complete veggie strike!

[*Becky*]

Uggh....DS is still not eating veggies. Help!!!
He eats fruit, meat, fish, carbs etc. OK he can be picky about what fruit but he will eat whole fruit that he likes i.e. bananas and strawberries and he has purees with yoghurt but I just cannot get him to eat veg.
I just need some ideas. In the last couple of days he has picked up and tried carrot and broccoli because I have said he needs to 'try' it before having his pudding, whatever that is. He is 22 months and it is getting ridiculous.
literally the only veg he gets is the occasional bit of carrot which is mixed up in mash (but he is not really going for that now) and he loves mackerel so we often do mackerel on toast and the one we both like is one which comes in a tomato sauce. Seriously - that is it. I am embarrassed that it is so bad but I have tried, I really have. It is just not working and I need ideas!
thanks
becky x

[anna*]

* Have you tried soup? A really tasty veggie soup, pureed smooth, wtih some grated cheese on top?
* Carrot and cucumber sticks with hummous to dip in - does he like to dip?
* For us I found that the colour green was becoming a warning - so I gave a little pot of (for example) green grapes with also some cucumber bits in. Gave him kiwi fruit. Frozen peas in a little pot as a snack. Now I try to give 'green' as often as possible, just so it stays in rotation.
* Adding veggies to favourite foods. ie if he likes ravioli, making a sauce of Philadelphia with a frozen cube of spinach mixed in. Or if he likes a chicken stew, adding in some butternut squash, courgette, muchrooms etc. Things in stew I have found are best if everything on his plate is cut up really small, so that it's very difficult to pick out the bits you don't like!
* to pick up and try carrot and broccoli is GREAT! Keep giving them! Remember he might need to taste then 20 times before he accepts them as something he likes. As soon as he tastes something, keep it in heavy rotation, to try and prevent him from then deciding again that he doesn't like it.

[~*Nicole*~]

You can mix veggies in tons of things as well in addition to continuing to offer them in their full form. This way he GETS some in, even while he's refusing, but still sees and tries some so he may end up liking a few along the way. Some things you can add veggies to off the top of my head:

*Meatloaf. Grate or cut up very small.
*Muffins. Puree and add to batter/mix
*Pancakes. Puree and add to batter/mix
*Eggs! Like quiche or fritatta style. Chop/slice up very small and bake so it's like a pie.
*Pot pie or shepherds pie type dinners (again, just make them super small or use a food processor/blender)
*Smoothies/shakes-if you use fruit or yogurts the veggies will hardly be noticeable.

Also, not that I totally recommend this, but I've made carrots with a brown sugar glaze, my aunt has made a broccoli salad with raisins and nuts. The sweet flavor mixed with the veggies helps them to go down easier. Not sure if you want to go that route yet....as then that may end up being the ONLY way he'll have them. But perhaps as a last resort!

[*Becky*]

thanks both of you

Anna - yes dh makes soup at the weekends and we all sit down for it at lunch. Sometimes he will eat a bit but usually a couple of mouthfulls. I am really trying with the dip idea but not having much luck. he will not even try cucumber, i have put it on his plate so many times!
I think the green pot is a great idea. Got some grapes so will mx them up with peas this afternoon and see. Today i mixed up tiny bits of broccoli with baked beans and ....he ate it! He was not fooled, he did tell me he was eating it but it was great

Nicole - that is a great idea about the pancakes as he likes them. what do you tend to put in?
I have tried so many times with shepherds pie etc but he won't touch it.

bx

[Purplecattypants]

Apparently their tastebuds change around the age if 2 so they find veg very bitter 

So yes, hide it!

 

[~*Nicole*~]

TBH I've only added fruit, like bananas to pancakes....I don't need to hide veggies as DD will eat them plain. BUT I've heard of a recipe that adds beets. I'm sure though that you could essentially put anything in as long as it was pureed and the consistency was still the same as the batter normally is.

[*Becky*]

Apparently their tastebuds change around the age if 2 so they find veg very bitter

That is interesting.
Bless him, he has at least been trying them but he often gags like he really just does not like it.

[anna*]

Bless him, he has at least been trying them but he often gags like he really just does not like it.

We always give lots of praise for trying new things, and have a sequence of steps we go through if he doesn't want to taste. If he tastes it and doesn't like it, that's OK, just keep offering it, keep having him taste it, as he gets more familiar with it one day he will eat it without thinking. I do think that in the toddler years familiarity is a big thing with foods.

Agree with Ang about the bitterness, putting a tiny bit of grated cheese on top or a bit of melted Philadelphia on can make the flavour a little bit milder.

[Mom to M&M]

Grated zucchini works really well in pancake batter! Will he eat cheesy flapjacks? I make a yummy one with grated zucchini (and/or grated carrot works well too). Good for snack or lunch. Sweet potato fries? Broccoli potato pancakes? Vegetable lasagna?

[~*Nicole*~]

They make vegetable crisp things at the supermarket. Probably more sodium than you'd like, but veggie based none the less. Also, that new Motts juice with veggies blended in. Can't hurt to try to get them somewhere else, right?

[Mom to M&M]

We eat the veggie crisps/straws sometimes and they are relatively healthy but still no fiber or vitamins really. Better would be to make your own veggie chips - I often take root veggies (sweet potatoes, carrots, parsnips) and slice them wafer thin, spray them with some olive oil spray and sprinkle with a bit of kosher salt before baking them in oven. Yummy! V8 Fusion also has carrot juice blended in (like the Mott's one).

Does he eat Mac n Cheese? Really easy to make your own and add butternut squash puree into the cheese sauce.

[~*Nicole*~]

MMMMM we LOVE mac n' cheese with butternut squash over here!

[*Becky*]

what is mac n cheese?

We have had limited success. dh made a macaroni cheese and put tiny bits of broccoli in and he ate it. We have been offering soup and some days he eats some, some days none!

i have tried lasagne and shepherds pie a few times and he won't touch it. He eats macaroni but will not touch any other pasta and even tomato sauces are a no-go.

Very frustrating.

[Purplecattypants]

what is mac n cheese?

We have had limited success. dh made a macaroni cheese and put tiny bits of broccoli in and he ate it. We have been offering soup and some days he eats some, some days none!

It's exactly what you just said...macaroni cheese!! Yum 

[Mom to M&M]

Yuppers! Macaroni and cheese sauce. We often steam and puree butternut squash - mixes into the cheese sauce perfectly and can't be detected. That along with the tiny bits of broccoli would work great!

Will he do sweet potato "fries"? Veggie burgers? Some kids think edamame pods are fun!