Getting veg into them! Tips please!

[LindsayS79]

DD is 22 mo was difficult to wean due to reflux and cows milk intolerance. However I never used to have much trouble getting fruit and veg into her. Now it's a nightmare and I'm having to hide it in other foods like veg sauces and fruity porridge.
She wolfs down babycorn, sweet corn and sometimes peas. However does anyone have any recipes/tips on getting more veg into them during these fussy stages..? You'd think I'm try to poison her when I put things in front of her!!

I turned it into a game - Peter and Lily Rabbit come into the kitchen and "steal" the veg (carrots, sugar snaps, peppers) as I Farmer McGregor is chopping them. They think they're getting one over on me and run around like loons munching on raw veggies. Thank god for the innocence of youth.

How about letting her pod broad beans - my DC are always more adventurous when they've helped with preparation.

I've actually just moved house and my kitchen is bigger and I've had her sit in the worst while I prep the food. She quite happily had a couple of bites of raw broccoli!! When I gave her it on her plate cooked she winced though!!! She's at it

'Worst' should have been 'worktop ' lol!

Veg is far more interesting if it has a dip. Pepper/carrot/cucumber sticks are far better if there a blob of Humous to dunk rather than just at the side of a sandwich

What about if u get them involved to top some pitta pizzas ? Would they have a go if they've made it

Again I hide stuff in sauces

im 40 i hide veg from myself in food i hate it sometimes the only veg i can reliably eat is peas and to be honest ive gone off them at the moment

we have mash made with sweet potatoes and real potatoes sometimes i add carrots i blitz carrots and onions into everything i can (my son hates onions so i have to blend them)

the hairy bikers do meatballs in there diet book which have carrots in

Annabel karmel does a type of pasta primavera my two year old adores its literally shredded veg (onions carrots broccoli/courgette) philidelphia cheese splash of cream mix with pasta and top with cheese he loves it i even put a splash of ketchup in it to cut through some of the cheesiness

im going to try and make cakes out of veg does anyone know if that counts towards your five a day?

I suppose veg muffins would count..?! Could be an idea, I'm sure I've seen broccoli muffin recipes!

If you can get her to eat bits and pieces of fruit and veg through the day, when the pressure is off, I'd just put her veg on her plate at dinner and let her eat or not without fighting with her. If you are concerned, I hide veg in a lot of dinners by grating in carrot, courgette and sweet potato (chilli, bolognaise, stew, etc). It gets the veg in, and it gives great flavour!

If she'd rather eat her veg raw, give it to her like that. There's no need to try to get her to eat something she clearly doesn't like.

The more hoops you jump through to hide food ar persuade children to eat it, the more they will be aware of how much you are invested in it and refuse to eat it.

Next time, either put raw broccoli on her plate or let her have a bit raw while you're preparing it and don't worry if she doesn't touch it when it's cooked and on her plate.

I wouldn't bother making veg muffins unless you're sure she'll eat them.

I do mac and cheese with homemade cheese source just blitz up broccoli and cauliflower in the cheese sauce...... They will never know!!??

I have been doing homemade pizzas with a sauce with all sorts of blended veg in. Agree about just keeping offering it in whatever form she likes but I don't think it does any harm to do a bit of a mix and get some sneaky ones in!

My DS 17 mo disapproves of vegetables. He will often eat some if I cut if up small, the size of frozen mixed veg. I don't know why, toddlers are a mystery.

We tried all sorts of things with varying success. DS in particular was awful for about 18 months from his second birthday, DD wasn't quite as bad but is more inclined to be fussy now, at nearly four.

Some tips:
Raw carrot batons, red pepper, peas, cucumber etc: put out at snack times or when kids are sitting at table waiting for a meal, even in a bowl while watching tv/a film. We find this sort of mindless eating was a good way of getting them to eat veg almost without noticing.

Beans on toast: chuck in a ball of frozen chopped spinach with the beans when cooking. (Actually we still chuck chopped spinach in all sorts of things, e.g. Bolognese or pasta pesto).

Grated/finely chopped cauliflower - mix with mashed potato.

Games as a PP mentioned also worked for us. For a while the only way of getting DD to eat much of nutritional value was to close your eyes and say "I am just about to have this yummy piece of broccoli I hope no one eats it first!" While waggling it in front of DD. She would think it hilarious to steal the food from us.

It isn't popular on MN but we also found simple bribery re puddings to work: if you eat x you can have ice cream for pudding etc.

Filled pasta with things like mushroom in the middle.

Both eat pretty well now at 6 and 3.10

Oh and both of mine have always much preferred raw veg to cooked, or at least very crunchy. I do think that soggy boiled texture is not the best way of making veg appeal to kids!