Sneaky Recipes

Sneaky didn't work for me. I guess I wasn't sneaky enough. I just made my kid wary of what might be in his meat, on his fork. He is now an inspector general and has to scrutinize everything for fear that there is anything "poo poo" or green in his fork, much less his mouth.

Good luck to you,
Best,
F. B.

Just don't.

It is my opinion that hiding healthy foods in unhealthy packages is a terrible habit. It causes children to think that they only need to eat "their favorites" instead of learning that not every single thing on their plates is going to be totally yummy. Life isn't all treats. Sometimes you have to eat things that aren't amazingly delicious. And you do. Because they're healthy and good.

I suggest that you look for some recipes that you and the girls can make together. You'll find that when they take ownership with what they've made, even if it includes foods that they've claimed not to like, they'll be more inclined to eat.

Don't sneak veggies.
Find ones they like.
My kids and most kids we hang with are fruit fanatics so them not liking fruit may mean you haven't found ones that are really kid-yummy.
Some fruits we love and most of their friends too:
1. Sliced strawberries
2. blueberries
3. clementines (cuties)
4. watermelon
5. mangoes
6. grapes
7. cherries
8. plums
9. peaches

Veggies my kids like:
1. broccoli (either in a cheese sauce or with butter)
2. Cesar salad
3. spinach
4. carrots

And I keep offering them more than that. Plus we eat tons of salad and veggies.

I second what someone else said. Cook with them. Prepare fruit salads and veggies with them.

I have to agree with the others...if you don't give them the option of not eating them, the fight will eventually disappear.
My kids eat what I cook, or they don't eat. End of story.
If they want treats or snacks, they have to eat their dinner.

My veggies are things are sweet corn, cooked carrots (sometimes I will glaze with brown sugar), butternut squash (again, delicious with brown sugar), spaghetti squash, brussel sprouts (throw in some chorizo or bacon...YUM), fresh green beans....

You can vary it, but they don't get to not eat it. Or at least to not try it.

And kale chips! Oh man....we love kale chips!

Make food fun... ants on a log (celery with peanut butter and raisins), I used to make funny faces with different foods. My daughter was so intrigued with the faces I created with food that she had fun "eating the ears, eyes and noses" of whatever I created with lots of different veggies and fruits.

You can get a lot of good ideas off Pinterest. I saw one today that made a 1/2 banana look like a car with stawberry wheels. So neat!

Bottom line... YOU are the mom, YOU are the boss and cook. At my house I made a healthy lunch, dinner and breakfast. I did not demand that daughter eat everything on her plate and I did not make a separate special meal for her. I did always have something that I knew she liked included in my meals.

When she was in preschool they went around asking children what their favorite foods were.. This was about age 3.5.. Most kids said pizza, mac and cheese... Mine said salmon, lamb chops and steak.

Even though daughter has moved out, I still mix veggies in my dishes like I did when she was growing up. My hubby is Italian and LOVES homemade marinara with small pasta on the side. I keep homemade marinara on hand which is sweetened with ground carrots. When I make a batch, my daughter picks one up for herself because she loves it as well. We eat a lot of salads as well. Involve your children in helping you cook, when they have fun with preparation, they may be more apt to take part in eating what "they" created.

Best wishes! This needs to be nipped in the bud fast because it is not good to have your little ones running your household.

I 'snuck' a LOT of good things in soup when my kiddos were younger. I even pureed soups (with a 'motor boat' attachment) if there was a 'texture' issue.

Soup, some 'special' bread (garlic and butter toasted) and a salad (or veggies and or fruit for dipping) and voila!!

They are all older now (17 and older) and have a very broad palette with respect to food.

Also, I made what I 'made'...they could eat it or not. I also tracked their nutrition over the course of a week...not per day.

Best luck!!

When it comes to food treat your children like adults, preferably adults with great taste in food. Don't ask, don't pressure or fret, just serve whole foods well prepared and expect them to eat it. Then repeat, often kids have to face certain foods 10-12 times before it sticks.

My girls have always had adult palates because they always ate what we ate. That doesn't mean they always liked what they do now. As they've grown, the variety of food they love has grown too. Just got back from lunch with my 11 year old. We shared a seared ahi plate and a salad, she thought of that as a fun lunch with Mom.

Don't make separate meals, cook from scratch and don't fall into the nugget/mac-n-cheese trap. Kids will eat what their parents eat, just keep trying. Remember, as long as what they eat is wholesome, variety doesn't matter. Your child can practically live on hummus, nuts and dried fruit for now. Just keep offering new foods that you and your husband eat and they'll come around.

To be honest - it sounds, from your two posts, that your kids are in charge. You need to reverse it. Here is dinner, eat it or not. Here is a healthy lunch and healthy snack. Eat it or don't. They will learn quickly. And let them know that eating healthy means that you can say yes to special treats - but not if they don't eat healthy. And definitely add pureed carrots or cauliflower into their mac and cheese!!

