# Hidden veg meals for toddlers



## Boog0515 (Feb 14, 2013)

can you guys help with some easy recipes to hide veggies for toddlers?  I will even take veggies into desserts like muffins or brownies. also, if you guys have single serve recipes too that will help too!  thanks so much!


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## Dawgluver (Feb 14, 2013)

Jerry Seinfeld's wife, Jessica, has cookbooks all about hiding vegetables in recipes.


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## Andy M. (Feb 14, 2013)

Just a thought.  Maybe it would be better to make the vegetables tastier so the kids enjoyed them.


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## Dawgluver (Feb 14, 2013)

Indeed.   Cheese sauce and Ranch dip!

Carrot cake, zucchini bread, spaghetti sauce, and meatloaf come to mind as to hiding, cut into small pieces.


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## CWS4322 (Feb 14, 2013)

Dawgluver said:


> Indeed.   Cheese sauce and Ranch dip!
> 
> Carrot cake, zucchini bread, spaghetti sauce, and meatloaf come to mind as to hiding, cut into small pieces.


Grate carrots or zucchini to add to meatloaf or burgers, add some boiled, pureed cauliflower to mashed potatoes...


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## buckytom (Feb 14, 2013)

dawg's suggestion of spaghetti (tomato) sauce is a great one. most kids like pasta with tomato sauce, and you can cook a lot of veggies into it then blend them to make it smoothe. peppers, onions, carrots, eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, fennel, beets, cauliflower, broccoli, and turnips can be cooked down and blended into sauce to make it a super sauce.

 even without blending, spinach and other greens kinda look like basil in tomato sauce. 

i remember my son refusing to eat meat and most veggies for a short time when he was small. i made some veal and peppers in tomato sauce one night, then minced the veal and peppers and stuffed it into zitis. it gave him a taste for it, and he eventually started eating it without such tedious preparation.


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## Boog0515 (Feb 15, 2013)

Thanks for the suggestions!  She is 2 and a VERY picky eater. She barely eats chicken nuggets or ravioli. I can get her to eat a few spoons fulls of easy Mac but then she pushes  her plate away after that.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 15, 2013)

What food does she like? It's easier to give suggestions if I know what she eats.


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## Boog0515 (Feb 15, 2013)

She likes cheese, grapes, watermelon, bananas. Im the babysitter and I figured I'd help mom out by looking for ways to get her to eat.


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## Boog0515 (Feb 15, 2013)

If I make fresh Mac and cheese rather than easy Mac how could I  incorporate veggies on the cheese sauce?  She doesn't like sauce on her ravioli otherwise chopping up veggies would be easy.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 15, 2013)

Boog0515 said:


> She likes cheese, grapes, watermelon, bananas. Im the babysitter and I figured I'd help mom out by looking for ways to get her to eat.


 
She really doesn't like food by the sound of it. Maybe just add pureed veggies to mac and cheese, pancakes, muffins and breads. But I would suggest offering her small amounts of different foods on a regular basis. She needs to learn to eat food that's not hidden to prevent food phobias and possibly even eating disorders.

My daughter went through a phase of not wanting to eat anything but cereal but I kept dishing up small portions of the things we ate and eventually she started eating them.
It's been proven that it takes up to ten times for a child to decide if they like a new food or not. 

It can be a battle but just continue to offer as many foods as possible. Keeping a list of how many times she's tried the new foods offered will help you keep track.
It's a rule in my house that if after the tenth try you still don't like it, you don't have to eat it.
My daughter now eats everything, even things like sushi, olives, pickles, chillies etc. The only thing she doesn't like is coleslaw but she'll eat a bit when I make it anyway.
My son only has a few things he won't eat, like green beans, zucchini and butter beans. He used to be very fussy buut loves most foods now.
You could also try pureed soup if your concerned about what she eats. Or smoothies with fruit and yogurt.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 15, 2013)

The bodies of children are pretty awesome little machines.  They know when they are hungry, they know when they are not.  Little kids do NOT overeat, that is a learned behavior.  So amounts are moot at this point.  Offering food in small amounts 6 or more times a day is more beneficial. Their bodies also go through phases where only one food is what is wanted...offer different foods, don't make a big deal out of it and if all they are eating today is burnt toast with toad jam...fix it for them.

