Adding More Veggies!

Ensuring your child is consuming enough veggies can be a challenge. It is common for children to choose sweeter foods, like fruit and desserts, over veggies. However, vegetables are packed with essential nutrients and they are an important food group to include at each meal and snack. One strategy to help guarantee your child is consuming enough veggies and also eating healthier versions of desserts is by incorporating veggies into your sweets. This can help encourage kids to view veggies positively. Showing your child that veggies can be delicious might even open their mind to trying different vegetable dishes..

Vegetables are versatile and can be included in many different forms such as raw, pureed, grated or cooked. Veggies not only increase the nutritional value of desserts, they can also provide moisture to baked goods.

Here are some ideas for incorporating more veggies:

•    Avocado, dark leafy greens, beets or pumpkin are great additions to a smoothie with milk or yogurt and fruit. Check out our Pumpkin Smoothie or Beet Smoothie recipe.
•    Cauliflower can be used in various puddings, cakes, or brownies. 
•    Zucchini, carrots or black beans are great to incorporate when baking brownies or muffins. Try our Carrot Muffins.
•    On a hot summer day, try making homemade popsicles that contain both blended fruit and blended vegetables such as spinach, cucumber, kale, carrot, beets, and avocado. 
•    Add beets or carrots to your homemade apple sauce. This will also give it a fun colour. 
•    Avocado makes a great base for a dark chocolate mousse. 

Source:
Olivia Dodsworth, Nutrition Student (Camosun College)