5 Ways To Help Your Children To Love Fresh Vegetables!

It?s so important to get your kids to eat more fresh vegetables every day, but what do you do if they groan every time they see a broccoli spear? Try these five crafty ways to get children to eat more veg.

Rethink the way you serve meals. Don?t have the plate half covered with meat, with an apologetic spoonful of veg hidden behind it. Gradually reverse the ratio, so that the main part of the plate is filled with generous helpings of veg. It?s easier if you cook a couple of types.

Add extra veg to meals you already serve. A can of borlotti beans in a pasta sauce, a sprinkling of sweetcorn kernels on a pizza, spaghetti served in a ?nest? of steamed broccoli florets. Every extra bit helps.

Peel and chop into crudit?s a couple of carrots, a few celery sticks, a red pepper ? anything with a bit of crunch. Leave these lying casually on the table before supper as the hungry hordes gather and just see what happens.

Master the art of rapid soup-making. I never mess about with pre-frying the veg, it adds fat and makes no discernible difference to the flavour. Chop the veg you have to hand and simmer in stock (try Marigold bouillon powder) until tender. Add herbs - mint, basil, tarragon, coriander ? or spices ? ground coriander, cumin, paprika grated fresh ginger (not too much). Whiz in blender and there you really do have it. If it?s a bit thin, throw in a some cous cous or add a handful of broken spaghetti bits and simmer for a little longer. It?s great for lunch, in a flask for a packed lunch, as an evening snack ? any time. Well, maybe not breakfast.

Add greenery to sandwiches. There is not a sandwich in the world you can?t improve with a generous handful of green leaves. Don?t let your sandwiches leave home without one.

And there you have it. Any or all of these little tricks are simple to build into the daily routine once you get started, and are fantastic ways to get your kids eating more fresh vegetables.

Elizabeth Martyn is webmaster at http://healthy-eating-made-easy.com, where she provides information, tips and recipes on using seasonal, fresh ingredients to feed the family healthily and without hassle. There are also over 120 easy healthy recipes for family meals on the site.

For more help with feeding the family, check out healthy eating for kids.

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