25 Vegetables in a Dozen Kid-Friendly Ways

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Can you name 25 vegetables your kids have tried?  How about 10?  If you are like most of my clients, the answer is no.

The #1 challenge most parents have in feeding their children well is getting them to eat vegetables.  Some kids won’t eat anything green, others won’t touch anything mushy, and some won’t eat it simply “because it’s a vegetable.”  Different colored vegetables contain different essential vitamins, minerals and phyto-nutrients.   Having a varied diet with a lot of different vegetables helps ensure that children get proper nutrition.

In most families, there are one or two “go-to” vegetables on the dinner plate– most often peas and carrots, maybe broccoli if you’re lucky.  Variety is often very limited when it comes to vegetables at mealtime, and vegetables outside of dinnertime are often non-existent.

If you are considering a diet that does not allow grains or involves food combining, the ability to get enough vegetables seems daunting if not down-right impossible.

As a mother of a toddler (who’s a pretty good eater), I still find it tough to get my daughter to eat vegetables sometimes.  Parents of picky eaters (understandably) get frustrated that their child won’t eat vegetables—so they either give up or keep trying without success.

From my experience as a mother and as a nutritionist (working with hundreds of picky eaters), over time and out of necessity, I have come up with many creative vegetable ideas to help.

Join us this month, Wednesday, May 8th, for 25 Vegetables a Dozen Kid-Friendly Ways.  

The session will be recorded, so you don’t have to watch live.

In our Nourishing Hope Support Club session for May, I will be teaching “25 Vegetables a Dozen Kid-Friendly Ways.” For those of you who have not joined the Nourishing Hope Support Club yet, learn more here.

In this 90-minute online presentation, will be sharing my ideas and tips with you to spark inspiration and a more nourishing mealtime.  I will share cooked and raw vegetables, crispy and crunchy ideas, good vegetables for breakfast, and more.  We will address texture, flavor, visual, and other factors that impact children.  Vegetables will include: Brussels sprouts, rutabaga, boy choy, zucchini, cabbage and 20 more!

These ideas and recipes will be helpful for families following ANY special diet – there will be suggestions for GFCF, SCD/GAPS, low oxalate, Feingold/Failsafe, Paleo, FODMAPS, and Body Ecology.

Here are some ideas and recipes to get you started

  1. Make hash browns from butternut squash. Peel squash, and grate into shreds with a vegetable/cheese grater.  Place in pan and brown on each side.
  2. Make chips out of many vegetables including zucchini and carrots.  In the Support Club presentation we will talk about which vegetables are best for baking, dehydrating, or frying.  For now, here is my recipe for Carrot Chips from Cooking to Heal.
  3. Saute vegetables to “caramelize” them for good flavor, and add a bit of salt.  Here’s my favorite recipe for Brussels sprouts, available in Cooking to Heal.
  4. Cook and puree vegetables.  Add them to meatballs, pancakes, pasta sauce, and more.
  5. Juice vegetables.  Kids like the texture of juice and you can often service many vegetables they might not eat otherwise.

Join us May 8th for many more ideas on 25 Vegetables a Dozen Kid-Friendly Ways.  The sessions will be recorded, so you do not need to attend live.

In this presentation you will discover:

  • Cooked and raw vegetable ideas, and crispy/crunchy suggestions
  • Kid-friendly fermented vegetable options
  • We will address texture, flavor, visual, and other factors that are important for picky eaters
  • Ideas and recipes that spark inspiration and help create a more nourishing mealtime
  • How to prepare good tasting vegetables that are “beyond the basics” and include: Brussels sprouts, rutabaga, boy choy, cabbage, and more!!!
  • Ideas for ANY special diet –GFCF, SCD/GAPS, low oxalate, Feingold/Failsafe, Paleo, FODMAPS, and Body Ecology.

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Julie Matthews is a Certified Nutrition Consultant who received her master’s degree in medical nutrition with distinction from Arizona State University. She is also a published nutrition researcher and has specialized in complex neurological conditions, particularly autism spectrum disorders and ADHD for over 20 years. Julie is the award winning author of Nourishing Hope for Autism, co-author of a study proving the efficacy of nutrition and dietary intervention for autism published in the peer-reviewed journal, Nutrients, and also the founder of BioIndividualNutrition.com. Download her free guide, 12 Nutrition Steps to Better Health, Learning, and Behavior.

1 Comment

  1. Even I have a picky eater at home, would surely like to join such a club. Thanks for the info

    Reply

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