Toddlers do not starve themselves...


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## Painless Cooking (Feb 15, 2013)

I never had a problem with my children eating vegetables or anything I prepared for a meal. This seems to be a very common problem today which did not exist years ago. I have to relate this problem to eating out and letting the children select what they want to eat. Eating vegetables is something that children should grow up with from babies. Having regular balanced meals at scheduled times would help this problem a lot. 

Make vegetable soups and stews; everything you prepare throw in some vegetables. I would not suggest a lot of sweet breads or muffins because you are adding sugar to the child's diet which is already a massive problem with children under the age of seven.

Prepare healthy recipes with vegetables and make your children eat what you prepare; if they get hungry enough they will eat it. The problem is most of the commercial made baby food has sugar so that is all the kids want from the start. 

I raised four children and for all I fed them the same food I fixed for our dinner. When they were little I purred it so it was suitable for babies to eat. My children still love vegetables today but my grandchildren that is another story.


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## Rocklobster (Feb 15, 2013)

Have you ever tried making a smoothie? You can get them tasting pretty good with milk, banana, yogurt and other fruit. Just add some vegetables like cooked carrot, or broccoli and it will blend up very smooth so they don't even know its in there. They can drink it from a straw.


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## Whiskadoodle (Feb 15, 2013)

Are the parents on the same page you are.  so you can work together on this.  It's self defeating if you try to do one thing and the parent(s) do another.

Jr went thru this kind of eating stage Several Times !!  

As a toddler it was focus on a singular food.  A lot wound up on the floor.  The 5 second rule, not with-standing, he got a new plate of the same. Strong willed little squirel.  Middle school Only PB &J, breakfast lunch and dinner. Bread /rolls.  

Teen years, Pizza kick and chix mcnuggets.  Thank goodness McD's didn't have the chicken when he was little.  He ordered pizza with his allowance even, wouldn't have what we had for dinner most nights. 

Who knows what he ate in college.  Probably the same way we did, only we had ramen and tuna alternating.  But by college he came home often and scarfed up as much as he could find in the frig.  

He survived and is now a reasonable cook.  And eater.  

The thing I remember most and he ate, was , pick a favorite person and bribe him by saying Auntie (Em) made this just for you.  Worked for awhile anyway.


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## Addie (Feb 15, 2013)

Painless Cooking said:


> I never had a problem with my children eating vegetables or anything I prepared for a meal. This seems to be a very common problem today which did not exist years ago. I have to relate this problem to eating out and letting the children select what they want to eat. Eating vegetables is something that children should grow up with from babies. Having regular balanced meals at scheduled times would help this problem a lot.
> 
> Make vegetable soups and stews; everything you prepare throw in some vegetables. I would not suggest a lot of sweet breads or muffins because you are adding sugar to the child's diet which is already a massive problem with children under the age of seven.
> 
> ...


 
Sorry, I have to disagree with you. I have five kids that are now middle age. And they all went through a stage of what they would eat and what they wouldn't. If they decided that carrots were on the no no list, then I didn't feed them carrots. Sooner or late they would pick another veggie that they hated and go back to carrots. Like PF said, the secret is not to make a big deal of it. 

I never "made" my children eat. Meal time was not "war" time. And food is not a weapon. It is a time for the family to be together at the end of the day.


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## sparrowgrass (Feb 16, 2013)

Amen, Addie.  

My DIL purees veggies into smoothies, along with fruit or fruit juice--she bought little pouches somewhere that she can fill with mixture and my darling Sophia can hold the pouch herself and drink.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Feb 16, 2013)

Such a complex issue.  The problem is that no two children are alike.  All of my kids love all kinds of food, and have since a very young age (I remember my wife scolding me for giving them tastes of foods before they were even  old enough to eat solid food)  PAG's Grandfather fed her jalapeno potato chips from his knee when she was barely able to walk.  But I know that my youngest sister used to hide cooked peas under her plate.  She was very sneaky about it and wouldn't get caught until we cleaned the dining room dishes after supper.

