10 ways to get kids to eat vegetables

By Melissa Brodsky

Mealtime can be a struggle, especially when parents are trying to get their children to eat their vegetables.Tired of your kids turning up their noses to the food you put on their plates? Join the parenting club.

The best way to get your little ones to dig into those carrots, peas and broccoli spears is for them to see you eating your veggies, too. Kids emulate their greatest role models — their parents — but, sometimes you need to call in for reinforcements.

Tips to trick your kids into eating their vegetables:

• Bake zucchini or pumpkin bread. They make great breakfasts or snacks and are chock full of nutrients.
• Finely shred vegetables and bake them into your casseroles.
• When making a meat-based sauce, add finely chopped mushrooms. They have the same consistency as the meat and soak in the flavor of the sauce.
• Stir in a can of pumpkin puree when making pizza or pasta sauce. It makes the sauces creamier in a less fattening way.
• Instead of spaghetti noodles, use spaghetti squash.
• Grill up veggies and let the kids dip them in their favorite sauce.
• Top the vegetables with a cheese sauce.
• Make veggie chips with carrots, zucchini, mushrooms or any other vegetable.
• Create a fun vegetable display — like a funny face — on their plates.
• Make a game out of eating veggies. Do a crunch test — which veggie crunches the loudest?

Vegetables are an important part of nutritious meals, so don’t give up. Sometimes parents have to be more stubborn than their children.

Click here to save with grocery coupons from ShopAtHome.com

You might also like:

Crash course in debit cards for teens
Apps and tips that help kids learn to read
How to plan for kids at a wedding
4 tips for cultivating kids green thumbs
How to pamper yourself with a Mommy day out

About Melissa Brodsky

Melissa Brodsky has been over-sharing her random thoughts over on Rock and Drool since 2005. She recently Co-Founded a full service social media agency called Smart Savvy Social, located in the Metro-Detroit area. When Melissa isn't cleaning up after her 5 kids, 1 husband, 6 cats, 2 dogs and various other household pests, she can be found obsessively twittering as @rockdrool.or status updating over on Facebook. Follow her on Pinterest and Google+.