Ideas and recipes for sneaking vegetables to DD7...

[MiniBlondes]

DD7 must be the pickiest eater on the planet. I lose my temper with her at least once a week because she refuses to eat basically anything. I need ideas for sneaky ways to get her to eat, drink, or otherwise consume her vegetables without knowing what she's getting herself into. For example, the other day I made whole wheat pancakes and managed to throw some pureed spinach in there without her knowing. :laugh:

 

Here's a list of fruit and veggies that she WILL eat.

Bananas

Strawberries

Kiwi

Green Grapes

Apples

Carrots

Green Beans

Peas (sometimes, only canned ones)

Potatoes

Peaches

 

Here's a list of fruits and veggies that I buy or have on hand regularly but she refuses to eat

Avocados

Bell Peppers

Celery

Spinach

Zucchini

Broccolli

Pea Pods

Asparagus

Mushrooms

Blueberries

Blackberries

Citrus Fruits

Grape Tomatoes

Cucumber

Pinapple

Mango

 

 

Does anyone have ideas or suggestions? Tried and true recipes would be great. :)

[Joanne]

My advice? Don't. Simply don't. I consider it a violation, over-controlling, and unkind. If she eats frequently from "her" first list, she could easily be getting a varied, healthy diet.

[Parrothead]

I found that instead of getting angry, reasoning works well. Kids are kids. Your dd eats a nice, but small, variety. Build on that. Let her know that as people age their tastes change, usually to the degree that they eat more veggies. Point out adults you know who eat a large variety of produce.

 

Then work slowly to trying new foods. Approach it scientifically. Make it a right of passage type thing when she does decide that the current food is good. Stick with one at a time and remember that it takes about 15 tries. Spread that out over a period of several months.

 

Also make sure this dislike isn't a texture issue. If you find that it is a texture thing you'll have to go slower and possibly seek OT for her.

 

Good luck.

[Dandelion]

I think the list of what she will eat looks fine. Load her up on those fruits and veggies and call it good. :)

 

That said, I would continue to offer other fruits/veggies, but I wouldn't force or sneak them. I've found that my kids will try more fruits/veggies if they're offered with a yummy dipping sauce of some sort (e.g. agave nectar for fruit, salsa for veggies, etc.).

[SunnyDays]

DS is rather picky himself. I don't force it much, but we have a "two bite rule" at our house. When I serve a new veggie or side dish, I make sure the other parts of the meal are well liked, and he has to take two bites of the new food. Once he learned the rule, it's not a big deal, and he has surprised himself by liking a few things. Even if it's the 30th time I've served him broccoli, two bites. And I have done like Chucki mentioned, explain that tastes change and that he may like something now that he didn't previously.

 

I agree, you can't turn it into a huge battle for control. There will be plenty of other issues to fight over through the years, LOL!! :) That said, I don't think it's a huge deal to mix a little something new into a casserole or smoothie once in a while. Try not to worry... she's eating quite a few and there's a good chance she will expand as she gets older.

[Dianne-TX]

I was going to suggest the Sneaky Chef cookbook/website. You can get the cookbook at the library. My kids aren't picky, nor do we allow it, but we got this cookbook from the library a couple of years ago and let them each choose a dinner and dessert menu that they made by themselves, mostly. They had so much fun! Maybe she would like to do that, too? You could also make green smoothies. Use fruit that she likes and throw in a handful of spinach or other greens and veggies. Make sure to use bananas (for sweetness) and blueberries or other berries (to help the color). ;) We have the Blendtec blender and the demo guy at the store was adding carrots, cabbage, spinach, etc., to the smoothies he was making as well as ice cream. You couldn't even taste the veggies! It comes with a cookbook when you buy it, but you could google and see if there are recipes online that you could find helpful. You can also look at the SAM's club and Costco website (if those stores are in your area) and see when a Blendtec or Vitamix demo is scheduled and go there to watch them demo the blender and also taste what they make. It might be fun for her to watch (I know my kids do) and she might taste what they make and find that it's good, too. Just some ideas. HTH a little...

 

ETA... I agree with the post above mine about a "two bite rule".

[Mrs Mungo]

I would try new recipes.

