Oh dear Lord, the vegetable wars that I went through with my daughter – peas and carrots turned into missiles and flew across the room, cauliflower was rejected and squashed into anything other than her mouth and corn…you don’t want to know what she did with corn.

I am one of these parents who insisted that my kids eat veggies and yes, what a royal pain I was too. I consider myself fortunate that my children did not have any complications that required special diets as there are children that require parents to focus on other dietary needs above the typical food groups. blackwidowkate explains this in an article here for those interested.

Kat’s constant rejection of vegetables had me concerned. I was worried that she would end up lacking in the many vitamins, nutrients and minerals that they have to offer. So I had to get inventive, I had to trick her into eating them and I will tell you, that was the most difficult thing I had to do. This girl could pick a carrot out of a vitamised meal which you drink with a straw – she was that fussy.

From an early age I began to combat the war on vegies in my home and I’m glad that I persisted with it as it did pay off. Through a great deal of trial and error I found a few dishes that Kat would eat and that were made from the vegetables she despised so much. Here are a few ideas that may come in handy….maybe. I hope…..ok, good luck.

Cook vegetables in a stock, chicken or beef, rather than water

Mix vegies which have been ‘pureed’ in with some ‘pureed fruit’

Add pasta sauce or a thick soup to vegies

Add grated vegies to muffins, scones or pancakes. You can do with this some cakes as well, this also is great for adding a little moisture to your cakes.

Blanch (boil slightly) bright coloured vegetables, carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato or/and beans (in stock) and add a dipping sauce so that the child can eat with his hands and make a mess.

Mash sweet potato or pumpkin in with mash potato

Never over cook your veggies, it looses its taste

Add grated cheese to the veggies. Brown the cheese for extra taste

Make a savoury cream to go over vegies, sounds horrible but it isn’t. Just warm the cream in a pan and add a little stock powder and then add the veggies until the cream begins to thicken. Add a little cornflower if you need to and even some cheese…

Veggie patties and/or nuggets are another option. You can make these by mashing a selection of vegies together - add an egg so that the mixture will stick nicely – once it is mixed well, roll in breadcrumbs. You can put cheese in either the mix or breadcrumbs as another alternative.

Its always best to try and introduce vegetables before fruit into your child’s diet. This way they can get used to the ‘less sweeter’ option earlier.

Hope these help someone

Cheers

OB