When we first introduced solids to Ben, I was quite the proud mama. He literally ate EVERYTHING: Eggs, beans, avocado, cottage cheese with wheat germ, avocado toast with nutritional yeast, tofu stir fry, smoothie bowls, green beans, broccoli… you name it. With every scraped bowl, my little nutritionist would heart sing.
But then….
Somewhere around the year mark, something shifted. My awesome little eater turned into a very picky eater. Suddenly, he was defiantly throwing eggs, cheese, beans and so many of his former favorites on the floor. But the worst change was his love of veggies. Now, he was spitting out his veggies with the same urgency he used to gobble them up. And I was at a complete loss.
I literally spent my grad school days counseling parents on how to deal with picky eaters and now I couldn’t get my toddler to swallow a single pea.
If you’re a mom, you already know: 90 percent of parenthood is worrying. You worry you’re not reading enough to them, that you let them cry too long – or not long enough, that you don’t cuddle enough, that you coddle them too much. And now, I had yet another thing to add the list: I worried that my little guy wasn’t getting the nutrition he needed.
Determined to knock one worry off my list, I took a step back and revisited the guidance I’d given other parents in my shoes.
Of the 50 tricks I tried, only about 15 stuck. But if there’s anything I learned since becoming a mom, it’s that you have to lower your expectations. So I’m happy.
If you’re finding yourself in a similar situation, check out how I successfully snuck veggies into my picky eater’s diet. If they worked for me, they just might work for you, too:
Picky Eater Tip 1: Make a Mash
There’s a reason cauliflower is so popular with the healthy eating crowd: It’s the chameleon of the veggie world. Meaning it has very little flavor itself and therefore will take on the taste of whatever sauce or food you pair it with. Since it’s texture is so similar to mashed potatoes, and Ben loves mashed potatoes, I tricked him by replacing the starchy white veggie with vitamin C, folate and fiber-filled cauliflower. The result: Success! Here’s how I made the mashed cauliflower:
Ingredients:
- 1 large head of cauliflower, broken into florets
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp. coconut butter (regular butter is fine, too!)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 Tbsp. fresh chives, chopped
Directions:
- Place cauliflower florets in a large pot with enough water to cover the cauliflower.
- Heat until water starts boiling then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the cauliflower is tender (10-15 minutes).
- While cauliflower cooks, heat a small pan over medium heat. Add one teaspoon coconut butter and minced garlic then sauté until garlic is tender.
- Drain cauliflower and add to food processor with garlic, the remaining coconut butter, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and chives, and process until smooth.
Picky Eater Tip 2: Add Greens to Smoothies
The hardest veggies to get my picky eater to eat is greens. They’re hard for him to chew and he’s just not interested in the taste. So what I started doing was blending yogurt, banana and greens together with a bit of milk, some chia seeds and a bit of nut butter to create a smoothie full of nutrition that he actually wanted to drink. And when he started getting independent and wanting to feed himself with a spoon, I skipped the milk and used a frozen banana and frozen berries to create a thicker consistency that Ben enjoys spooning right into his mouth (Ok, half of it still ends up on the floor).
Picky Eater Tip 3: Sneak Veggies in Pasta and Pizza Sauce
Thankfully, Ben still loves his carbs. Which means he enjoys a good pasta dish as much as the next toddler. So I started blending spinach into the sauce before pouring it over his pasta. I’ve even added steamed carrots without him noticing.
I also make him English muffin “pizzas” sometimes, and I’ll do the same with the sauce on these.
Picky Eater Tip 4: Add Zucchini to Oatmeal
Grating zucchini and sneaking it into a bowl of oatmeal that’s also got some flavorful fruit like banana or blueberries is a great way to trick your picky eater into downing some veggies. Zucchini doesn’t have a very potent flavor profile, so it’s easy to sneak into meals with a stronger taste, like cherries, blueberries or bananas.
Riced cauliflower also works really well in oatmeal. Just add a tablespoon or so prior to warming it up in the microwave.