What worked for me may not work for you.  But there are ways to encourage children to eat healthy.  One, as Andy pointed out, is to cook good food.  It should be seasoned properly, and not bland.  Boiled carrots are edible, but just barely.  Steamed carrots, cooked until they have just a hint of crunch left, and dressed with a little butter and honey are simply delicious.  Most veggies are better when steamed, or cooked in a little olive oil.  Don't cook them until they are soft.  The texture is off-puting to most people, kids included.  Don't be afraid to add flavorful sauces, such as mornay, alfredo, hollendaise, or a good compound butter.  These sauces are easier to prepare than one would think.

Another encouraging method is to include the children in the cooking process.  Let them help put the beans in the steamer (away from the hot stove, of course), or the sliced carrots into a bowl so that you can put them in the pot.  Let them snitch a bit of the uncooked veggies with you, making it seem that you are having a secret treat, just you and them.

Choose colorful veggies.  Don't be afraid to try things like asparagus, or artichokes.  And make eating a fun and enjoyable time.  For instance, slice the pointy ends off of artichoke leaves, trim the stem, and steam the artichokes until tender.  Put a bit of mayo, or melted butter with a hind of lemon into ramekins.  Pull the leaves off one at a time, dipping the base, and then using your teeth to scrape the yummy flesh from the leaf base.  Make a big deal of it.  Act as if you were doing something extravagant and indulgent.

Hannah/Barbara (sp) used to have this cartoon character that was a dog who hung around with the horse - Quickdraw McGraw.  When a doggie biscuit was thrown to this dog, he'd wrap his arms around himself as if he was hugging someone.  He would start happily moaning, with something like "Hmmm, hmmmm, hmmmmmmm, hmmm,"  With each moan expressing ecstasy.  He had a smile on his face.  And with the last  moan, he would fly several feet into the air, then slowly drift back down, postured as if he were lying on his back, saying simply, ahhhh.  You could tell that he loved his dog biscuits.

I do the same thing as that silly dog dies, with Sprout's daughters, when I'm sharing a casual meal with them.  They love it, and mimic it, and eat there food, understanding that it's something delicious, whether they've eaten it before or not.

I've made meatloaf in the shape of a volcano, with a crater at the top.  I fill the crater with "lava", which is either a marinara, or enchilada sauce, and let it drip down the "mountain side".  The meatloaf is cooked on a jelly-roll sheet.  When done, I remove the excess juice to a pot for gravy.  Then, I spread refried black beans over the pan to resemble the ground.  I then place broccoli flowerettes into this landscape to resemble trees.  Kids like to eat trees.

A pita pocket filled with slices of beef, avacado, bean sprouts and mayo can be a kid pleaser.  Just tell pretend with them that the bean sprouts are worms, and that you are all wart hogs from the animated movie, "The Lion King".  Take a bite of the sandwich and say, "Slimy, but satisfying."  You think they'll copy you?

At dinner, be more formal.  Engage everyone in conversation, including the young'ens.  And let them converse, tell their own stories about their day.

Children love to mimick their parents, and older siblings.  So it's essential that you set the example, and create an atmosphere of enjoyment during the meal.  Give the children the positive attention they crave.  Make them happy to be with you.  It will pay off in more ways than just getting them to eat their veggies.

There is a time to every purpose under Heaven.  And part of that time is to be spent enjoying a healthy meal with kids.


Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North


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## Addie (Feb 16, 2013)

My second husband was a professionial chef. When he cooked he always took one of the boys in the kitchen with him. In the summer when he worked at a resort restaurant in New Hampshire, he took the oldest boy and had him work in the kitchen with him showing him the prep work and hvine him participate. Both boys can cook up a holiday meal today that could put anyone to shame in the kitchen. The youngest one worked for a while in kitchens that made different ethic foods. And it all started with his father.


