Boog0515
Cook
can you guys help with some easy recipes to hide veggies for toddlers? I will even take veggies into desserts like muffins or brownies. also, if you guys have single serve recipes too that will help too! thanks so much! 
Hidden veg meals for toddlers
- Thread starter Boog0515
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Dawgluver
Chef Extraordinaire
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2011
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Jerry Seinfeld's wife, Jessica, has cookbooks all about hiding vegetables in recipes.
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
Just a thought. Maybe it would be better to make the vegetables tastier so the kids enjoyed them.
Dawgluver
Chef Extraordinaire
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2011
- Messages
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Indeed. Cheese sauce and Ranch dip!
Carrot cake, zucchini bread, spaghetti sauce, and meatloaf come to mind as to hiding, cut into small pieces.
Carrot cake, zucchini bread, spaghetti sauce, and meatloaf come to mind as to hiding, cut into small pieces.
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CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
Grate carrots or zucchini to add to meatloaf or burgers, add some boiled, pureed cauliflower to mashed potatoes...
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
dawg's suggestion of spaghetti (tomato) sauce is a great one. most kids like pasta with tomato sauce, and you can cook a lot of veggies into it then blend them to make it smoothe. peppers, onions, carrots, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, fennel, beets, cauliflower, broccoli, and turnips can be cooked down and blended into sauce to make it a super sauce.
even without blending, spinach and other greens kinda look like basil in tomato sauce.
i remember my son refusing to eat meat and most veggies for a short time when he was small. i made some veal and peppers in tomato sauce one night, then minced the veal and peppers and stuffed it into zitis. it gave him a taste for it, and he eventually started eating it without such tedious preparation.
even without blending, spinach and other greens kinda look like basil in tomato sauce.
i remember my son refusing to eat meat and most veggies for a short time when he was small. i made some veal and peppers in tomato sauce one night, then minced the veal and peppers and stuffed it into zitis. it gave him a taste for it, and he eventually started eating it without such tedious preparation.
OP
OP
Boog0515
Cook
Thanks for the suggestions! She is 2 and a VERY picky eater. She barely eats chicken nuggets or ravioli. I can get her to eat a few spoons fulls of easy Mac but then she pushes her plate away after that.
Snip 13
Master Chef
What food does she like? It's easier to give suggestions if I know what she eats.
OP
OP
Boog0515
Cook
She likes cheese, grapes, watermelon, bananas. Im the babysitter and I figured I'd help mom out by looking for ways to get her to eat.
OP
OP
Boog0515
Cook
If I make fresh Mac and cheese rather than easy Mac how could I incorporate veggies on the cheese sauce? She doesn't like sauce on her ravioli otherwise chopping up veggies would be easy.
Snip 13
Master Chef
She really doesn't like food by the sound of it. Maybe just add pureed veggies to mac and cheese, pancakes, muffins and breads. But I would suggest offering her small amounts of different foods on a regular basis. She needs to learn to eat food that's not hidden to prevent food phobias and possibly even eating disorders.
My daughter went through a phase of not wanting to eat anything but cereal but I kept dishing up small portions of the things we ate and eventually she started eating them.
It's been proven that it takes up to ten times for a child to decide if they like a new food or not.
It can be a battle but just continue to offer as many foods as possible. Keeping a list of how many times she's tried the new foods offered will help you keep track.
It's a rule in my house that if after the tenth try you still don't like it, you don't have to eat it.
My daughter now eats everything, even things like sushi, olives, pickles, chillies etc. The only thing she doesn't like is coleslaw but she'll eat a bit when I make it anyway.
My son only has a few things he won't eat, like green beans, zucchini and butter beans. He used to be very fussy buut loves most foods now.
You could also try pureed soup if your concerned about what she eats. Or smoothies with fruit and yogurt.
The bodies of children are pretty awesome little machines. They know when they are hungry, they know when they are not. Little kids do NOT overeat, that is a learned behavior. So amounts are moot at this point. Offering food in small amounts 6 or more times a day is more beneficial. Their bodies also go through phases where only one food is what is wanted...offer different foods, don't make a big deal out of it and if all they are eating today is burnt toast with toad jam...fix it for them.
Toddlers do not starve themselves...
Toddlers do not starve themselves...
