Have you ever made peas and carrots for dinner and put them on your child’s plate? If so, now you know the many ways children hide these green and orange pieces of their plates. They will lose them to the ground. They will feed them to the dog. They will hide them in their napkin. They will tuck them under another item on your plate. Children will try almost anything to avoid eating the peas and carrots in front of them.
Take those same veggies and add them to fried rice or fettuccine alfredo and all of a sudden the kids are swallowing them.
We love sauces at my place. I make spinach sauce, artichoke sauce, broccoli sauce, and a cauliflower sauce. Here are some sauce recipes my kids have enjoyed over the years:
Cauliflower dip
1/2 head of cauliflower
1 green onion, topped, chopped into 1-inch pieces
3 tablespoons sour cream (you can also use yogurt or mayonnaise)
2 tablespoons ranch dressing mix (powder)
Break the cauliflower into florets for cooking. In a medium saucepan, bring about 1 1/2 inches of water to a boil. Add the cauliflower, cover, and simmer until tender, about 15 minutes. Run under cold water to stop cooking; drain well.
In a food processor, puree cauliflower and green onion until smooth. Add sour cream and dressing mix. 1 minute process. Put on a serving plate and cool before serving.
Spinach sauce
1 package frozen spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed
1/2 cup chopped parsley or parsley flakes
1/2 cup green onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dill seeds
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 cup of mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Mix all the ingredients together and chill overnight for the flavors to blend.
Note: I use both light sour cream and light mayo and it’s still delicious.
And finally, a very simple artichoke dip:
Artichoke dip
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese
8 ounces shredded Monterey Jack
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1 can artichoke hearts, drained
Cut the artichoke hearts into small pieces. Mix all the ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees, about 25 minutes until melted and lightly browned.
Another favorite way to help children eat vegetables is to put the vegetables in a marinara sauce. Cut the vegetables quite small. They will add a wonderful flavor to the sauce and the sauce will be nutritious for children. The sauce can be topped with any type of noodles. It can also be poured over cooked fish or chicken.
My last suggestion is to start a vegetable garden. Children love to eat what they have grown themselves. When the child has helped water, weed and cultivate the garden, it is a lot of fun for him to pick the vegetables and then eat them. They are very proud to eat their own work.
These are just a few alternatives to peas and carrots on a plate.