Creative Ways to Get 1 Year Old to Eat Meat and Green Veggis

hi! I discovered by accident (!) a way to get my daughter who just made two years, to eat corn and peas. She likes to eat them frozen. I can get her to eat lots of peas and corn if it is right out of the freezer. She asks for them in her own cup and will sit down and eat them! and ask for more. She thinks she is getting a fun snack and I am happy that she is eating!

Maybe you could try that? Hope you find something that will work! Good luck to you!
--H.

Thats sooo funny i had the same problem! My daughter is 17 months and she does not like broccoli or spinach. So for the spinach what i do is i make spaghetti and i take about a cup of sause and put it in the blender with some blanched spinach and blend it then i mix it with noodles. my daughter loves it and doesn't know the difference. So far i have done it with squash, spinach, broccoli, and even green beans! Well good luck i hope this bit of info helps

How about spinach-berry smoothies? I can't do cow's milk either, so I use bananas and frozen fruits and a little bit of juice, throw it in the blender, and voila!

I buy seasoned Tofu from Trader Joes and give a stick to my 1 year old when he needs more protein. He really enjoys it. Another food that is really good that your daughter might like is vegi falafel. It's made out of chickpeas and vegis. You might also try chicken & vegi pot stickers, they come frozen and just need to be boiled or fried. I get them from Costco.

Hope these ideas help.

Hi,
Susan about covered it -- there's only one other thing I've tried that worked. Try making characters, etc., out of the food. There are whole books in the library dedicated to the subject of creative food prep for kids. Hot dog race cars, fresh fruit animals, clown face burgers, you get the idea. I tried it with my picky eaters and was absolutely floored when it worked. But it didn't work nightly; novelty seems to be the key. Once or twice a week -- or on request -- seems to work pretty well.

Good luck! :-)

PS: just remembered one other tidbit: when my eldest was about 8 months we started a garden. As soon as there were little baby green bell peppers and tomatoes growing, he'd crawl over and steal 'em. I used to find tiny, half-gnawed, drool covered veggies scattered all over the place. We didn't have the biggest harvest, but it sure instilled a love of vegetables in my son. He still loves his veggies to this day. Not that you should encourage your child to eat out of the yard (!!), but supervised 'veggie snatching' might be as fun for you as it was for us.

she doesn't need meat. it produces uric acid, the processing of which can cause a strain on her baby kidneys. I would stick to the veggies she likes. steam some beets for iron and see if she likes those. most kids do as they are kinda sweet. keep introducing the green vegetables a little at a time. It takes children about 10 times to adopt a new food especially if it is not in the standard salty, sweet palate mix.

best,

J.
www.thenewfastgirls.blogspot.com

I make my kids a delicious vegie soup. Put as many different vegies in that you'd like your daughter to eat ( I use about 8 different vegies!)& after it is cooked blend it until smooth. My kids all love it! I usually saute an onion in some olive oil, then add veggies, chicken & vegie boullion cubes & other seasonings and cook. While it is warm you can blend in some cheese as well to get some added protein. Also, blend in some cooked chicken, that way she'll get some meat...

Good luck!

C., for some inspirational ideas...you'll love these 2 websites (my favorites):

http://weelicious.com/

AND http://wholesomebabyfood.com/

DELICIOUSLY YUMMY!!!

ENJOY!!! : )))

LOL,
L. (MAMA to 13 month old Dylan Orion). : )))

My daughter was similar at that age in that she didn't enjoy eating meat. I think she didn't like the texture. She loves tofu, so occasionally if I felt she wasn't getting enough protein I would give her some tofu or just make her an egg for dinner. She does love taking bites of our chicken drumsticks and lamb chops - I think mainly because mommy and daddy are doing this - but also because it is fun for her. I made rack of lamb the other night and when she saw the lamb on our plates she got excited and asked to have some, too. She also prefers when her meat has been cooked in a soup - again perhaps this is due to the texture. Rice and beans may be another option. She has always loved vegetables so I don't have any advice about sneaking them in.

Mom of four here. Your daughter is still just a baby. Her diet will round out in time. Kids in this age range who are not pushed into eating foods they do not seem to care for end up having a much more diverse diet later in childhood. Do not be concerned about the nutrition aspect. Just keep offering her different meats and green veggies during meals and eventually she will go for them. You might want to try that book by Jerry Seinfeld's wife about how to cook with veggie purees, but I think that is for kids who are a bit older. Your daughter is still very young.

