s based on a Today’s Parent survey of 2,000 Canadian moms,on the topic of picky eaters. As you can see, many moms are frustrated with getting their kids to eat Canada Food Guide’s recommended four to six servings of fruits and vegetables a day and it explores some of the creative ways moms try to increase
their kids’ veggie servings.
Hiding vegetables in meals is one way of ensuring kids get their daily intake. Parents with much patience will include a vegetable in a meal many times over – even as much as 30 times or more – before their child finally starts liking it. Sometimes re-introducing a vegetable at a later time works. And of course, some kids just grow out of their pickiness over time.
One way of getting an extra serving of vegetables into picky eaters is through a blended fruit and vegetable juice such as Tropicana Farmstand 100% Fruit and Vegetable Juice. It has one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetables in every 250mL glass (as per Canada’s Food Guide recommended intake). It’s available in grocery stores across Canada in two varieties: Peach Mango and Pomegranate Blueberry (a 1.36L bottle sells for about $3.99). Tropicana Farmstand is encouraging moms to share their tips and tricks with others on how they get their families to eat their veggies, and to share some of their own misadventures and funny stories on Twitter with the hashtag #hiddenveggies.
Here’s an opportunity to win a Tropicana Farmstand prize package, worth $125 that contains everything you need to make getting those #hiddenveggies:
· Coupons for free Tropicana Farmstand juice bottles (8 coupons)
· 8 colourful cups
· Striped drinking straws
· Juice pitcher
· Vegetable and fruit chopper
· $50 Loblaws gift card
All packaged in a reusable wicker basket.
WE do a lot of smoothies, juices and purees and mix it into things we know the kids would like.
actually he loves veggies in his meals and juice. when I do want to sneak those veggies in I cover it with sauce or cheese
my daughter is such a picky eater but i try to hid them in a spoonful of something such as when i give her her pasta i try to hid the veggies on the spoon underneath the noodle so she doesnt see lol. doesnt always work
Started giving babe veg as her first food and model eating veggies in front of her.
I cook & then blend veggies you can hide them in anything
I add pureed vegetables to sauces, add them in baking recipes (carrot, zucchini, etc) and get them in juices.
A lot of juicing and hiding veggies in dinner meals
It’s a struggle. .. she’s 8. not so easy to hide. She discovered she likes V8
I like to make zucchini bread.
Smoothies everyday, snacks, and making sure the supper plate has atleast one sort of veggie. Im blessed for not having a picky eater *yet
cook with cheese
I make smoothies~
I have a smoothie everyday. Yum
I like hiding veggies in quick breads!
Put the veggie in smoothies and in bake goods.
Zucchini bread is always a hit! 🙂 I also love to add spinach to fruit smoothies!
I make a lot of smoothies.
I will sneak veggies into pasta sauces, breads and smoothies!
I put lots of vegetables hem in my meatloaf and spaghetti
I put a lot of vegetables into pasta sauce and have found a great muffin recipe that has vegetables and is delicious.
I find the kids eat veggies best on sandwiches and burgers
i add them to desserts like black bean brownies and zuchinni chocolate cake
I wrap bacon around my vegge. Ideal solution
Add finely choppedor grated veggies to spaghetti meat sauce.
Lots of juice and they love carrot cake which you can sneak a ton of stuff into!
in sauces and/ or covered with cheese
We have veggies in soup and they seem to be easier to eat in something like that rather than by themselves.
I don’t really hide vegetables on my kids because they love them but I do add them into smoothies and add super finely chopped or pureed veggies to most of my dinner sauces. I love the Tropicana farmstand juice! It tastes great on it’s own and in smoothies
I grind veggies up in spaghetti sauce 🙂
Mix it with meat or cheese – that usually does the job.
I grate whatever veggies I have in the house and put them in spaghetti sauce. We’re all getting our veggie intake in a tasty way.
in smoothies, tomato sauces, in soups ,stews.
I love to hide veggies in smoothies and in lasagna and other pastas.
Grind them up in a smoothie!
We don’t need to hide so we eat lots of steamed and raw veggies! But we also love juice LOL!!
I hide lots of veggies in my pasta sauce….nobody knows but me…hahahaha!
Mix them in fruit puree for my son!
Its really hard because I have a couple really picky kids, so juice with hidden vegetables is my go to solution especially for my 17 year old. He will drink it because it tastes like fruit (even though he can read that there are vegetables in it lol)
i hide veggies in sauces and soups even if I have to puree them
We makes lots of smoothies and I very sneakily hide our veggies in those!
I bake a lot and make smoothies with veggies!
I put veggie’s in smoothies and soups.
I add veggies to smoothies
I hide them in smoothies and sauces!
Sara was never a really fussy eater and now she even likes Brussel Sprouts! I always have fresh, washed and cut veggies in the fridge so that whenever we feel like munching on chips, we reach for the veggie plate instead.
I need to hide them so my son will have veggies
I would have to say either smoothies or soup.
Don’t have to hide them. Sophie loves all vegetables she has ever tried.
my kid will sometimes eat veggies if there is a dip, or if they are covered in cheese!
Smoothies & pasta sauce are where I hide!
i put kale in fruit smoothies, and zucchini in muffins!
I put the hidden veggies in muffins.
I used to grind them up and put them in spaghetti sauces, and I made mini chicken meatloaves with veggies in muffin tins and they ate them thinking they were muffins.
Pureed veggies in dips and veggies hidden in baked treats (zucchini muffins, baked pumpkin donuts, carrot cupcakes, spinach brownies, etc) are a no-fail way to get everybody here to eat their vegetables
I puree them and add them to soups/stews!