I cook "just potatoes". It consists of cauliflower (mostly) and potato and olive oil, plus seasoned with garlic and butter and salt and basil and parsley and whatever else you like. I also mix broccoli in with potatoes. We call it that because he will sometimes request to eat something minus what I'm mixing in. At the age he was, I lied to him.

Don't try to sneak them in.
Dried fruit IS real fruit. Hummus is a vegetable, as well as being a protein source.
Keep trying different types of fruits and vegs in small portions, prepared different ways. Eventually, you will find something they like.
At three, my daughter would eat mustard greens or spinach until she popped, but wouldn't touch turnip or collard greens or kale.
She would eat raw carrots, but not cooked carrots.
She would eat corn on the cob, but not canned corn.

Have you tried having them MAKE their own dinner? Like stir fry or omelets or egg fo young (beaten eggs with different veggies and meats like deli turkey or ham mixed into eggs and cooked up like a pancake) I have found with my daughter if I let her pick what veggies she puts in dishes she will eat better. Like pre cook each veggie for stir fry and cook the meat and rich and out each component into the bowl. Have 4 or 5 different veggies like broccoli carrots bean sprouts snap peas boc choy then have diced chicken or beef cooked and rice cook have them pick 3 veggies a meat and a startch rice or noodle and have them heat and mix together. Egg fo young mix the eggs to ether portion each into bowls for the family and have shredded peppers carrots celery anything and have them pick whatever and mix into their eggs and cook like a pancake. Mini pizzas you can buy personal pizza crust in the pizza sauce aisle at the store have them pick their toppings.. have them cut the veggies and try them while they are cutting. Make cheesy steamed veggies. Cauliflower brocoli carrots celery asperges steamed them covered in cheez wiz or a similar sauce.

Fanged Bunny, that's hilarious!!

I have the same issue, and my girls are about the same ages. I did go through a "sneaky" period, where I tried every single recipe in Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious" cookbook. It was kind of fun. But they didn't like that food any better than regular food. I sure did though! Good way to sneak veggies into my own diet :)

Eventually, I decided the point was not to be "sneaky" anyway. The point was to expose them to actual fruits and vegetables enough over time so that they will eventually try them and develop an appreciation for them. So I continue to offer all kinds of things they reject. Like I still put about a tablespoon of salad on their plates when I make it, knowing it will get ignored.

And then I just keep the things they do eat in CONSTANT rotation. This would be boring for you and me but what can you do? Fruit-wise for us this means apples, bananas, watermelon and olives. Add grapes and strawberries for the younger one. Veggie-wise this means carrots and... carrots...Seriously I think that's the only one they like unless french fries and onion rings and spaghetti sauce count ( I think they do!). So we just focus on the ones we do like for now... and take a multivitamin every night.

There is a cook book by Jerry Seinfeld's wife--sorry too lazy to run down to the kitchen & find her name--that has purees & such to add to kid friendly foods--like homemade cheese sticks, brownies with of all things pureed spinach that taste pretty good. My youngest daughter (12 now) likes to make some of the recipes & she enjoys the fact that she's putting in foods she wouldn't even try, if she knew what they were.

Also, for years I have used a mini-food processor & "whirled" a lot of different veggies they wouldn't eat when younger & put into soups, casseroles, etc. A good example, add whirled veggies--spinach, carrots, garlic, onions, zucchinis with your ground turkey & a jar of Prego or Classico to make spaghetti sauce. The veggies are so small the spinach just looks like extra oregano, the carrots have a similar texture as the ground turkey, so even my husband thinks he is eating a LOT of meat. This sauce has more nutrition in it than a plain, tomato based one & when it's cold we don't eat a salad, because I know we are getting a ton of veggies. Now there are very few veggies that they won't eat--even without the "whirling", because they have tried so many different foods over the years. One of my daughters loves spaghetti & she asked me to teach her how to make it, because other wise it just isn't as good. I think when they are young, it takes several exposures to a food before they start to like or at least not hate a food. Good Luck

Have you thought about making fruit popsicles, you can buy frozen fruit pops as well. Make mashed "potatoes" out of cauliflower, instead of potatoes. There is also a good cookbook by Jessica Seinfeld, (Jerry's wife) called Deceptively Delicious. It has some really good ideas/recipes in it. There is also the Sneaky Chef,..... good luck and have lots of fun with it !

I have a child who will not eat fruits and veggies. I do sneak some in, such as grated carrots into meatloaf/meatballs, and applesauce, zucchini, and mashed banana in baked goods. After years of trying he will now eat fruit leather, apple slices dipped in peanut butter, raw carrots, raw broccoli, raw cauliflower and corn on the cob.