Hi...
I got my kid to eat peas with ... ready.... CHOPSTICKS !!!! i went to right start, and they have kids chopsticks with little things at the end to hold them together... he loved the idea, played with it for a while, and while he figures out how to work it, you kinda just shove the peas in his mouth.. so while he's eating it himself, you're helping him with a spoon while he's preoccupied... he now eats peas and corn with no problem and without me... if i can get him to eat grean beans, it'd be great, but he eats broccoli, and peas, and corn, and avacado, and all sorts of different fruit... peppers we dont like, but i'm hoping some day...you can always let her dip it in cheese or ranch, or some kinda sause she's into.... and i dont think any kids like the texture of meat.. if you find out how to get it in them, please let me know..

Hi C., I used to chop of meat and vegies and put them in mashed potates, most kids love mashed potatoes. J. L.

Hi C.,

One way would be to make her a smoothie. You can make it taste yummy by adding some organic frozen berries or a healthy juice. The flavor of the fruit will cover up any veggies you add to the smoothie. Try adding some carrots or deep leafy greens. Start slowly so that she doesn't notice that there are veggies in it. Obviously adding meat to it wouldn't be advised, but you could pick up a good protein powder and add a scoop in to ensure that she is getting the protein in her diet.
You will need a good blender, vita-mix, or a magic bullet to mix everything up nicely!
Email me with any questions and good luck!
C. Tanaka, DC
www.naturallifechiro.com

kids go thru color phases and it can change on a daily basis so just keep trying and show her you eat these as well and make yummy noises while you eat...good luck

Hi C. - Other than eating the whole food, the best way for you to ensure she's getting enough green vegetable nutrition (as well as other fruits, veggies and grains) is with Juice Plus gummies. They are awesome, like a nutritional seatbelt. They're different than vitamins - they're not vitamins at all - because it's actually the nutrients, antioxidants and enzymes from 17 of the real fresh fruits and vegetables in gummie form. There is also more independent gold standard research proving the health benefits of Juice Plus than any other nutritional supplement. My kids have been taking them every day for 4 years and their immune systems are strong. Feel free to check my website at www.wethriveonjuiceplus.com. Another great source of info on the research is the free recorded health info hotline: 800-942-1260. Feel free to call me at ###-###-#### for more information or to order. I'd be happy to help.

Does she eat tomato sauce on pasta yet? You can sneak a lot of different types of pureed veggies into tomato sauce. I wouldn't worry too much about meat if she is eating eggs and soy yogurt. Things like hummus and pureed white beans can be really taste for them and have lots of good protein.

We had a similar issue, my son disliked the texture of meat for years, so he ate tofu instead. But eventually I figured out some tricks: I would blend up meat sauces so they were really smooth and pour them over pasta, tried to "hide" the green veggies in a cheese sauce (this didn't always work), referred to green beans as snakes or worms...this worked when he was 3...thought it was funny to "eat the snakes"...I know, your baby is too young for that yet. We also gave him iron fortified cereals and prunes because they are packed w/ iron. Also, your pedi can give you liquid vitamins and check her for anemia if you are really worried. My 10 mo old takes PolyVitamin Drops with flouride daily...she loves them!

Hi C.,

It sounds like your daughter is a pretty healthy eater already. To help her develop the taste for green veggies, you may want to steam them, puree them and add them to some of the foods that she normally eats. Jessica Seinfeld's Sneaky Chef cookbook has some great ideas along this line.

As for meat, she may not be a natural meat eater and I wonder how important it is to for her to eat meat at this point in time if she is eating a variety of other healthy foods. Maybe you should consider giving her some non-meat protein sources instead like rice and beans, tofu and such. There are some really good books (cookbooks as well) on this subject and you can always consult your pediatrician to see what he/she has to say.

I would check out Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Seinfeld..... She has a lot of great ways of getting kids to eat vegis. Good luck !

The responses you have received are terrific. My 9 year-old is not the biggest meat and veggie eater, but he loves fruit and is never sick so I stopped worrying. My pediatrician says his palate will grow as he does. However, when he was little I used to use colored toothpicks to get him to eat. Of course, you will have to help your little one with that, but the kids love to pick which color comes first. Also you can try letting her dip the food into what ever she likes to drink. Be creative - call it "Magic-drink" or something. She will think it makes the taste different. The kids book, "I Will Never, Not Ever Eat Another Tomato" is very cute and shows that all kids goes through these phases - we just have to be creative and have patience. Good Luck.