I mash cauliflower and pass it off as potatoes 🙂
I make spinach-fruit smoothies.
My nieces actually love the fruit juice with added vegetables!
We make smoothies and when I make muffins I try to sneak something into them
I hide veggies in things almost daily. I put spinach, cauliflower, etc into everything from smoothies to baked goods. Pureed veggies are so easy to hide in almost anything!
I will add them to things I am preparing buy cutting the up really small or pureeing. Into other sauces like pasta sauce
I put shredded vegies in cakes and muffins
a nice pot of soup filled with veggies is a good way to get the fam to eat their veggies!! #HiddenVeggies
We don’t have to hide veggies here – but we do put them in smoothies as well
I puree them into soup, sauces & smoothies #HiddenVeggies!
I mince the4m and add to meatloaf and meatballs
I get them into soups.
I make my own pasta sauce and add lots of veggies in there, then pop it in the food processor.
Usually in smoothies but we’re good with broccoli and carrots; anything else I need to hide. I did buy this juice for my son (he actually picked it out) and LOVED it!
I finely chop spinach into just about everything possible, from pasta sauce, to wraps, fajitas, stroganoff ,omeletes
Lots of carrot sticks and cucumbers with dip around here.
we don’t have to hide any veggies here, but when i do i like to add them in with wraps, omeletes, fajitas and in our homemade pasta sauce!
We use a lot of fresh veggies for dips and in salads.
No need to hide any veggies. We eat them raw.
I hide them in my spaghetti sauce.
Blend them inside soups!
all about slicing and dicing to make them almost invisible to hide in meals.
in tomato sauce I add carrots, celery, zucchini, etc , its cut small enough they assume its an onion ,
Homemade soup usually works! And stews, chili, muffins, with added veggies/fruits is usually a hit.
I sneak some in smoothies!
We use a lot of dips and grated veggies.
Add cheese
its not easy but usually I just buy veggies I know my kids enjoy and they eat it! I don’t force or hide kids on my veggies
I add veggies into our smoothies!
I sneak greens into our smoothies. Sssssssshhhhh don’t tell the kids!
I blend EVERYTHING into sauces.
I hide veggies in flavour! Curries and BBQ’d veg is the way to go!
I purée veggies and add them to muffins, pasta sauces etc so that my family doesn’t even know they are there.
I add vegetables to most of my meals, per example cook onions in meat, add scallions to potatoes… Find ways to integrate it that they like!
I put #HiddenVeggies in smoothies, sauces and soups!
I put #hiddenveggies in muffins – zucchini and carrot!
I hide veggies in smoothies and also soups
I add veggies to our fruit smoothies.
I put veggies in sauces, soups and baked goods like muffins and cake.
I add veggies to pasta sauces and cakes or cupcakes
Start with raw veggies and dip (dipping is fun afterall!) and work your way up to other vegetables. If you hide all veggies all the time, your kids will never eat veggies, ever.
I often puree veggies for soups or sneak them in smoothies.
I will put veggies in smoothies and pasta sauces.
I will put veggies in smoothies and pasta sauces.
I add veggies to smoothies and pasta sauces
I put veggies in smoothies and pasta sauces
I like to add peas to kraft dinner, veggies to spaghetti sauce
stews, pasta and smoothies
i sneak it anywhere. My fav is zucchini in tacos but love the idea of having it in the juice!
I shredd veggies and add to sauces
smoothies and muffins are the easiest. My kids even help me make them so they see the veggies going in!
I like to stick emin chilli, spaghetti and sauces
I stick them in spaghetti lasagna and pizza
We add them to stews and salads.
I add them to sauces,stews, smoothies etc 🙂
I put them in soups and smoothies
I buy juices that contain vegetables but taste like fruit.
I put some greens in my daughter’s scrambled eggs.
I sneak them into fruit smoothies. My son has kale or spinach each day and never knows
Depending on the veggie, i don’t have to hide it lol – my son loves cooked broccoli. But i do put veggies in smoothies, pasta sauce and soup.
soups and smoothies
I put veggies in pasta sauces
Mashed into meatloaf, soups, and the best is mashed cauliflower! It’s a hit!
Roasting veggies can really make them sweeter.
I add extra veggies to soups. And omelettes have a variety too.
Cheers.
I whip califlower into ‘mashed potatoes”. Kids love them.
I get my #HiddenVeggies , by using our juicer!
I use the juicer to get in those #HiddenVeggies…
i hide everything in my kids smoothies.
I add them in sauces and smoothies.
I shred carrot into spaghetti or mac and cheese.
We love the Deliciously Deceiving by Jessica Seinfeld. She uses veggie purée to put veggies in everything! She has a brownie recipe to die for!
slow cooked soups
I get them in pasta sauce, stews, chili, soups and smoothies
When I make spagetti I puree the peppers, carrotts, celery etc into the sauce and they never know!
i put them mostly in smoothies
My kids eat a lot of veggies anyways, but I make smoothies for my husband with extras in it.
I often find #HiddenVeggies in crackers.
Soups and stews! Yumm
Blend them in dips!
I add them to soups and smoothies
Add it to smoothies
No need to hide them, I leave them right out in the open and they get eaten. I put vegetables in just about everything.
Luckily my kids love veggies so I dont really need to hide them
I buy products that have hidden veggies, such as chef boyardee, tropicana juice, other than that my kids do eat most veggies
My kids love most of the veggies, but the ones they don’t I hide in smoothies and soups
I put yams in the spaghetti sauce
I have made mac and cheese with mashed sweet potatoes in the recipe Tastes very good!