“But I don’t like vegetables!”
Ah, the all-too-familiar picky eater… the only one at the dinner table each night pushing around their vegetables with their fork and picking apart your lovingly made meal bit-by-bit with a pout etched into their face. The sighs, the whining and the inevitable exasperated question…
“Can you make me something else?”
Having a picky eater in the family can be frustrating at times, especially when meals go untouched and nothing but unhealthy snacks seems to get their appetite going, but quit pulling out your hair and grabbing boxes of cereal to substitute dinner… it’s not the end of the world!
Here are some tips to sneak more fruits, vegetables and other healthy ingredients into your picky eater’s daily menu!
Stock Up On Cauliflower
It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book! Cauliflower can be a successful tasty and nutritious replacement for mashed potatoes–and can be made much faster! Instead of loading up your picky eater’s plate with starchy, carb-loaded mashed potatoes, serve up a healthy serving of mashed cauliflower… and don’t be afraid to experiment! These can be an easy potato substitute in any recipe that calls for the traditional mashed goodness, such as on meatloaf and shepherd’s pie.
Check out our favorite recipe for Garlic Mashed Cauliflower here!
Homemade Pizza with a Hidden Healthy Surprise
Who doesn’t love pizza? Instead of ordering delivery and munching on a greasy slice, create your own health-inspired pie! Our go-to? We love to use an almond flower crust, organic sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese layered over thinly sliced vegetables. When making your own secretly healthy pie at home, be sure to get creative by adding your favorite healthy toppings!
Check our family’s recipe for Almond Flour Pizza Crust here!
Smoothies: The Ultimate Fruit & Veggie Cover-Up
We’re crazy about smoothies! Besides being quick and easy to make, what’s great about them is how simple it is to sneak in fruits, veggies and other healthy ingredients that your picky eater might otherwise turn away from. Invest in a blender or bullet and don’t be afraid to go crazy creating a week’s worth of tasty smoothies for your picky eater to enjoy as a snack!
Check out our collection of health-inspired smoothie recipes here!
A Healthy Take on a Classic
Let’s face it: chicken fingers, strips and nuggets are a staple family food. You can get them in just about any family-friendly restaurant and the frozen aisle in your supermarket is probably packed with bags and boxes of frozen strips… but they are actually very easy to make at home, especially with a healthy twist!
Grab our favorite recipe for Almond-Crusted Chicken Fingers here!
The time for fretting over your picky eater’s diet is over! Try some of these out for yourself and let us know your success stories! What’re your favorite secretly healthy recipes? How have you made these recipes your own?