Everyone knows it can be a challenge to get kids to eat their veggies. But even for adults who are happy to eat them, it’s not always easy to manage the recommended 5-a-day.
Whilst trickery isn’t always advised for most day-to-day activities, in this case, you can be forgiven for getting a little sneaky with ways of getting more vegetables into your family’s diet. The good news is that veggies don’t have to be boring, there are a lot of tasty ways you can enjoy healthy foods that even the fussiest in the family will love!
Check out these simple tips for sneaking in those vegetables in ways the whole family will love.
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Get saucy
One of the easiest ways to boost the amount of veg in your diet is to turn them into sauce. For fussy kids (and adults) who don’t like to see vegetables on their plate, this is a great way to get them in.
You can easily add carrot, onion, peppers and more to a tomato sauce to bulk it up – simply whiz them in a blender and nobody will ever know! Other great veggie sauce bases include butternut squash and cauliflower – they add a hint of creaminess that they will never know came from vegetables.
Make it a sweet treat
While still being a little naughty, a cake with veggie ingredients is a great idea if you want to get in more of your daily vegetables. The best carrot cake recipe contains a good portion of carrots, and because it’s cake – nobody will say no! Other ideas for baked treats that contain vegetables include beet or sweet potato brownies and zucchini and lime cake – amazing combinations that will sneak a little goodness into the sweetest of treats.
Who says fries have to be potato?
Who doesn’t love a side of fries with their meal? Well, who said they have to be potato? There are a lot of great ways you can make vegetable fries, including carrots, sweet potato, zucchini, and asparagus. Making some alternative types of fries keeps mealtimes interesting, and you’ll all be surprised by how good they taste.
Wrap them up
A wrap is an easy and filling idea for breakfast, lunch or dinner. And it’s easy to hide some veggies in there amongst your other ingredients. Shred some ingredients like carrots, lettuce, cabbage, onion, etc., amongst the rest of your filling to bulk up a wrap and add a crunch. Use a tasty dressing or sauce and nobody will ever know!
Making enchiladas or burritos is another great way to get in some veggies – cook them for longer to make the veggies extra soft.
Turn them into burgers
Whether you combine them with some ground beef or turkey, or simply have them alone, you can easily turn veggies into delicious burgers. You can experiment with all kinds of different veggie burger recipes to see what tastes good. Finding fun foods like burgers to enjoy with vegetables will make it much easier for your kids to eat a little healthier.
Make them a part of your breakfast
Adding some vegetables to your breakfast is a good way to start the day, helping to give you a vitamin and energy boost. Instead of opting for a sweet or cereal-based breakfast every day, why not give some of the following ideas a try?
Add them to an omelet
An omelet makes a great breakfast, full of protein! You can add some sneak veggies and fruit to an omelet like spinach, tomatoes and mushrooms to help give your breakfast a healthy boost.
Try fruit smoothies for a vitamin boost
Do you lack the time for a sit-down breakfast each morning? Why not try a smoothie instead? A fruit smoothie will help you get some much-needed vitamins, and there are all kinds of recipes you can choose from to help you find some tasty favorites.
English muffin pizzas are a tasty treat
There’s something about pizza that gets everyone excited, so why not make some English muffin pizzas as a tasty breakfast treat? Add in some vegetables to help you get that little boost first thing in the morning.
Getting the family on board with vegetables can be tough, but if you’re sneaky about it, you stand a big chance of success. Look for ways you can incorporate more veggies into a lot of your family favorites to help everyone get the health boost they need.
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