Well, I already told you I send Avery to bed with no books. But, I’m always looking for ways to sneak them in so I don’t have to be the Eating Gustapo, so I use some of the recipes from Deceptively Delicious by Seinfeld’s wife. Have you tried any before?

I’m new to reading your blog….LOVE IT!!! I have a 3 yo boy and a 1 yo girl…so we go through a lot of the same issues. Luckily for us…the boy loves fruits and vegies but the 1yo is quite picky about texture so I found a few tricks that I LOVE….

get out your cheese shredder!!!! I love to shred zuchini and spread it on home made pizza between the sauce and the cheese and other toppings…they never even notice…it just cooks right in!!! Oh yeah…. and …if you make your own dough you an often sneak some pureed spinach or vegies right into the crust

Shredded carrots mixed in with baked mac and cheese (we do homemade because our son has Celiac disease so we use all gluten free products….another challenge but we are managing)…but it usually cooks right in among the cheese and they never notice!!!!

The shredder really is your friend. I also have the Deceptively Delicious book but haven’t read it since our son has always been so good about fruits and veggies…but I will probably be turning to it soon.

Good luck with your boys!

kd

Warning…I’m a green smoothie fan and get pretty wordy about it. Fair warning! OK – I put veggies into smoothies all the time for my kids. When they were little they always loved it. Now that they are older….my #1 child sometimes balks. But even he will usually drink it. However – my smoothies are not as hard-core as the recipe you tried. Here is what I do (with plenty of room for variation depending upon whatever is in the freezer/fridge etc.)

Amounts are up to you. More fruit = easier for kids to eat. Try starting out with just a teeny bit of spinach and/or kale and work your way up. Thats what I did when I started making these for myself. The thought of something green ruining a good fruit smoothie seemed horrible to me at first. Now – I enjoy smoothies with up to a pound of greens in them. (shudder) I wouldn’t expect that for kids though.

Basic start:
Banana (a flavor that hides almost anything green)
honey (or agave or strawberry jam – whatever you’ve got- I use honey)
spoonful of frozen OJ concentrate
Flax meal (also in the “very-good-for-you” category)
It may sound weird…but I like a little vanilla thrown in as well

The veggies: (not all at once!)
baby spinach – fresh if possible. I tried frozen and hated it
kale leaves
Collard greens
carrots
(I usually always put in a little baby spinach as it whizzes up smoother than other greens and then add in the super stuff like a leaf or two of Kale or Collard greens. Carrots can go in at any time as they really can’t be tasted and they don’t turn the smoothie that ‘funny color’. “What? Oh this isn’t brown….its purple!!”)

The frozen/fresh fruit:
Mango (excellent and creamy when whizzed up)
Strawberries
Blueberries
Peaches (love this if they’re available. But my kids don’t. Go figure)
Pineapple (just a few pieces)
Actual Orange, tangerine, or clementine
Cherries or Raspberries are also a nice variation at times.

The Liquid:
Milk – Soy milk in our case
OJ and/or water

A lot depends on your blender. I used to make my smoothies in ‘regular’ blenders (cuisinart etc) and I had to start with the soft stuff and liquids and add the greens slowly to get them blended well enough. Then add the frozen fruit. Now I have a VitaMix and can throw everything in and puree anything to smoothie bliss all at once. Other blenders work….you just have to fiddle with the process more. (Still – my Vitamix is to date my 2nd favorite gift of all time. Fabulous thing.)

My basic smoothie for kids is usually the basic stuff I listed at the start plus spinach and kale (or carrots) and then Frozen Mango/blueberries/strawberries/pineapple. Oh – and I use about 1 handful of spinach and 2 kale leaves for a kid smoothie. However, if I stick a straw in my “hardcore

Keep experimenting. It really might be a great way to get veggies (especially green ones) down kids.

I’d love to know if you can find a combo that works for your kids.

Finally…(really!) I also steam butternut squash, throw on some onion powder and salt, puree it, and add it to mac and cheese. Its the right color and my daughter loves it. My son is too smart and knows it tastes a little ‘different’…but he eats it anyway. Additionally, I’ll put pumpkin or sweet potato into pancakes. Its not a lot…but I figure a little is better than nothing.

