Starting kids on fresh vegetables is always the best plan. Canned vegetables often contain a considerable amount of salt, and the texture of some vegetables toughens when frozen. Kids notice appearance, color, and texture before they get to flavor. The following ideas may inspire your youngsters to start trying, and enjoying, delicious and nutritious vegetables.
Kids Love Color:
Be sure the colors of the vegetables you serve kids are bright and fresh looking. Steaming retains the beautiful bright orange color of carrots and the rich greens of broccoli and string beans. It also retains most of the vitamins and minerals that normally go down the sink drain when vegetables are boiled. Be sure vegetables aren't cooked until they are soft and mushy. They should be firm and chewable.
Kids Love Crunch:
Place a plate of crispy raw "veggies" on the table with a bowl of healthy dip. Don't tell your children to eat them. Place them near your own dinner plate, and start eating them. It won't take too long before the kids are grabbing a few for themselves. Carrots, cucumber sticks, celery sticks, sweet red pepper sticks, and broccoli florets make a nice selection. When peas are in season, add a handful of fresh-shelled peas to the "veggie" plate.
Kids Love Gardens:
Planting a garden is great fun for children. Make it a family project, allowing each child and parent to choose a favorite vegetable to plant. If your children enjoy the tang of salsa, make your own from the vegetables in your garden. Use a recipe for mild salsa. Children will enjoy it more.
Kids Love Planning:
Let your children help plan menus using the garden vegetables that are ripe and ready to eat. They will have fun searching in cookbooks for recipes using the vegetables they love best. Also have them look for healthy dip recipes. If you don't have a garden, this is the perfect time to teach children to shop for fresh, healthy vegetables at farm stands and the grocery store.
Kids Love Mimicking:
Set an example by eating healthy snacks. Stuff celery sticks with peanut butter, and place them on a pretty plate with some cherry tomatoes. Snack on them while reading or watching a television program. The kids will soon be asking if they can have some of your snacks. You can also set a plate of raw vegetables on the table with a bowl of healthy dip. Tell your children not to snack on these "veggies" before dinner. Many kids will ask if they can just have one or two, and of course you will allow it. Sometimes it is easier to get them interested in vegetables when they are a snack instead of a meal.
Kids Love Soup:
Small chopped vegetables can be slipped into soup with some macaroni. You can also blend some vegetables, such as squash or tomatoes, to make a smooth creamy soup. Dipping grilled cheese sandwich wedges into homemade tomato soup is fun and delicious. You can also serve tomato or squash soup topped with a little cheese, broken taco chips, or crackers.
Use your imagination to come up with other inventive ways of enticing your children to eat their vegetables, and set a good example by eating your vegetables too. As they grow older, children learn to enjoy more varieties of vegetables.
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