Mommy Tip of the Day: Zucchini is your friend. Shred Zucchini very finely and add it to all kinds of meals to boost your veggie content.
Lots of moms have a hard time getting their kids to eat vegetables. Thankfully that is not my problem. My girls will eat all kinds of plain vegetables. Never mixed in a salad or casserole, but plain, they will gobble them up. In my house, Mom and Dad are the ones with the problem with veggies. Actually we have a problem eating well in general. Not that we don't like them, it is just that our schedules don't work well to sit down and make a "real" dinner. The girls only want plain food which is easy enough to make, but I usually don't eat dinner with them. So this one is for the moms with picky eaters, or anyone else who wants to eat a little healthier.
I thought that I had a picky eater. It turns out that she will eat lots of things, she just wants them plain. Before I realized this, I was looking for all kinds of ideas on how to get her to eat more variety. One of the things that I found was a book called The Sneaky Chef. http://www.thesneakychef.com/ She suggested the idea of adding veggies in purred form and hiding it in foods that they already eat.
The most versatile veggie that I have found to "hide" is zucchini. It is really great to add into Spaghetti or chili. Shred it finely and add it when you are cooking the meat and/or onions. You will never know that it is in there.
My favorite recipe is for Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. I bake a bunch, then freeze them and bring them out for breakfast. (If they last long enough for me to freeze.) Here is the recipe that I use. I hope you enjoy it.
Lots of moms have a hard time getting their kids to eat vegetables. Thankfully that is not my problem. My girls will eat all kinds of plain vegetables. Never mixed in a salad or casserole, but plain, they will gobble them up. In my house, Mom and Dad are the ones with the problem with veggies. Actually we have a problem eating well in general. Not that we don't like them, it is just that our schedules don't work well to sit down and make a "real" dinner. The girls only want plain food which is easy enough to make, but I usually don't eat dinner with them. So this one is for the moms with picky eaters, or anyone else who wants to eat a little healthier.
I thought that I had a picky eater. It turns out that she will eat lots of things, she just wants them plain. Before I realized this, I was looking for all kinds of ideas on how to get her to eat more variety. One of the things that I found was a book called The Sneaky Chef. http://www.thesneakychef.com/ She suggested the idea of adding veggies in purred form and hiding it in foods that they already eat.
The most versatile veggie that I have found to "hide" is zucchini. It is really great to add into Spaghetti or chili. Shred it finely and add it when you are cooking the meat and/or onions. You will never know that it is in there.
My favorite recipe is for Chocolate Zucchini Muffins. I bake a bunch, then freeze them and bring them out for breakfast. (If they last long enough for me to freeze.) Here is the recipe that I use. I hope you enjoy it.
CHOCOLATE - ZUCCHINI MUFFINS OR BREAD
Mix together: 1 c. white sugar 1 c white flour, 1 c whole wheat flour, 1 c wheat germ 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. cinnamon 4 oz. grated Hershey bar 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips
Mix separately and add to dry ingredients the following: 3 tsp. vanilla 1 c. oil 1/2 c plain yogurt 3 c. grated zucchini 1/2 c. nuts
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 2 dozen muffins. For bread: Bake at 350 degrees. Makes 2 loaves. Bake for 1 hour.
*you can substitute 3 cups white flour for the white flour, wheat flour and wheat germ.
