Veggies for Kids

Feeding a couple of hungry boys -- one veggie resistant, one veggie adventurous -- for the last while has me thinking about how the Veggie Venture might help parents encourage their children to eat and enjoy vegetables.

What works for you? What would you like to fix at your own table? Leave a comment, send an e-mail or write your own post -- I'll collect the ideas/links along with kid-tested recipes in a new section called Veggies for Kids.

Here's one Mom's take:

"I could go on and on about the kids-and-vegetables topic. Andrew is my pickier eater, Nate will try new things pretty easily. Some of my tried and trues are not exactly novel, but here's what I do:

• Salads: I can get them to try lots of things if they're mixed with lettuce and salad dressing.
• Raw vegetables with dip: Nate ASKS if we can have brocolli, as long as ranch dressing is involved. He also loves basil pesto as a dip. Not exactly low fat, we limit the amount of dip. Not to mention it's pretty 'instant', particularly when I'm scrambling around after work.
• Fruit for dinner: I have a great fruity gazpacho recipe that is low fat, all fresh veggies and fruits, and really good.
• Fruit smoothies as a side dish.
• I 'hide' vegetables in meatloaf, chili, enchiladas, etc.
• Nate loves vegetable soups, but Andrew hates them, so I bat .500 on that one. I make this pumpkin bisque that is awesome.
• Of course, calling a veggies like brocolli a 'power food' has helped too :) [This last, as in "Andrew and Nate, do you know that broccoli is a Power Food?" really got the attention of two Power-Ranger fiends.]