There are cook books out there that deal with this. Deceptively Delicious , The Sneaky Chef. My husband found a zucchini brownie recipe online (don't remember where) that is killer and you can't tell there's zucchini in it! good luck! Just google sneaking good food into kids and see what comes up!

Zucchini bread and banana bread are some things you can try.
Have you tried veggie pancakes?

http://weelicious.com/2012/01/17/green-veggie-pancakes/

Just talk to them, and see which and what veggies or fruits, they DO like. And they can eat that.
It does not have to be a "buffet" of various fruits or veggies everyday or at EVERY single meal.
Many kids, will like a certain one, then eat that a lot. Often. My kids are like that. But they will try things. Even my pickier child, my son.
They both LOVE, artichokes. And it is very healthy. They also like asparagus. And that is real healthy too. And they like mushrooms. And that is VERY healthy too.
And they like the way I make it. I saute it. Or stir fry it. Artichokes I cook it the traditional way by putting it in a big pot of water and steaming it. They eat it, plain.
They love it.
I don't care if they eat it EVERY day. Fine.

I don't "sneak" things into my kids food.
There is no need.
They will also eat things that *I* don't like. I still make it for the family even if I, don't like something. Its fine.
I don't like eating "veggies" in baked goods either.

My picky eating son, he also likes, cabbage! Of all things! I shred it real thin, and that's his "salad." He just likes olive oil on it with tad of salt for taste. Or he likes it with "Ponzu" sauce. Which is a Japanese dressing used for many things.

Just see what your kids, like!

And try cooking it in different ways.
Or maybe try different smoothie recipes.
Sometimes kids just don't like the way it is cooked, or made.
Just like adults.
ie: My husband likes broccoli. BUT not if it is raw. But Grandma likes it raw. And both my kids love it, when I make it. No one else.

Don't worry about it. Seriously. Make food, if they eat it, great, if not, great.

My kids don't eat a lot of veggies, but they will eat almost any fruit -- they did pass on a dragon fruit from Thailand, but it was like kiwi and the one we got wasn't very sweet.

I honestly don't worry about it. They eat carrots and peas, and enamame. My oldest loves the organic mix from TJs-corn, carrots, peas, beans. I focus on fruits, and just let the veggies go. I've stopped caring. If they want to go to bed hungry, fine. If they don't want veggies, fine.

By wanting them to eat certain things, you create a power struggle. The more you care, the more they stand firm. Unless they have some sensory issues, food is a power struggle in your house. It's the only thing I can think of as to why kids won't eat fruit. Fruit is pure sugar! How about blueberry pancakes? They don't even eat them?

Muffins. I make zucchini oatmeal muffins that my kids love. Have you tried something like that? They also love blueberry........but who doesn't :-)

Try to involve them in the process of picking out and making food. It does make a difference.

Hmmm were you just too *nice* when they were younger and didn't make them eat fruits/veggies? or do you think they may have a food sensory issue?

In my house I'm the cook and the boss. My rule is if you complain you don't eat for the rest of the day.

My kids 6, 8, 9 eat every fruit & veggie imaginable. There favorite is sushi, oysters, calamari, any fish. We had salmon with lump crab for dinner. They eat oysters right out of the can as if it was the best candy in the world. There was green beens left over and my girls fought over who got to finish them.

Just the other day we went to portillos for dinner. My 6 yr old ordered a salad. This is a common occurrence.

Don't get me wrong, there are some fruits & veggies they don't like. BUT they are such good eaters that I don't mind being lenient on certain things but they do eat them, just not as much.

I do have a friend that discovered her son, has a food sensory issue. He was 9 when she finally took him in. He has improved greatly.

I say you lay down the law to at least trying things.

There are many cookbooks out there that show you exactly how to do this. I can't imagine putting beets in spaghetti sauce, if "I" did it I love beets but too many would change the flavor, or putting other color items in different sauces. Like yellow veggies in mac and cheese sauce.

Ravioli's and other canned foods do offer options of this. They have a serving of veggie in each serving. For instance, the 3 year old serving size is 1/4 cup. The older kiddo has a serving size of 1/3 to 1/2 cup veggie.

Since they are different age groups on the food pyramid that makes a difference to how you serve them. Most people way overfeed kids. If they looked at how many servings, and what a serving size is, kids would eat enough and not over eat all the time.

Adding the shredded, blended, mixed veggie to a sauce is a tricky thing. Once glance, one missed sneak peak and it's all over...

I shred carrots finely & stick them into meatloaf. (can do zucchini, too).
I have taken froz spinach, drain it & stuck it into spaghetti sauce (they
don't like that one as much any more but it's worth a try).
Google Jerry Seinfeld's wife's (Jessica Seinfeld) recipes!