Painless Cooking
Assistant Cook
I never had a problem with my children eating vegetables or anything I prepared for a meal. This seems to be a very common problem today which did not exist years ago. I have to relate this problem to eating out and letting the children select what they want to eat. Eating vegetables is something that children should grow up with from babies. Having regular balanced meals at scheduled times would help this problem a lot.
Make vegetable soups and stews; everything you prepare throw in some vegetables. I would not suggest a lot of sweet breads or muffins because you are adding sugar to the child's diet which is already a massive problem with children under the age of seven.
Prepare healthy recipes with vegetables and make your children eat what you prepare; if they get hungry enough they will eat it. The problem is most of the commercial made baby food has sugar so that is all the kids want from the start.
I raised four children and for all I fed them the same food I fixed for our dinner. When they were little I purred it so it was suitable for babies to eat. My children still love vegetables today but my grandchildren that is another story.
Make vegetable soups and stews; everything you prepare throw in some vegetables. I would not suggest a lot of sweet breads or muffins because you are adding sugar to the child's diet which is already a massive problem with children under the age of seven.
Prepare healthy recipes with vegetables and make your children eat what you prepare; if they get hungry enough they will eat it. The problem is most of the commercial made baby food has sugar so that is all the kids want from the start.
I raised four children and for all I fed them the same food I fixed for our dinner. When they were little I purred it so it was suitable for babies to eat. My children still love vegetables today but my grandchildren that is another story.
Rocklobster
Master Chef
Have you ever tried making a smoothie? You can get them tasting pretty good with milk, banana, yogurt and other fruit. Just add some vegetables like cooked carrot, or broccoli and it will blend up very smooth so they don't even know its in there. They can drink it from a straw.
Whiskadoodle
Executive Chef
Are the parents on the same page you are. so you can work together on this. It's self defeating if you try to do one thing and the parent(s) do another.
Jr went thru this kind of eating stage Several Times !!
As a toddler it was focus on a singular food. A lot wound up on the floor. The 5 second rule, not with-standing, he got a new plate of the same. Strong willed little squirel. Middle school Only PB &J, breakfast lunch and dinner. Bread /rolls.
Teen years, Pizza kick and chix mcnuggets. Thank goodness McD's didn't have the chicken when he was little. He ordered pizza with his allowance even, wouldn't have what we had for dinner most nights.
Who knows what he ate in college. Probably the same way we did, only we had ramen and tuna alternating. But by college he came home often and scarfed up as much as he could find in the frig.
He survived and is now a reasonable cook. And eater.
The thing I remember most and he ate, was , pick a favorite person and bribe him by saying Auntie (Em) made this just for you. Worked for awhile anyway.
Jr went thru this kind of eating stage Several Times !!
As a toddler it was focus on a singular food. A lot wound up on the floor. The 5 second rule, not with-standing, he got a new plate of the same. Strong willed little squirel. Middle school Only PB &J, breakfast lunch and dinner. Bread /rolls.
Teen years, Pizza kick and chix mcnuggets. Thank goodness McD's didn't have the chicken when he was little. He ordered pizza with his allowance even, wouldn't have what we had for dinner most nights.
Who knows what he ate in college. Probably the same way we did, only we had ramen and tuna alternating. But by college he came home often and scarfed up as much as he could find in the frig.
He survived and is now a reasonable cook. And eater.
The thing I remember most and he ate, was , pick a favorite person and bribe him by saying Auntie (Em) made this just for you. Worked for awhile anyway.
Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
Sorry, I have to disagree with you. I have five kids that are now middle age. And they all went through a stage of what they would eat and what they wouldn't. If they decided that carrots were on the no no list, then I didn't feed them carrots. Sooner or late they would pick another veggie that they hated and go back to carrots. Like PF said, the secret is not to make a big deal of it.
I never "made" my children eat. Meal time was not "war" time. And food is not a weapon. It is a time for the family to be together at the end of the day.
sparrowgrass
Head Chef
Amen, Addie.
My DIL purees veggies into smoothies, along with fruit or fruit juice--she bought little pouches somewhere that she can fill with mixture and my darling Sophia can hold the pouch herself and drink.
My DIL purees veggies into smoothies, along with fruit or fruit juice--she bought little pouches somewhere that she can fill with mixture and my darling Sophia can hold the pouch herself and drink.
Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
Such a complex issue
. The problem is that no two children are alike. All of my kids love all kinds of food, and have since a very young age (I remember my wife scolding me for giving them tastes of foods before they were even old enough to eat solid food) PAG's Grandfather fed her jalapeno potato chips from his knee when she was barely able to walk. But I know that my youngest sister used to hide cooked peas under her plate. She was very sneaky about it and wouldn't get caught until we cleaned the dining room dishes after supper.
What worked for me may not work for you. But there are ways to encourage children to eat healthy. One, as Andy pointed out, is to cook good food. It should be seasoned properly, and not bland. Boiled carrots are edible, but just barely. Steamed carrots, cooked until they have just a hint of crunch left, and dressed with a little butter and honey are simply delicious. Most veggies are better when steamed, or cooked in a little olive oil. Don't cook them until they are soft. The texture is off-puting to most people, kids included. Don't be afraid to add flavorful sauces, such as mornay, alfredo, hollendaise, or a good compound butter. These sauces are easier to prepare than one would think.
Another encouraging method is to include the children in the cooking process. Let them help put the beans in the steamer (away from the hot stove, of course), or the sliced carrots into a bowl so that you can put them in the pot. Let them snitch a bit of the uncooked veggies with you, making it seem that you are having a secret treat, just you and them.
Choose colorful veggies. Don't be afraid to try things like asparagus, or artichokes. And make eating a fun and enjoyable time. For instance, slice the pointy ends off of artichoke leaves, trim the stem, and steam the artichokes until tender. Put a bit of mayo, or melted butter with a hind of lemon into ramekins. Pull the leaves off one at a time, dipping the base, and then using your teeth to scrape the yummy flesh from the leaf base. Make a big deal of it. Act as if you were doing something extravagant and indulgent.
Hannah/Barbara (sp) used to have this cartoon character that was a dog who hung around with the horse - Quickdraw McGraw. When a doggie biscuit was thrown to this dog, he'd wrap his arms around himself as if he was hugging someone. He would start happily moaning, with something like "Hmmm, hmmmm, hmmmmmmm, hmmm," With each moan expressing ecstasy. He had a smile on his face. And with the last moan, he would fly several feet into the air, then slowly drift back down, postured as if he were lying on his back, saying simply, ahhhh. You could tell that he loved his dog biscuits.
I do the same thing as that silly dog dies, with Sprout's daughters, when I'm sharing a casual meal with them. They love it, and mimic it, and eat there food, understanding that it's something delicious, whether they've eaten it before or not.
I've made meatloaf in the shape of a volcano, with a crater at the top. I fill the crater with "lava", which is either a marinara, or enchilada sauce, and let it drip down the "mountain side". The meatloaf is cooked on a jelly-roll sheet. When done, I remove the excess juice to a pot for gravy. Then, I spread refried black beans over the pan to resemble the ground. I then place broccoli flowerettes into this landscape to resemble trees. Kids like to eat trees.
A pita pocket filled with slices of beef, avacado, bean sprouts and mayo can be a kid pleaser. Just tell pretend with them that the bean sprouts are worms, and that you are all wart hogs from the animated movie, "The Lion King". Take a bite of the sandwich and say, "Slimy, but satisfying." You think they'll copy you?
At dinner, be more formal. Engage everyone in conversation, including the young'ens. And let them converse, tell their own stories about their day.
Children love to mimick their parents, and older siblings. So it's essential that you set the example, and create an atmosphere of enjoyment during the meal. Give the children the positive attention they crave. Make them happy to be with you. It will pay off in more ways than just getting them to eat their veggies.
There is a time to every purpose under Heaven. And part of that time is to be spent enjoying a healthy meal with kids.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
. The problem is that no two children are alike. All of my kids love all kinds of food, and have since a very young age (I remember my wife scolding me for giving them tastes of foods before they were even old enough to eat solid food) PAG's Grandfather fed her jalapeno potato chips from his knee when she was barely able to walk. But I know that my youngest sister used to hide cooked peas under her plate. She was very sneaky about it and wouldn't get caught until we cleaned the dining room dishes after supper.What worked for me may not work for you. But there are ways to encourage children to eat healthy. One, as Andy pointed out, is to cook good food. It should be seasoned properly, and not bland. Boiled carrots are edible, but just barely. Steamed carrots, cooked until they have just a hint of crunch left, and dressed with a little butter and honey are simply delicious. Most veggies are better when steamed, or cooked in a little olive oil. Don't cook them until they are soft. The texture is off-puting to most people, kids included. Don't be afraid to add flavorful sauces, such as mornay, alfredo, hollendaise, or a good compound butter. These sauces are easier to prepare than one would think.