Picky Eater Tip 5: Create Some Crunch with Kale Chips
My little guy loves snacks that crunch. So on a whim, I whipped up a batch of kale chips and served them up at snack time. At first, he just amused himself by crumbling them and playing with the smashed pieces, but when they finally made their way into his mouth, he loved them. This is awesome because I love kale chips myself but am always too lazy to make them. Now I have a little more motivation.
Here’s how I made them: I took two small heads of kale, pulled the leaves off the stems, then tossed them in two tablespoons of olive oil, some Parmesan cheese (I actually used nutritional yeast, but either works), and some Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning blend (salt and pepper would work just fine, too), then baked them for 30 minutes at 275 degrees.
Picky Eater Tip 6: Add Cauliflower Rice to Traditional Grain Dishes
If your picky eater enjoys a good rice dish, you’re golden. Just sneak in some cauliflower rice. Bean dishes, stir fries, soups… they are all great options. I typically start with cauliflower rice to whole grain rice ratio of 1:4 and then increase the amount of cauliflower rice gradually with each meal.
If this goes over well, try sprinkling in some broccoli rice. Just beware: Broccoli has a little stronger flavor profile than cauliflower so less is more to begin with.
Picky Eater Tip 7: Mix (Finely!) Chopped Greens in Pancake Batter
It sounds weird, I know. But desperate times call for desperate measures. One meal Ben has always loved is my famous 3-Ingredient Banana Nut Pancakes (This Strawberry Banana variation is just as popular).
Thankfully, through all of his picky phases, his love for this healthy breakfast hasn’t wavered. So you can imagine my anxiety when I decided to try sneaking in some super finely chopped greens. What if he caught on to me and then suddenly wouldn’t eat the one healthy meal he loves?!
Thankfully, I’m a nutrition ninja, and my experiment worked. Here’s how I made them: I mashed one banana with the back of a fork. Then I whisked in two eggs. I added some peanut butter and sprinkled some cinnamon in the mix. Thennnnnnn I added about a third cup of very, very, very finely chopped greens and stirred until the greens were well distributed.
Picky Eater Tip 8: Try Sweeter Veggies
Ben is a fruit-lover. Blueberries, grapes, mango and bananas don’t stand a chance when his grubby little hands are involved. So when he stopped shoveling peas and green beans into that cute little mouth, I decided to try some of the sweeter veggies instead. Sure enough, he took the bait.
He loves roasted sweet potato sprinkled with cinnamon (I just peel and chop the sweet potato into bite-sized pieces, toss them in olive oil and cinnamon then bake for about 30 minutes at 425 degrees). He also loves dried red peppers. You can make these but since I’m a bit on the busy/lazy side, I’ve been buying the Fresh Bellies dried red pepper snacks.
Picky Eater Tip 9: Try a More Hands-Off Approach
You don’t have to have a toddler to know about the “Terrible Twos.” But you might have to have one to know about the transition that seems to happen overnight somewhere after the year mark, when your toddler suddenly wants to flex his or her independence muscles.
One day, after a week or trying in vain to get Ben to eat a perfectly chopped cucumber, I gave up. I was about to throw out the end of the cucumber when he reached for it from his high chair. I handed it over and he happily went to town on it. I realized he didn’t want me feeding him the bite-sized pieces, but he would happily feed himself. A few days later, I tried the same approach with a raw zucchini and don’t you know, the little bugger ate half of it in one sitting!
Picky Eater Tip 10: Veg Out with a Veggie Burger
If you suspect that your picky eater is bothered by the texture of veggies, you might want to try offering them in another format – if they don’t seem to like them steamed, consider roasting them. If raw is too hard for your little one to chew, try sauteeing them.
If all else fails, and your picky eater has mastered their pincer grasp, consider creating a veggie burger that they can feed themselves.