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## CWS4322 (Feb 16, 2013)

I don't remember not liking any vegetable (and as a child, I still ate bananas). I do recall, however, that we were fed in the kitchen about 2 hours before my parents ate and we ate different food than they did--hotdogs, hamburgers, tomato soup, grilled cheese sandwiches. We were in bed by the time they ate. I thought this was how all children were raised. When I asked my mother (years later why they did this) her answer was she didn't want us spilling milk on her table.

We didn't eat with our parents until I was 7 (we had moved--the kitchen was no longer separated from the dining room but more of an open concept). And, we did not go to a restaurant with our parents until I was 7. I remember these things very distinctly.


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## GotGarlic (Feb 16, 2013)

As others have said, tricking kids is not a good idea. Encourage her to try foods several times and she may develop a taste for it. If her parents are concerned about her nutrition, a multivitamin for children may be appropriate.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 16, 2013)

I have never hidden veggies in food nor do I think it should be done. If I happen to add pureed zucchini or beans to mash or pureed veg to mac 'n cheese etc. I tell my kids it's in there. I only do it because I prefer my smooth and creamy foods to remain smooth. I would never make special foods for my kids either. I offer them what I cook and if they don't like it they can help themselves. They are both old enough to reach the bread bin and cereal lol!
I don't make a fuss, I offer new foods 10 times before giving up. They must have a taste and if they don't like it they can just eat the other foods on their plates.

If you simply allow a child to choose what they want to eat it could end up causing a lifetime of bad food choices. How many kids would happily just eat chicken nuggets or burgers if given the choice? There should be boundries and maybe that makes me a bad mom but my kids don't get to decide what gets eaten in my house.
They both love most foods now and eat them by choice so my way of doing things was clearly not that bad. 
No 2 kids are the same but I think every parent knows when their child is just pushing their boundries. 
If one of my kids say they don't like the way I made something they must eat it anyway since it's already been cooked but I won't give it to them again.
We don't throw food out unless it's off. I don't have the luxury of doing that, we simply can't afford to do that.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 16, 2013)

I found out when I was little, if I said I didn't like something, I was sent to bed without dinner or washing dishes.  Pretty soon I wasn't eating dinner at all.  The rules changed...my parents house, they could change the rules if they wanted.  If I opened my mouth after that I got two servings of what I didn't like and had to sit there until it was gone.  I soon learned to keep my mouth shut and Mom would put the smallest bit of what I didn't like on my plate, I still had to eat it, but most times i could just swallow that little bit and not even notice it.  

I never did learn to like some of those foods, some I can tolerate now...and I am able to keep most of my thoughts to myself or at least keep a civil tongue.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 17, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I found out when I was little, if I said I didn't like something, I was sent to bed without dinner or washing dishes. Pretty soon I wasn't eating dinner at all. The rules changed...my parents house, they could change the rules if they wanted. If I opened my mouth after that I got two servings of what I didn't like and had to sit there until it was gone. I soon learned to keep my mouth shut and Mom would put the smallest bit of what I didn't like on my plate, I still had to eat it, but most times i could just swallow that little bit and not even notice it.
> 
> I never did learn to like some of those foods, some I can tolerate now...and I am able to keep most of my thoughts to myself or at least keep a civil tongue.


 
That's more than just a little extreme. I would never send my child to bed hungry or force them. They just have to taste something before deciding they don't like it. If they are just being full of nonsense they can make a sandwich or eat some cereal etc.
Neither of my kids have ever taken me up on that offer. They always decide that dinner is not that bad and making a sandwich is too much trouble.
I was merely saying that there must be some kind of boundries and kids should not just eat anything they want.
Caitlin would eat well if given the choice but Daniel would live on  meat and chocolate.
If it was my post that upset you, please feel free to tell me why.


