Ideas to get her to eat veggies?

Jule'sMomInOR · #1 October 2nd, 2011, 01:04 PM

Juliana just won't eat veggies. I constantly offer, and she either ignores them, feeds them to the dog, or occasionally puts them in her mouth and spits them out. Corn is the only veggie she occasionally actually eats, but nothing green. I offer peas, green beans, broccoli, and carrots.

I know there are creative ways to puree veggies and hide them in food, but I can't think of a recipe to make at the moment. I'm not a great cook, but I do cook. Any ideas? She is sensitive to dairy so that rules out the first recipe that comes to mind (spinach lasagna).

Vincent'sMommy · #2 October 2nd, 2011, 01:10 PM

Vincent's so picky about veggies too. Most of his veggies come from a pouch right now. I buy these Dr. Praeger's Spinach Little things that are in different shapes and he actually really likes those. I know that's not the best since they're processed and have some sodium and stuff but at least it's something.

Other than that he gets sweet potatoes or squash and sometimes I mix it with greek yogurt which he really likes. I tried peas but couldn't get him to try them. There's probably a lot of other veggies I could try but I'm clueless when it comes to cooking them. I bought some beets for him to try but have no idea what to do with them.

Daffodil · #3 October 2nd, 2011, 02:03 PM

What if you dipped them into hummus? Does she like hummus?

Another thing that I read from Dr. Sears is to put veggies on your plate consistently and not hers and say "mmmmm" after eating it lol. I don't know how long it'll take (a few years? haha) but eventually she will start asking to try some.

Ally-Mac · #4 October 2nd, 2011, 02:46 PM

I pureed cauliflower and butternut squash and froze them in ice cube trays. Whenever I feed her something we eat (even if it's pasta, mashed potatoes, rice, etc), I add a cube of the pureed veggies to her portion. She has no clue and eats it great. If I give her a veggie whole, she'll throw it on the ground.

Carrots are also great to puree -- you can bake them into muffins too.

Cauliflower and butternut squash are your best bets to hide in food -- they don't alter the taste that much.

Mariah..you should definitely get the book Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld. Great tips on hiding veggies in everyday meals.

sweetliberty · #5 October 2nd, 2011, 04:22 PM

I don't have any real advice except be consistent about offering them and make sure she sees you eating them too.

Aaron is awesome with fruits and veggies. So awesome right now that's all he wants to eat.

He's doing a serious boycott of any sort of protein right now (and most carbs). If someone has a way to get some protein into him I'll be your best friend (no dairy or soy).

starrsgirl · #6 October 2nd, 2011, 09:27 PM

We offer them first without any other food in sight. Then the regular meal follows...otherwise E will also say no.

sfarrow3 · #7 October 3rd, 2011, 04:53 AM

The book Ally suggested is great! I had to hide veggies with Caden, but not really with Londy. She will eat anything!

Jule'sMomInOR · #8 October 3rd, 2011, 08:57 AM

Thanks ladies! I like the idea of offering hummus, although I think of using hummus as a dip for raw veggies. I guess I need to think more creatively about putting them on cooked veggies. I have that book Deceptively Delicious on reserve at the library now. I hope that helps. I think I'll try those spinach things, too. I'm a little desperate at this point!

shockandawe · #9 October 3rd, 2011, 09:30 AM

I was going to recommend the same book.

I know you're monitoring sugars and juices, but the only other idea I had for you was to hide purees in fruit smoothies. For argument sake, throw a spoonfull of pureed spinach (or whatever) in a strawberry smoothie. You don't necessarily have to make it with milk, and you don't have to make it with actual juice. Just use frozen strawberries or her favourite fruit with some ice and water. Maybe a little spoon full of sweetener to smooth it out a bit and make it more "fun" for her.

Good luck.

#10 October 3rd, 2011, 04:54 PM

I usually just cut them up really small and mix them in with all the other food Caleb is eating. I'm going to have to get the book Ally mentioned.

Vincent'sMommy · #11 October 3rd, 2011, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sweetliberty

If someone has a way to get some protein into him I'll be your best friend (no dairy or soy).

I thought about quinoa and then thought maybe there were other grains that had a lot of protein so I googled and copied this from a website:

"Protein Content of Gluten-Free Grains

(Ranked from highest to lowest protein content in 1 cup of raw grain)
Amaranth - 28.1
Oats - 26.3 grams
Teff - 25.7 grams
Quinoa - 24 grams
Wild Rice - 23.6 grams
Buckwheat - 22.5 grams
Millet - 22 grams
Sorghum - 21.7 grams
Brown Rice - 14.7 grams
White Rice - 13.1 grams
Almond meal, although not a grain, or "grain-like" seed contains 24 grams of protein in 1 cup of raw meal."

So maybe more grains if he will eat them? Maybe you could mix them with pureed veggies that he likes if he won't eat them otherwise?

ETA: What about beans/lentils, nut butters, or eggs/egg whites?

shockandawe · #12 October 4th, 2011, 05:29 AM

I would also suggest quinoa for the protein, and if he's a veggie kid, try some of the ones with more iron or protein like the legumes Michelle mentioned.

Also peanut butter is a source of protein and the eggs like Michelle mentioned also. Maggie does well with both.

Arei_720 · #13 October 4th, 2011, 07:13 AM

I like the idea of tricking her into wanting them by not letting her have any. ^ You really want her to learn to enjoy them now (or at least, certain ones), before she goes into her picky "big kid" phase like my 6 yr old. After that, it's all downhill

sweetliberty · #14 October 4th, 2011, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vincent'sMommy

I thought about quinoa and then thought maybe there were other grains that had a lot of protein so I googled and copied this from a website:

"Protein Content of Gluten-Free Grains

(Ranked from highest to lowest protein content in 1 cup of raw grain)
Amaranth - 28.1
Oats - 26.3 grams
Teff - 25.7 grams
Quinoa - 24 grams
Wild Rice - 23.6 grams
Buckwheat - 22.5 grams
Millet - 22 grams
Sorghum - 21.7 grams
Brown Rice - 14.7 grams
White Rice - 13.1 grams
Almond meal, although not a grain, or "grain-like" seed contains 24 grams of protein in 1 cup of raw meal."

So maybe more grains if he will eat them? Maybe you could mix them with pureed veggies that he likes if he won't eat them otherwise?

ETA: What about beans/lentils, nut butters, or eggs/egg whites?

Thanks! We keep some of those around so I'll try to feed him them more often. We got him to eat chili the other night and he seemed to like beans so those are also an option. Unfortunately, he refuses eggs as well.

Daffodil · #15 October 4th, 2011, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jule'sMomInOR

Thanks ladies! I like the idea of offering hummus, although I think of using hummus as a dip for raw veggies. I guess I need to think more creatively about putting them on cooked veggies.

My sister is super creative, Arie didn't want to eat a hardboiled egg until she put hummus on it. Its weird, but oh well!