Getting Kids to Eat Fruits and Vegetables

Here are some fun and delicious ideas for serving fruits and vegetables to your child that may encourage your picky eater to eat!

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 Serving Fruit to Kids

Breakfast

Serve pancakes, waffles, or French toast with fruit such as berries, sliced peaches, bananas, or applesauce

Try fresh or dried fruit with cold or hot cereals (raisins or dried cranberries in oatmeal)

Salads

Carrot and raisin salad can be made with added apples or pineapple

Fruit salads go with any meal or snack

Snacks or Anytime

Fresh or canned fruit can be blended to make refreshing smoothies and shakes

Bake muffins or breads with added fresh, frozen, or dried fruits or grated carrots for extra sweetness

Bananas, apples, carrots and celery are good with peanut or almond butter

Use a French-fry cutter for potatoes to slice an apple and make ‘apple fries’

 Fruit kabobs are fun to make, but more fun to eat

Desserts

Fresh fruit pies or cobblers count, too!

Ice cream, frozen yogurt, or sherbet topped with fresh fruit is a great finish to a meal, or for a snack

Serving Vegetables to Kids

Breakfast

Add fresh spinach, onions, or bell peppers to scrambled eggs, or an omelet

Salads

Leafy green salads have infinite variety, good with almost any fruit or vegetable added, served with a light vinaigrette, or low fat ranch dressing

Cabbage and carrot slaw, or cole slaw is also good with added pineapple

Pasta salads are yummy with lightly steamed and chilled vegetables, such as broccoli, green beans, fresh pea pods, sweet red peppers, carrots, or even fresh pear or cantaloupe

Side Dishes or Main Course

Corn on the cob or “Mexican corn” made with peppers and onion is popular with kids

Spaghetti squash with a red sauce is a change of pace. Kids love how it looks like real pasta!

Grilled or roasted vegetables are special when served with polenta, pilaf, or pasta

Steamed assorted vegetables can be served plain, with a sprinkle of cheese (try Parmesan or cheddar), or a bit of soy sauce

Acorn squash or other winter squashes, are wonderful baked or microwaved and served with a little butter/margarine and brown sugar, or stuffed with rice pilaf or risotto

Slice carrots, red bell peppers and zucchini and sauté in olive oil and fresh garlic, or cook in foil on the grill – the color combination has visual appeal

Brush fresh asparagus spears, or corn on the cob with olive oil and cook right on the grill

Potato pancakes with grated carrots added are good served with warm applesauce

Try pizza with green or red peppers, onions, mushrooms, pineapple, and tomatoes, or a white pizza with lightly cooked broccoli

Fried rice or noodles are a great vehicle for a wide variety of vegetables such as carrots, onion, broccoli, peppers, green beans and peas (snow peas or sugar snap peas)

Fajitas can be made with grilled vegetables in addition to meat of your choice and served with fresh tomatoes, avocado and leafy lettuce

Many wonderful soups can be made with vegetables from the traditional to root-vegetable soups. Gazpacho, a cold tomato and vegetable soup, or creamy soups made with tomato or winter squash

Vegetable chili made with beans, carrots, onions, peppers and tomatoes is great with a corn muffin and a sprinkle of cheese

Vegetable lasagna with a tomato sauce, or a white cream sauce with such vegetables as tomato, broccoli, zucchini, spinach, mushrooms and onion can’t be beat

Pesto made from fresh basil or parsley can be eaten with pasta, on pizza, or as a spread on a sandwich

Ratatouille, a dish made with eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, onion, and peppers can be seasoned with Italian herbs and served with Parmesan cheese, or try it flavored with a little cinnamon and dill and served with feta cheese for a delicious variation

Snacks or Anytime

Ripe, round sweet cherry tomatoes make a great, bite-sized snack

Pickled beets offer a tangy complement to many meals as a side dish

Baby carrots, celery sticks, cucumber spears, and red bell pepper rings make a crunchy complement to a meal or snack. Try with a low fat ranch dressing

Sautéed vegetables with or without your favorite meat can be wrapped inside a tortilla to make a “wrap”. Try cheeses, herbs and spices for different taste combinations

Add your own ideas to this list and keep it handy for some quick ideas!