Congratulations! You’ve got home from work, cleaned the kitchen and prepared the kids a gourmet treat…oh wait, they aren’t keen, oh that’s ok just whip up another meal! Ha we think not!
In a perfect world, our children would happily snack on carrot sticks and gobble up all the broccoli on their dinner plates, but in reality, it’s not so simple. So, to avoid dinner table disasters and to keep the kids’ tummies full we have identified some fun and tasty ways to gently encourage little people toward the way of the veggie!
Whether you could pique their interest in the way of gardening, or maybe in the kitchen, getting the kids to eat vegetables may be possible with these hacks. If you happen to be blessed with an un-fussy eater, thank your lucky stars, but for the rest of us try these easy and fool-proof ideas.
How many vegetables should a child eat each day?
Fruit and vegetables offer kids the best vitamins and nutrients to support their growing minds and bodies, so making sure that you serve up the right amount is imperative. According to Health Direct, when it comes to their vegetable intake, the ideal number varies depending on age:
- Two to three years: Two and a half serves
- Four to eight years: Four and a half serves
- Nine to eleven years: Five serves
- Twelve to thirteen years: Five and a half serves
How to get your kids to eat vegetables
1. Round like a rissole
Purée steamed broccoli, peas and carrots, and add to rissoles. Use a small amount of puree to start with, adding a little more to your next batches as your kids enjoy the new flavours.
2. Spag bowl (but with secret hidden veggies)
Does your picky eater pick every trace of vegetable out of your bolognese? Steamed and puréed carrots added to your bolognese sauce will get around that! Try it also with puréed zucchini or capsicum, and add them to chilli con carne and any tomato-based casserole.
3. Smooth it out
Smoothies are a great way to get fruit into kids, but what about vegetables? Try adding zucchini, mild in taste and creamy when blended. Cucumbers work too!
4. Grate
The grater should become your new BFF. Grate beetroot into brownies and zucchini into banana bread.
5. Spiraller
If your kids love noodles, spiralise carrots and zucchini, call them rainbow noodles, and add to their favourite dish.
6. Mash it up
If mash is a house favourite, replace half the potato with sweet potato. It will be sweeter and makes the mash softer in texture, meaning you don’t need to use milk or butter.
7. Make friends with salad
If your little one is a good fruit eater but not so keen on their salads, cut up apples and grapes and pop them in with lettuce, sprinkled with grated cheese.
8. Play with your food
If you want your child to eat vegetables without hiding them, arrange a spread of wraps, burritos, tacos or rice-paper roll wrappers, along with sliced or grated veggies and cheese. Kids love eating with their hands, so you may be surprised at what they’ll try!
9. Vegetable encouragers
And if all else fails, you could also find vegetable encouragers that will work for your little people come dinner time, with a few of our favourite options below.
Brekkie Hero
$44.95 from Nutra Organics
For little growing minds, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Though toast, cereal and the rest of the works are great quick and filling options, upping the nutrient intake at brekkie never hurts – as much as they would argue it does. With the Brekkie Hero, upgrading the ordinary breakfast with kid-approved superfoods is easily done.
Key features:
- Contains 18 bioavailable vitamins & minerals from organic wholefoods
- Vitamin A, C, D, E, B, Zinc, Folate and Iodine
- Supports immunity, growth and development and daily wellbeing
- Suitable for children aged 12 months and older
Owala kids insulated stainless steel tumbler
$41.66 from Amazon
What better way to disguise a nutrient rich vege juice than with a sippy cup as playful as this one here. When it comes down to it, the colour of mixed vegies can be the greatest deterrent, so adding a pop of colour may be your best bet at turning little frowns upside down.
Key features:
- 12-ounce insulated tumbler
- Spill-resistant lid for minimal mess
- Removable, reusable straw for easy cleaning
- BPA and phthalate-free
- Dishwasher safe lid
Nuzest kids good stuff in rich chocolate
$45 from Nourished Life
A good ol’ choccy milk is what afternoon teas are made of. Yes, yes we know what you are thinking! How could one possibly improve this milky treat? Well Nuzest has made the impossible possible, jam packing the best of vitamins, minerals, fruit and veg into a perfectly balanced powdered blend. So good that the kids won’t bat an eyelid!
Key features:
- Vegan and cruelty free
- Made in New Zealand
- Suitable for children aged four to thirteen
- Supports growth and development
Gummy moulds three pack
$14.95 from Nutra Organics
If your little people enjoy a party mix of their fav gummies making a few of your own and throwing them into the bag may be a good bet. With the collection of tasty gutsy gummy mixes at Nutra Organics and in combination with these sweet moulds, making treats packed with the nutrients of fruit and veg is a sure way to up their intake.
Key features:
- Three pack fruit shaped moulds
- Made from food grade silicone
- Use in combination with gutsy gummy mix
Green Collective vegetable garden kit set
$35.95 from Amazon
From farm* to fork – what better way to get the kids in on the veggie celebrations than with an entirely hands on experience. Popping in some positive words of appreciation for the fruit and veg they grow could make dinner time much more approachable for the little people.
*The suburban backyard.
Key features:
- Four vegetable seed packets – pumpkin, corn, peas and tomatoes
- Four biodegradable peat pots
- Eight nutrient-rich soil pellets
- Four bamboo herb labels
- Mini garden tool set
- Water spray bottle
- Instruction Booklet
The Cooks Collective apple peeler corer
$29.95 from Myer
Making food look a-peeling (sorry, couldn’t pass that one up) is the perfect way to make organics much more kid-friendly. We mean who couldn’t pass up a healthy slinky?
Key features:
- Peels apples and other hard fruit and vegetables
- Aluminium alloy
- Stainless steel
Veggie Hero
$44.95 from Nutra Organics
Whether they are veggie fiends or maybe not so keen on the beans, adding this mix of heroic goods to their plate is a sure way to up the intake! So, regardless of whether they finish their plate or maybe only had a couple of broccoli bites, with one spoon full of this tasteless mix you can rest assured that their tummies are full of organic goodness.
Key features:
- Contains 18 bioavailable vitamins & minerals from organic wholefoods
- Vitamin A, C, D, E, B, Zinc, Folate and Iodine
- Supports immunity, growth, energy and antioxidant protection
- Suitable for children aged 12 months and older
