One of the most common issues that parents of young children face is that their child doesn’t eat enough fruits or veggies…my house included! We’ve taken steps to increase the amounts of fruits and veggies the kids eat at home. One of the biggest WINS we have had is by leaving a basket on the table stocked with apples, oranges, and bananas. They see it first, so they take it. It really works!

Always, always, always make vegetables a side dish for your meal, and offer it to your child. In addition to that, you might want to BOOST the veggie intake by trying a few of these SNEAKY little ideas!

1. Shred zucchini in to waffles, muffins, or pancakes. Add some chocolate chips for extra flavor!
2. Add a jar of baby food carrots to the spaghetti sauce as it cooks on the stove. You can also use canned pumpkin puree.
3. Add mashed, cooked cauliflower to mashed potatoes!
4. Try mixing in pureed butternut squash to your macaroni and cheese.
5. Shred carrots into the cheddar cheese on a quesadilla before heating. This can be a great snack, just folding a soft taco shell in half and microwaving! Dip in salsa, and there are more veggies!
6. Add defrosted peas and carrots to canned chicken noodle soup that your kids love.
7. Make brownies and mix some cooked, chopped spinach in to the batter.
8. When baking, use an even amount of ½ oil and ½ applesauce.
9. Try spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti! The sauce will still taste delicious on this!
10. Add a can of diced tomatoes to your marinara sauce or chili.

I haven’t tried ALL of these techniques, but I can tell you that I’m a BIG fan of adding pureed veggies to sauces. It really works! Carrots in the quesadillas work too! What techniques have YOU tried to increase your child’s fruit and veggie intake?

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