Another encouraging method is to include the children in the cooking process. Let them help put the beans in the steamer (away from the hot stove, of course), or the sliced carrots into a bowl so that you can put them in the pot. Let them snitch a bit of the uncooked veggies with you, making it seem that you are having a secret treat, just you and them.
Choose colorful veggies. Don't be afraid to try things like asparagus, or artichokes. And make eating a fun and enjoyable time. For instance, slice the pointy ends off of artichoke leaves, trim the stem, and steam the artichokes until tender. Put a bit of mayo, or melted butter with a hind of lemon into ramekins. Pull the leaves off one at a time, dipping the base, and then using your teeth to scrape the yummy flesh from the leaf base. Make a big deal of it. Act as if you were doing something extravagant and indulgent.
Hannah/Barbara (sp) used to have this cartoon character that was a dog who hung around with the horse - Quickdraw McGraw. When a doggie biscuit was thrown to this dog, he'd wrap his arms around himself as if he was hugging someone. He would start happily moaning, with something like "Hmmm, hmmmm, hmmmmmmm, hmmm," With each moan expressing ecstasy. He had a smile on his face. And with the last moan, he would fly several feet into the air, then slowly drift back down, postured as if he were lying on his back, saying simply, ahhhh. You could tell that he loved his dog biscuits.
I do the same thing as that silly dog dies, with Sprout's daughters, when I'm sharing a casual meal with them. They love it, and mimic it, and eat there food, understanding that it's something delicious, whether they've eaten it before or not.
I've made meatloaf in the shape of a volcano, with a crater at the top. I fill the crater with "lava", which is either a marinara, or enchilada sauce, and let it drip down the "mountain side". The meatloaf is cooked on a jelly-roll sheet. When done, I remove the excess juice to a pot for gravy. Then, I spread refried black beans over the pan to resemble the ground. I then place broccoli flowerettes into this landscape to resemble trees. Kids like to eat trees.
A pita pocket filled with slices of beef, avacado, bean sprouts and mayo can be a kid pleaser. Just tell pretend with them that the bean sprouts are worms, and that you are all wart hogs from the animated movie, "The Lion King". Take a bite of the sandwich and say, "Slimy, but satisfying." You think they'll copy you?
At dinner, be more formal. Engage everyone in conversation, including the young'ens. And let them converse, tell their own stories about their day.
Children love to mimick their parents, and older siblings. So it's essential that you set the example, and create an atmosphere of enjoyment during the meal. Give the children the positive attention they crave. Make them happy to be with you. It will pay off in more ways than just getting them to eat their veggies.
There is a time to every purpose under Heaven. And part of that time is to be spent enjoying a healthy meal with kids.
Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
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Addie
Chef Extraordinaire
My second husband was a professionial chef. When he cooked he always took one of the boys in the kitchen with him. In the summer when he worked at a resort restaurant in New Hampshire, he took the oldest boy and had him work in the kitchen with him showing him the prep work and hvine him participate. Both boys can cook up a holiday meal today that could put anyone to shame in the kitchen. The youngest one worked for a while in kitchens that made different ethic foods. And it all started with his father.
CWS4322
Chef Extraordinaire
I don't remember not liking any vegetable (and as a child, I still ate bananas). I do recall, however, that we were fed in the kitchen about 2 hours before my parents ate and we ate different food than they did--hotdogs, hamburgers, tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches. We were in bed by the time they ate. I thought this was how all children were raised. When I asked my mother (years later why they did this) her answer was she didn't want us spilling milk on her table.
We didn't eat with our parents until I was 7 (we had moved--the kitchen was no longer separated from the dining room but more of an open concept). And, we did not go to a restaurant with our parents until I was 7. I remember these things very distinctly.
We didn't eat with our parents until I was 7 (we had moved--the kitchen was no longer separated from the dining room but more of an open concept). And, we did not go to a restaurant with our parents until I was 7. I remember these things very distinctly.