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## Addie (Feb 17, 2013)

Parents have to choose which battles are worth fighting. And the supper table should not be a war zone. Sooner or later a child's body will crave the protein or Vitamin A or B, or whatever. And when Mom goes shopping, if she doesn't buy "it", then the kids can't eat just those foods they want. A child's diet starts at the grocery store. Not at the supper table.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 17, 2013)

Addie said:


> Parents have to choose which battles are worth fighting. And the supper table should not be a war zone. Sooner or later a child's body will crave the protein or Vitamin A or B, or whatever. And when Mom goes shopping, if she doesn't buy "it", then the kids can't eat just those foods they want. A child's diet starts at the grocery store. Not at the supper table.


 
I would never turn it into a battle. Just taste something before you decide you don't like it. I won't go and cook another meal if they don't want it either. If they want to go and make a sandwich or something else they can.
I don't buy junk so they don't have the temptation around and make reasonably good choices. 

I just refuse to be the kind of mom that would allow my child to eat only a single food. Caitlin refused to eat anything but vanilla pudding and noodles for a while when she was 2. She got physically ill and if I didn't do something about it, that would make me a bad mom.
Kids are not all the same and some don't all start eating when their bodies crave nutrients.
There are no hard and fast rules. As parents we should know when to say no and when to say enough is enough.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 17, 2013)

Snip 13 said:


> That's more than just a little extreme. I would never send my child to bed hungry or force them. They just have to taste something before deciding they don't like it. If they are just being full of nonsense they can make a sandwich or eat some cereal etc.
> Neither of my kids have ever taken me up on that offer. They always decide that dinner is not that bad and making a sandwich is too much trouble.
> I was merely saying that there must be some kind of boundries and kids should not just eat anything they want.
> Caitlin would eat well if given the choice but Daniel would live on  meat and chocolate.
> If it was my post that upset you, please feel free to tell me why.



I was not/am not angry...just telling what I went through as a child when it came to food.  It's also why I do not think it's a good idea to make such a big deal out of what foods a child will eat. My parents have 4 kids with eating disorders.  We were made to sit there until our plates were clean, several times I was still there at 11 pm...

There is no reason to make it a war.  Me, being a stubborn kid, would say I didn't like something _to get out of washing dishes_...  What do you do with a kid who would be happy to go hungry to get out of a chore?  Took my Mom time to figure out what was MY incentive and how I would react to different things.  And she had 4 kids to figure out...I am the only one who had a definite dislike of veggies.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 17, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I was not/am not angry...just telling what I went through as a child when it came to food. It's also why I do not think it's a good idea to make such a big deal out of what foods a child will eat. My parents have 4 kids with eating disorders. We were made to sit there until our plates were clean, several times I was still there at 11 pm...
> 
> There is no reason to make it a war. Me, being a stubborn kid, would say I didn't like something _to get out of washing dishes_... What do you do with a kid who would be happy to go hungry to get out of a chore? Took my Mom time to figure out what was MY incentive and how I would react to different things. And she had 4 kids to figure out...I am the only one who had a definite dislike of veggies.


 
It must have been tough. I would never force feed my kids but I will encourage healthy eating. They love food and I'm lucky that they eat almost everything.

It's the parents that just give in completely that drive me nuts. My best friend allows her 13 yr old to live on junk and because of it she's clinically obese and her kidneys are shot.

I don't want to see that happen to my beautiful and healthy children. I am strict but in a gentle way.

I admit I thought your post was aimed at me, that's why I asked. Better to ask that to wonder 
Glad to know it wasn't


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 17, 2013)

Snip 13 said:


> It must have been tough. I would never force feed my kids but I will encourage healthy eating. They love food and I'm lucky that they eat almost everything.
> 
> It's the parents that just give in completely that drive me nuts. My best friend allows her 13 yr old to live on junk and because of it she's clinically obese and her kidneys are shot.
> 
> ...



No problem...and I really don't blame my parents, they grew up in a different time and in different circumstances than we did.  Dad went to bed hungry because there wasn't enough food...is it any wonder that he thought his children should eat everything they were given?  My parents did an amazing job with their kids...different raising styles, sure.  Strict?  very...but they are the reason I am the person I am today and I turned out _mostly_ all right.


