Getting toddler to eat veges
My DD only eats veges congruent in the meal. She used to love mashed veges but now she won't have a bar of it. Not sure on how to get her to eat more veges.
Does anyone have any recipes? Perhaps for some fritters or anything. She can't have spaghetti bolognaise every night.
She wants to be more independent in eating. She's most of the time cooperative with eating, now taking the fork/spoon from me or holding it with me to feed her.
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Have you tried just steamed vegies that she can pick up and eat on her own? Iz has fish and steamed veg about once a week and loves picking up her broccholi stems and carrot sticks.
I have a zucchini slice recipe if you want it but there are lots around and you can do them with carrot too.
Vegetarian lasagna is a good one or stir frys.
HtH!
I remember seeing something on Oprah a little while ago i think it was Seinfields wife who has a cookbook out...anyhow what she does is puree up the different vegies and mixes them into the foods...the kids then don't know its there.
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we make salmon / Tuna patties with lots of veg.
or you could try corn and zuchini pancakes, old fashion recipes usually don't have any sugar in them. they keep for a few days in a container, or freeze them.
She won't eat boiled or steamed veges. Especially carrots. She's never been a big fan of carrots. She won't eat peas and corn, and the other night wouldn't eat roast veg. But then again, she cut a new tooth that night. Perhaps she won't eat properly because of the teething?
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The book is called Deceptively Delicious and there are a few threads around here if you do a search!
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I would just continue to give her meals with lots of veggies in the recipe- stews, soups, vegie sauces etc...but also offer her whole peices so she is still experiencing the look smell and texture of the actual vegies so she doesn't go off them completely. She will most likely begin to eat them again one day! Do you eat with her and model eating, then she will 'see' healthy eating too. My DD has gone off fruit at the mo, except for apple and orange. I just keep on giving her shunks the other fruits too as I always do and today she had a few bites of pear and licked the watermelon, so she is tasting them and experimenting. I usually just eat what she doesn't sfter a while (about 15-20mins) whie she watches. I offer her some and if she doesn't eat it I do, sometimes she feeds me instead too
Well she can only eat foods soft enough an small enough. She's always been a little behind in moving up a stage of eating. We always eat together and I do eat what I'm trying to give her. Being a single mum, I just make one meal.
I should invest in getting a food processor to make meat and veg rissoles. She eats home made chicken nuggets, rissoles (store bought for now), frozen dory fish fillets, spaghetti, lasagne, shepherds pie (which she will eat the corn, carrots, peas and onion I stick in there). There are some things she might eat but its costly in time and money to make two meals.
Thanks for your ideas, I'll try to make vege patties. Actually vege burger recipes would be fantastic.
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I recommend Deceptively Delicious. My boys love eating those meals and they think it tastes better than without hidden vegies! Also I hide vegies in pastas of all descriptions, curries, risotto, zucchini slice, omelettes etc. I have also found as a last resort at times that steamed vegies are more likely to be eaten when topped with cheese, sour cream or if we are really desperate, tomato sauce. I don't use toppings often, especially tomato sauce, but every now and then I will resort to that.
Ok it seems like that book is the way to go. I've ordered 4 Ingredients, which should arrive in the post within 2 weeks. But then again, I do love books, and I do like cookbooks. Ok so I'm going to check out prices. Thanks girls.
Hey, out of curiosity, what is your child's favourite meal?
Has anyone bought the book? Where, how much? The cheapest I've found is $31.50, from the same site I'm waiting for my current order.
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I got it really cheaply at Kmart, but I'm not sure if it was on special or if that is the normal price.
I'm not sure about one favourite food, but pasta would be right up there.
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I keep a few vege purees in the freezer, mainly broccoli, sweet potato and cauliflower. And I mix that into regular main meals. I will make a bolognaise with grated carrot, sweet potato and broccoli puree. So you get heaps of veges. With my stir fries I will put a broccoli puree in the sauce even if they pick out the other green veges. I make meat balls out of turkey or chicken and mix in the puree and maybe a finely grated zucchini and egg and bread crumbs with some BBQ sauce or tomato sauce. Served with homemade potato chips baked in the oven.
My kids favourite atm is in the slow cooker recipe thread, the porcupine meatballs, but I use diced tomatos rather than tomato sauce and ... you guessed it vege purees and grated carrot in the meatballs.
HTH!
There is no way she'd eat a stir-fry yet. She won't even eat steam veg, which is soft. I'll try blending purees into things. That reminds me, better get some meat out of the freezer. Thanks for your tips.
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Muffins are good - we make corn & cheese muffins quite often & mix in different veges as well.
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pegasus, just a thought, but how much does she eat on her own? Matilda used to fight to the death over mashed veges around 13 months old, and then we went somewhere that gave her a muffin pizza with capsicum, ham and cheese... she ate the whole thing. First she peeled off the cheese and ate that, than then ham & then the capsicum! Then she knawed on the muffin for a while & wound up eating the lot. I was flabbergasted, that she would eat something when all I could do to get a bit of mash into her. I know it wasn't heaps of veges, but we gradually added tomato and spinach to the mix & now we have muffin pizzas all the time.
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Isaac who is also 16 months. loves corn on the cob and raw cauliflour (sorry spp?)
maybe try some raw veg and same dip. Isaac only has 6 teeth but still managers to crunch on the raw stuff ok.
also i found my DS eats so much better if i just let him eat with his hands including veg mash. its soooooo messy but at least he is eating. also i found that DS wont eat food without flavour. so all our veg mash etc contains stuff like garlic, paprica, herbs and salt reduced butter etc. he is fussy that way.
at this age their tastes change so often. and also if your concerned about nutrition you can supliment with infant liquid vitimins.
She does like finger food, but she gets frustrated at times. Tonight we're having homemade lasagne. I know she'll eat it. I'll try to mix purees into foods and I'll get a food processor so I can make vege patties, as long as there are spices in it, she'll eat it. Thanks guys.
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