It really is a never ending battle. There are all kinds of tips on my website, but I always recommend continuing to put it on your little ones tray at least once a day. I put broccoli florets, green beans, edamame, steamed brussel sprouts, sometimes with dipping sauces and shockingly, kids start to dig it after a while. Give it a try-www.weelicious.com

She CAN take vitamins. Both my kids, as babies and even my toddler boy, took a Doctor prescribed "Polyvitamin" liquid drops, WITH iron. You put it in their milk etc. Ask your Pediatrician about it.

Also, I recommend researching and reading up about "soy" milk.. .there are lot of contraindications on it. It contains natural occurring "estrogen" and it can negatively affect/damage a child's (boys and girls) hormonal and physical development. A good alternative, is Almond Milk.

Try making smoothies... and pureeing soft cooked veggies, and add the purees into anything you cook... like spaghetti sauce etc. A good book for this is Jerry Seinfeld's Wife, who has a cookbook on it... sorry I forget the name of it.

As for meat, lots of kids don't like the taste of it. But for protein, try eggs, peanut butter (but only when she is after 2 years old), or beans. Or try fish.

*oh just wanted to add... a baby's or child's "taste buds" are still developing...THUS, the aversion or liking of foods... it is an acquired taste for some foods. They won't like everything, all of the time. Their food phases will ebb and flow, ALL their life. So be prepared. Not even adults want to eat everything and some grown ups are very picky with food as well.... so are children. So, they don't have to "like" or eat everything we give them. For me at least, I'm okay with that with my kids. I play on their "strengths" as far as eating.

Oh! I also learned, for my kids, that they like Hummus. So, it's healthy, and has protein in it too.. .I give it to them as a dip for ANYTHING, or with the traditional pita slices. And Ranch Dressing is also a popular "dip" for my kids their veggies or ANYTHING, meats, fruits, bread etc.

Sorry have to run, but hope this helps,
Susan

For iron, you can add baby rice cereal to her yogurt or applesauce. I used to do that with my first baby, and she didn't even notice.

My daughter is 13 months and has been on veggie "strike" for about 4 months. She used to love them and now won't touch them. I agreed about keep trying...but in the meantime, this is what worked for me for about a month.

1. Smoothies (milk, yougurt and pureed veggie of your choice. I did squash, bell pepper, or spinach ..etc. You can be creative)

2. Scrambled eggs. If I puree the veggies and then mix with the eggs she can't even tell. Green veggies too.

3. My friend just suggested "veggie quesadillas"

Hope this helps!!

Well, hasn't your pediatrician prescribed a liquid vitamin supplement for her? If not, talk to him about it. Mine did for both my boys when they were babies. My suggestion is that you just keep trying every other day or so without forcing it. One day she'll accept them and eat them. In the meantime, are you making your own, or using purchased food in jars? You may consider switching to see if that has anything at all to do with it. Is she still on breastmilk or formula? That will have everything she needs as well.

A Vitamix blender is a great way to sneak healthy foods in. Its not cheap (close to $400), but you can do so many things with it. Since it pulverizes anything, you can also grind seeds so you get mega does of nutrition by leaving seeds in (i.e. apple seeds, mellon seeds, pepper seeds). You can add a leaf of kale or cabbage to your fruit shake and it gives you all the benefits, but you barely taiste it and it won't turn green with just a leaf or two. You can grind chicken into soups and have no meat chunks or texture. We use ours every day and I have a freezer full of home make baby food because of it. Its the greatest kitchen tool I own. It was an investment, but we are able to eat so much healthier because of it.

I used to blend the baby pureed veggies into his omeletts, You can hide a lot of pureed stuff in an omelett. The parenting magazine also has some good recipes where you can hide spinach/blueberry puree in brownies. As for meat, hmmm... I make him quesadillas with ham or ground meat, and hide some veggies in there too. That seemed to work for my son.

Hi C.,

You could try recipes from cookbooks like Jessica Seinfeld's "Deceptively Delicious"--my son loves her gingerbread (full of carrots and broccoli) and her blueberry oatmeal bars (full of spinach).

If it's the iron you're worried about, your daughter can consume enough iron from beans, nuts, seeds, fortified cereals, raisins, spinach, and dates. If she eats vitamin C (bell peppers. tomatoes/tomato sauce, potatoes, strawberries, broccoli, citrus fruits) with the iron source, it will increase the iron absorption.

Happy eating!
:-) D.

C.,

Try shredding the vegetables. Also you might want to use purees. Which means that you would have to bake the vegies and then put them in the food processor. There is a cookbook out by Jessica Sinefeld that has some great tips and some really good recipes.

Check it out and good luck

K. F