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## CWS4322 (Feb 17, 2013)

I like Chief's approach <g>. Make mealtime fun! Get the kids involved. I remember the first time I got to heat up the canned corn...the only canned vegetable I remember eating as a child.


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## Snip 13 (Feb 18, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> No problem...and I really don't blame my parents, they grew up in a different time and in different circumstances than we did. Dad went to bed hungry because there wasn't enough food...is it any wonder that he thought his children should eat everything they were given? My parents did an amazing job with their kids...different raising styles, sure. Strict? very...but they are the reason I am the person I am today and I turned out _mostly_ all right.


 
Most parents do the best they know how. My parents put me off all the foods I don't eat today but I know they meant well 
We also grew up without much so there wasn't always other food to offer.


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## Boog0515 (Feb 19, 2013)

Wow thank you all for the feedback!  She will appreciate this all. The little girl does eat a little bit at dinner time but her parents just want her to eat healthier too. Thanks again!!


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## taxlady (Feb 20, 2013)

A friend of mine asks kids, "Are you old enough to like this yet?"


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## PrincessFiona60 (Feb 20, 2013)

Clever...


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## taxlady (Feb 20, 2013)

PrincessFiona60 said:


> Clever...


Well, at least they are willing to try and they usually try really hard, but sometimes they still don't like it.


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## buckytom (Feb 20, 2013)

taxlady said:


> A friend of mine asks kids, "Are you old enough to like this yet?"


 
that's unfortunate for the kids. most kids want to please their parents, and also want to be more grown up. asking them such a question is a passive way of forcing them to do either or both. 

not good. let children be children, and teach them by example. if you act like you enjoy something, they will as well. to a limit. their own for their personality, and their experience.

if you let them be free but guide them with positive experiences without judgement, they'll find a larger perspective that will please you both.


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## taxlady (Feb 20, 2013)

buckytom said:


> that's unfortunate for the kids. most kids want to please their parents, and also want to be more grown up. asking them such a question is a passive way of forcing them to do either or both.
> 
> not good. let children be children, and teach them by example. if you act like you enjoy something, they will as well. to a limit. their own for their personality, and their experience.
> 
> if you let them be free but guide them with positive experiences without judgement, they'll find a larger perspective that will please you both.


I think it's a reasonable way to get a child to taste the food. I didn't bother writing that she also used to say, "I just want you to try it. You don't have to eat it if you don't like it."

I think that is much better than telling kids that something is good for them, every time they say they don't like something.


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## Addie (Feb 20, 2013)

Spike was here tonight and we got to talking about when he was a kid. For some reason all my kids were anemic. And so am I. Have been since childhood. Spike takes an iron pill every day, and has a great appetite. He gets plenty of meat and iron rich foods almost every day. Yet his test results still come back that he is anemic. So sometimes when you tell kids the food is good for them and they need to eat it, doesn't always solve the problem. Even if they eat it just to please you.


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## dragnlaw (Feb 21, 2013)

You also might be surprised how much better a child's appetite might be if a lot of "snacks" were cut out.


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## Addie (Feb 21, 2013)

dragnlaw said:


> You also might be surprised how much better a child's appetite might be if a lot of "snacks" were cut out.


 
When my kids were growing up, they always played outside regardless of the weather. And they played hard. So by keeping healthy snacks such as fresh fruits, carrot and celery sticks always available, I wasn't worried about their appetite.


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## Atomic76 (May 25, 2013)

You could probably sneak a lot of vegetables into a filling for homemade ravioli, not to mention the dough itself if you are making that from scratch too.

You can sneak just about any vegetable into a tomato based sauce for pasta.


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## Addie (May 25, 2013)

I was looking back over this thread. I looked at what I had written about both Spike and I being anemic as children. And we both still are. But thinking back, all of my kids were anemic. I can't help but wonder if I didn't pass on a gene for it. And you know something? My oldest granddaughter and her oldest daughter are also anemic. Seems to run in the family. And heaven knows, we are all meat lovers. Veggies are no problem for anyone either.


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