 

It is like my sister and oatmeal. She said, "I don't like oatmeal." She tried my baked oatmeal and liked it. On another visit I made steel cut oats with coconut milk. She said, "I only like baked oatmeal." But, she tried the steel-cut oats and liked it. That is when her tune changed to, "apparently I don't know how to cook oatmeal."

[Orthodox6]

For example, the other day I made whole wheat pancakes and managed to throw some pureed spinach in there without her knowing. :laugh:

 

 

That is funny! I just finished posting the following in another thread:

 

quote I used to put homemade pancake batter in the blender with assorted (cooked) vegetables, then make the pancakes as usual. Served them with (real) maple syrup as usual. Toddler happily ate breakfast -- as usual.

 

I did this with all four children, none of whom ever "guessed" or complained. I even got fish into them this way. end quote

 

I know the doctors/psychologists/etc. advise not to turn the dining table into a battlefield, and I tried not to. This is a tremendously hard area, and here's a :grouphug: . By age seven, though, I was pretty no-nonsense about meals. We adopted a laid-back pose of "That's fine. Come back for the next meal, then." (and did not allow heavy snacking to compensate) That, combined with a "three bites rule" led to older dc who like a truly wide range of foods.

 

But every kid is different. Our niece is not picky, she is impossible. Her parents allow it. She was ten when she came to stay with us (from another city) for DD's birthday party. Our household does not dine exclusively on pizza, chicken nuggets, and Honey Nut Cheerios -- (We don't even eat the last two items ever), and I was not in the mood, nor had the time, to kowtow. Twelve hours after her arrival, the girl was bawling on the phone to her dad, and demanded that he drive the five hours up here to take her home. (He did.) My DD was crushed that her only cousin would break up a long-awaited visit and skip her birthday party solely over junk food.

[delaney]

I wouldn't mess with it. That child actually eats vegetables. Mine will not eat any at. all. He will eat berries of all sorts and I have been getting veg/fruit blend drinks into him. I am trying to sneak stuff mixed in with foods but I would never force a food on a kid. They will eat more as they get older. All but him love broccoli, cauliflower, and even asparagus!

[Giraffe]

I tried a few recipes from Deceptively Delicious and they worked with DD, but after a while she started tasting the difference, and the texture wasn't "right" for her. So I'm back to feeding her what she'll eat and trying other veggies little by little.

[Mrs_JWM]

My issue with the recipes that hide fruits and vegetables is that each serving contains a miniscule amount of fruit or veg. The Sneaky Chef pancakes have 1/4 c. of puree spread out over 30 pancakes! Now, I realize that these are very small pancakes, so let's assume that this actually makes about 4 servings, but still you're talking about 1 tablespoon of fruit and veg per person! Serve a fruit and veg that your kid likes with every meal and she'll be good to go.

 

I do like to use spinach and eggs in smoothies, and those are foods my daughter wouldn't ordinarily eat, but she doesn't notice them. I use 1/4 c. spinach, 1/4 c. blueberries, 1/4 c. plain full-fat Greek yogurt, 1 egg, a splash of V-8 Fusion, and a bit of vanilla. It makes just under a cup, which is just the right amount for her, and she likes it. She does know I use the spinach, but doesn't know about the egg. I agree with what Joanne said above; I do think it's rather sneaky, but I do it anyway.

 

I've also recently relaxed my rules about out-of-season fruit. My daughter is largely vegetarian, but my husband and I have switched to a primal eating plan. She deserves to eat good-for-her foods that she enjoys, and it won't kill me to buy her fresh organic strawberries in February. The impact on the environment bothers me tremendously, but I want her to enjoy food and good nutrition.

[kewb]

Whem my were little I pureed everything and put it in tomato sauce. Smoothies were another way I would get veggies that they did not care for into their diet.

[KungFuPanda]

I find that you can sneak a lot of veggies into a red sauce if you purée them :-). If she eats spaghetti, you can get spinach, zucchini, and mushrooms into the sauce. Just don't go overboard and try to add too much.

[KungFuPanda]

DP

[regentrude]

dp

[regentrude]

Her "will eat" list is plenty. Definitely more than my son's.