Good luck. I’ve been loving your experimentation with healthy food for your kids. I’ve been wanting to try those Kale crispy things but couldn’t imagine they’d taste very good. I may try it for myself though.

Whoops – still have more to say. :-> Straws! Straws are magic things that make smoothies much easier to drink.

And feel free to add yoghurt. I do sometimes….but we try to stay away from too much dairy at this house so don’t always have it around. I’m not sure its made much difference for my kids. Now ice cream….that might be worth a try. (tongue firmly in cheek)

I haven’t tried that Melissa, but I have heard it, and so I should probably get off my hiney and try some of her stuff out. But I LOVE your previous method!

So two votes for the Seinfeld gal! There must be something to it!

But THE SHREDDER!!! That’s a great idea! I’m gonna give that a go! Thanks so much for leaving that comment KD!

WOW! This is amazing info! And it gives me TONS to do! Thanks so much!

You should totally try the kale chips. Gayle actually likes them, but recognizes that I have some kind of natural ability to burn what I cook. So I am still working on getting a “good” crispy kale chip. I think I’ve burned that bridge with my kids, I might have to try again in 8 or so….years. Let me know if you do the kale chips, and how that goes!

Ice cream. Chocolate chips. Candy Canes. I bet if he saw me put them in the smoothie, the other 99% could be Kale and Spinach and he’d go for it.

I don’t have kids, but with my boyfriend I just slice & dice until he can’t see the veggies anymore, then hide them in meatballs and taco meat

Ooooo – I just remembered I have a great recipe for chocolate chip cookies that have shredded zuchini in them. Totally tasty. I’ll go dig it up and post it later.

Those pictures are priceless. Kids are so uninhibited! I love it…when they’re not mine and complaining about my food.

Here is the cookie recipe. It comes from the book “A Year of Food Life” by Barbara Kingsolver. A fun read actually.

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
(Makes about 2 dozen)

1 egg beaten
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
Combine in a large bowl

1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg (I left it out as my kids find it too strong. I just upped the cinnamon)
Combine in a separate, small bowl and blend into liquid mixture

1 cup finely shredded zucchini
12 oz chocolate chips.
Stir these into other ingredients, mix well. Drop by spponful onto greased baking sheet, and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake at 350, 10-15 minutes.

I’d almost forgotten about this recipe until coming upon it the other day. I’m going to make them this weekend for my daughters b-day. If memory serves – they taste like a softer, ((cake-ier?) version of any good choc. chip cookie recipe.

Awesome! I’m gonna give it a go. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!

Hey Russ, – from my sister:
“OMG – I was laughing out loud at the pictures of him drinking that spinach smoothie!!!!!
The commentary under the pictures was priceless.
Tell him to puree with the blender carrots and put them in muffins and put them in spaghetti sauces as well – they are not “tasted” in there.”
Hugs,
Di

Hey Diana! Please tell your sister THANKS! And also thanks for the carrot suggestion! And then also give yourself a hug, from me!

The cookbook “Deceptively Delicious” is cool.

Russ you always make my day with your stories. You have the two luckiest boys around to have a dad like you. Keep the stories coming I look forward everyday to something new.

The cookbook Deceptively Delicious is cool. But I think we’re missing something big here. Kids are people, too. You don’t have to hide healthy foods in stuff for them to eat it. What you need to do is go to the magazine rack and find some really pretty salad or healthy eating cookbooks, have them pick one, and make it together. When you go to the grocery store, bring them along and have them choose a new produce item. Take them to the farmer’s market, and have them choose what is for dinner. Kids will learn more from us by what we do than by what we show them or teach them. Last summer, I joined a csa as a work share worker. I was gone for 4 hours a weeks working at the farm, but I brought home enough vegetables to eat that week and to fill the freezer. I think a lot of the problem is that we have a negative feeling for vegetables because they are cooked or prepared improperly. Learn how to love what you eat, and your kids will too.