We love this veggie burger recipe because it includes lentils and grains in addition to spinach and carrots, making it a highly nutritious option for your littles and the rest of the family, too. This black bean burger is also a regular on our menu since it tastes like a splurge but is actually packed with good-for-you ingredients.
Picky Eater Tip 11: Make a Zucchini Bread
In Ben’s world, bread is its own food group. In fact, if it were up to him, it would probably be the only food group. His daycare sends home a report every day that includes what he ate, and without fail, there is always a note that he ate a double serving of bread.
So when he started getting particular about his veggies, I immediately started brainstorming tactics to sneak them into bread.
Zucchini bread, which literally has a vegetable in its name, seemed like an obvious choice. Unfortunately though, many zucchini bread recipes are packed with sugar. And since I hadn’t actually ever attempted to make it myself, I scoured the internet for a healthy zucchini recipe that would dish out all the veggies without sending my little guy into a sugar coma. I found this recipe, and fell in love… and so did Ben. It isn’t packed with sugar but it also isn’t so bland that my picky eater wouldn’t touch it after one bite.
Picky Eater Tip 12: Make Broccoli Cheddar Patties
I remembered that I used to make huge batches of these delicious patties back when I was working full time and also going to grad school full time because they were healthy but also portable – so I could eat them in the car as I rushed from work to school.
I decided to give them a try with Ben because of all the veggies, broccoli was the only one he was still occasionally eating. Turns out, he loved them. He’s at the age where he wants complete independence, which means he wants to feed himself. These patties let him do that and also deliver nutrient-packed broccoli. It’s a win-win.
Picky Eater Tip 13: Switch Up Your Sauce
If sneaking purées steamed carrots into spaghetti sauce isn’t cutting it, try a whole new angle: Whip up this Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce. It’s delicious, and it’s got both red pepper and sweet potato in it.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp. olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup steamed and mashed sweet potato
- 1 roasted red pepper
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp. dried basil
Directions:
- In a small pan over medium heat, briefly (about one minute) saute the garlic in olive oil. Remove from heat.
- Once the garlic has cooled, place it in a blender with the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth.
Picky Eater Tip 14: Pick Your Spots
This tip isn’t so much about ingredients; it’s more about timing. I learned pretty quickly that my best shot of getting any healthy food into Ben is at breakfast. He wakes up happy (and starving), and he’s most receptive to trying new flavors in the morning.
As the day goes on, he gets pickier and less interested in anything other than his staple foods, so I have almost zero chance of getting him to try something new at dinner. That’s why I’ve started adding veggies to breakfast – it’s my best chance. And so far, so good. So if your little one is happier and more interested in foods at a certain time of day, use that to your advantage and add your veggies to that meal.
Picky Eater Tip 15: Fix Some Fritters
The first time Ben tried hash browns might have been the best day of his life. It’s possible he loves them more than he loves trucks and dogs combined (if you’ve met Ben, you know that that is A LOT).
So when I started exploring ways to squeeze veggies into his favorite foods, playing with a hash brown recipe was a no-brainer. Unfortunately, my attempts weren’t that great. But lucky for me, justataste.com had an awesome recipe for Veggie Fritters that mimics the texture and size of the hash browns he loved.
Here’s how to make them:
Ingredients:
- 2 cups shredded zucchini
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/3 cup sliced scallions (green and white parts)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- Sour cream or yogurt, for serving
Directions:
1. Place the shredded zucchini in a colander and sprinkle it lightly with salt. Let the zucchini sit for 10 minutes then using your hands, squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
2. Transfer the zucchini to a large bowl then add the carrots, garlic, flour, eggs, scallions, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Stir the mixture until it is combined.
3. Line a plate with paper towels. Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, scoop three-tablespoon mounds of the vegetable mixture into the pan, flattening the mounds slightly and spacing them at least one inch apart.
4. Cook the fritters for two to three minutes then flip them once and continue cooking them an additional one to two minutes until they’re golden brown and crispy. Transfer the fritters to the paper towel-lined plate, season them with salt and repeat the cooking process with the remaining mixture.
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