Sneaking would never work here - he tastes minuscule amounts of vegetable.

I do not see what the problem is from a nutritional point of view- she gets a variety of fruits and veggies.

She will expand her tastes as she gets older.

 

ETA: I have a problem with "sneaking" on an ethical level. Just imagine an adult announced he did not eat xyz, and then was served foods that had this ingredient hidden in there on purpose. That would be considered completely unacceptable.

[mytwomonkeys]

i have the cookbook deceptively delicious (like the sneaky chef). i disagree that it is mean. my kids know that i prepare things with vegetables (and my daughter is older now so she eats many of them as a side anyway). some of the dishes i continue to prepare with veggies because they are yummy & much healthier than the way i would have prepared it previously. i also put spinach & kale in our smoothies & juice vegetables (like beets, carrots, and tomatoes) covered up by the sweet taste of fruit. i hide the taste of many veggies for myself so i see nothing wrong with doing it for my children too. sometimes things that are good for you just don't taste great. even if another mom did the same thing and left out the information of what was in the recipes & her kids had no idea, i just don't see it as a big deal.

[Laurie4b]

Her "will eat" list is plenty. Definitely more than my son's.

Sneaking would never work here - he tastes minuscule amounts of vegetable.

I do not see what the problem is from a nutritional point of view- she gets a variety of fruits and veggies.

She will expand her tastes as she gets older.

 

ETA: I have a problem with "sneaking" on an ethical level. Just imagine an adult announced he did not eat xyz, and then was served foods that had this ingredient hidden in there on purpose. That would be considered completely unacceptable.

 

I disagree because if an adult is saying they wouldn't eat something, either they are allergic or it's because they truly can't stand the taste. I wouldn't have a problem having someone add an ingredient of a food I didn't like if I couldn't taste.

 

With a child, a parent is trying to get nutrition in there. The word "sneaky" throws it off. How about if the question were reworded: How can I get more nutrition into my child in a way that she won't object to?

[Laurie4b]

I think your child has quite a decent list. I did have a picky eater and one thing that I read that helped was to offer the same disliked food for 9 days straight. Just require one bit. Let them "chase" it with something that they especially like. Over the course of the 9 days, the taste buds adjust to that food. (This works for taste, not for texture if you have a child with sensory issues.) Keep in mind, too, that the taste buds change as the child gets older. I used to think to myself as a child, "This cannot taste the same to Mommie and Daddy as it does to me or they would not eat it. " Turns out that there was some truth in that, LOL!

 

Smoothies are one way to get in veges, mixed with fruits. Pureeing veges and putting into sauces that the child likes or into soups is another way.

[dbmamaz]

i use vitamins - gummies. I tried sneaking and he could tell and refused to eat his favorite meal because i'd hidden cauliflower in the mashed potatoes. i never tried again

[OrganicAnn]

Lots of kids that age will only eat the things on your child's will eat list.

 

What we do is things like a veggie plate with dipping sauce (ranch dressing usually). In the center of the table and everyone eats from it. If the parent eat the veggies that the kids won't, then eventually they might try it. Also we occasionally do the same with chocolate fondue and fruit. Mmm mom & dad get the pineapple dipped in chocolate. We do the 'try a bite' of it for recipes that are new. We also try to make the good for you things more interesting. Also some kids will eat veggies raw, but not cooked. So try raw cauliflower as well as cooked cauliflower.

 

The key is not to stress over it and not to get mad. Just maybe you need to examine why this is upsetting you so much.

 

My mom's theory is that adults that are picky eaters (those that don't have allergies or is medical issues) received more attention over the years from their parents for not eating.

 

Also if you grow a garden - peas taste wonderful picked fresh, so do cucumber, carrots and lots of other vegetables. My DD eats all our asparagus directly out of the garden, she snaps it off and pops it in her mouth.

[tearose]

I don't sneak in foods, either.* My response is something like, "You'll probably like it when you're older. But it's great that you gave it a try because you'll never know if you might end up liking something." I found that they best way to get my kids to eat veggies was to serve it before the meal--we either have a salad course or an "appetizer" (like raw carrots w/ hummus or a mix of roasted vegetables). It's such an ingrained part of how we eat meals that my kids don't question finishing that course before we move onto the entree (which usually has vegetables, too, but I'm more lax about how much they eat, if I know they've already had salad or some other vegetable before that). I wouldn't expect that the first, oh, two (or three!) dozen times, but I found that over time it just became a natural part of our routine. I usually have at least one vegetable that they already like and then expect at least two bites of something they dislike or is new to them.

