My motivation for hiding vegetables in foods came to be when I met my husband Joe and his boys. The guys were ages 7 and 9 at the time. My Grandma always said that a way to a man’s heart is through is stomach. I thought gee, I’ve got a shoe in! Well, initially it did not go as I’d expected. Let me just say that it drives me absolutely INSANE to watch people picking through food…..absolutely crazy! This coupled with a statement Jack made to me at dinner one night, “Ang, no offense, but my Dad is a way better cook than you.” What?
I’ve read a bit of criticism about the subject of sneaking healthy vegetables into kids favorite foods. Some critics claim that you are lying to your children……what? The way I look at it, if you can make anything you are cooking more healthy, why not? Most people struggle to get the 5 a day, and now they’ve upped the number to 10! There are times when kids simply will NOT eat certain vegetables. If texture is an issue, this is the perfect solution. The other fact of the matter is that vegetables actually add layers of flavor to the dish, so technically, they are loving vegetables! My kids devour many of the foods I nutritionally “beef up” because they simply taste good!
The other issue is fiber. Most children (and adults) do not get enough fiber….I haven’t met a kid yet that would prefer a nice piece of whole grain bread with nuts and a tree bark looking substance sprinkled over the top over Wonder bread! When you add vegetables to foods, you are also adding fiber.
So there you have it. I will be posting my recipe for meat loaf next. Wait to see what I put in that!
Have a great Sunday!
Angie
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You got to push itthis esesitnal info that is!
Indeed! I’ve been giving Ryan his vegetables/fruits before anything else. He eats them very well when he’s hungry. If I serve them together with the main dish, he doesn’t always eat as much. Thanks for your comment!