 

*I guess I have one exception. I make tons of ratatouille in the summer, and I puree and freeze whatever I don't eat. I think it adds an extra depth to tomato sauce, and it doesn't hurt that it adds more veggies to the sauce. But this is a case where I think it improves the flavor, rather than needing to be masked by the tomatoes. But I guess it is sneaky in the sense that I don't advertise it to my family!

[Jenny in Florida]

My advice? Don't. Simply don't. I consider it a violation, over-controlling, and unkind. If she eats frequently from "her" first list, she could easily be getting a varied, healthy diet.

 

As a former picky eater who still resents the times I was "tricked" into eating things I had clearly said I didn't want, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for saying this. I honestly felt betrayed by those experiences, and I feel certain they damaged my relationship with my parents.

 

I'm also convinced that the anger and resentment created by those experiences only strengthened my determination to avoid those foods at all costs. If anything, it made me pickier, since I began insisting I would not eat anything "mixed" in any way or anything that might possibly hide an unfamiliar or unwanted ingredient.

[Jenny in Florida]

With a child, a parent is trying to get nutrition in there. The word "sneaky" throws it off. How about if the question were reworded: How can I get more nutrition into my child in a way that she won't object to?

 

I think if a parent sits down with the child in question, shows the kid the book and says, "I'd like to try some of these recipes with you. Which would you like to try first?" that's fine. I don't think doing something to trick another person into eating something he or she has clearly said he or she does not want to eat can possibly be qualified as "not objecting."

[Audrey]

That first list isn't that picky. There are a lot more fruits than veggies on it, but it's not a bad variety overall. I'd just keep serving the other veggies/fruits, but have something that she will eat as well. Encourage her to try the other things when you serve them; don't despair if she doesn't eat them. You might try offering things in both raw and cooked forms. She might like something raw that she didn't like cooked or vice versa. You don't know until you try.

 

What I would NOT do is have nothing that she'll eat at a meal, or sneak things into her foods (I despise that Jessica Seinfeld's approach and cookbooks). If you start pureeing stuff and sneaking it in, you're just setting yourself up for more complaints and pickiness down the road, IMO. If you mix things and they are in bigger chunks, she can pick out what she doesn't like and everyone else can have something they like, too.

 

I would also NOT make separate meals just for her, either. I'm not a frikkin' short order cook. I am, though, the cook for the family, so I need to consider all of the family's likes/dislikes in a meal. They, in turn, need to know that they cannot dictate the food for everyone and that there must be some consideration and compromise given all around.

[sewingmama]

I looked at your list and thought "Lucky you". Lol. I have a texture sensitive child that eats apples and carrots and pears. That's it. I can,t hide anything because she won't eat anything 'wet'. She won't even drink smoothies because they are 'thick'.

 

I wouldn't bother hiding anything. I would just encourage her to keep trying things. I remember as a kid despising olives and wondering who on earth could eat such nasty things - then I married an olive mad DH and ended up loving them lol.

 

As they get older they also start to realise the value of nutrition. There are plenty of things I eat now that I don't really love the taste of but do it because I know it's good for me.

[Chris in VA]

I hated veggies as a child. I'd surreptitiously spit them into my napkin and stuff the napkin under the pedestal table.

It causes a ton of anxiety over food. I remember being so grateful and actually relieved when we had spagetti for dinner--a dinner without vegetables! (I didn't count tomato sauce then.) It wasn't just the veggies, it was the disapproval and disappointment of my parents every friggin dinnertime.

 

Turns out I have the bitter tongue tastebuds thing. AND I have a problem with some textures. So, purely sensory stuff going on here.

 

Now I like a lot more veggies, tho I prefer most raw. There is hope. Her list seems fine by me. I think people grow into tastes and experiences. I would not want to attach yelling to food--leads to anxiety for some.