[Miracle Within]

Try eating salsa! It is an easy way to dice or puree veggies and enjoy without realizing you are eating something good for you.

[BabySigns]

Add raw baby spinach to fruit smoothies. It does make it green, but the spinach has no taste... this is how I get my kids to eat spinach! Check out the book "The Sneaky Chef" by Missy Chase Lapine, it has some great ideas.

[BatikMama]

Oh, that is a wonderful idea, I often do that for the extra vitamins in spinach....It's a wonder food....Especially fresh!

[Terra Baby]

Originally Posted by BabySigns

Add raw baby spinach to fruit smoothies. It does make it green, but the spinach has no taste... this is how I get my kids to eat spinach! Check out the book "The Sneaky Chef" by Missy Chase Lapine, it has some great ideas.

Exactly!

Though, my vote is for kale.
You get a bit more vitamin bang for your buck!
I listed a bunch of smoothie options on the first page of the thread.

[babylady]

Originally Posted by Terra Baby

Try not to think about "packing stuff into" your diet. Think about CROWDING STUFF OUT of your diet- instead of choosing pita chips with your hummus, choose cucumber spears, carrots or celery.

Good luck!

best advice by far!!
I often make bargains with myself ie after I've eaten a whole cucumber I can have 1/2c of ice cream, if I eat half a head of broccoli I can have half a chocolate bar, if I drink 3 8oz glasses of water I can have a soda... eventually you get to a point where you really enjoy those things and you don't have to bribe yourself into it, which naturally progresses into eating less of the junk and more of the good stuff.

[babylady]

Originally Posted by Catmuse33

Learning to like veggies may be something you will want to incorporate into your new lifestyle as a mom... how will you get your baby to eat your veggies if you don't?

I wanted to comment on this as well. Children learn by example, if mom and dad don't have a fresh salad with dinner, why should they? if mom and dad aren't eating tomatoes in their omelet why should they??.... my children LOVE vegetables! but they don't really know much else. No I'm not one of those moms who never ever lets her kids have a Dorito, but they are seldom brought into the house, I never buy soda for the house and if someone wants a snack raw fruits and veggies are offered. They are the one thing the children have full access to and may eat as much of as they want. My children beg me to buy red peppers and hummus, the get excited when we get the baby spring mix salad, if I want to really treat my DD I buy her cherry tomatoes. Yes we get strange looks in the grocery store but by being a good example and always having these things around I've got kids who like to eat fairly healthy. No they won't turn down a cookie, but they also won't turn down fresh spinach salad.
and I won't lie, it took me a long time to get to the point of being a good example. I was raised with the only veggies being bags of frozen corn, green beans and mixed vegetables. We occasionally had bananas, apples and oranges and the summer treats of watermelon and cherries. I had never had fresh spinach or broccoli until I was in my 20's! I know it's not easy, but it's important and it's doable! Just pick one vegetable a week to focus on, find ways to prepare it and have it every day for a week, you'll find the way you like it best and then you can incorporate it into your normal weekly meal schedule.

[noellavigeant]

I found adding veggies cut very small into dishes like chili, spaghetti sauce, any soup, even meatloaf works. The trick is to cut them very small. You could even use a food process or to get a fine chop. I would check with your maternity sources to see which vegetables are the most valuable for you and concentrate on getting those into your system.

If you like fries, one of my favorite ways to cook veggies is to cut them large, coat them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, lay out on a baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees till tender. This works great with carrots, yams, red or green peppers, onions, garlic, winter squash and of course, potatoes.

[MrsAshley]

I often "trick" my husband into eating a little more healthy. For instance, I throw some peas in with my homemade mac and cheese. Veggie soup is great, fix a roast in a crockpot with seasoning and carrots, and casseroles are often a good supply of veggies. Just fix a side or two of veggies for dinner and take bites in between the good stuff. Rewards yourself with low fat yogurt or a healthy treat that you like after you clean your plate.

[saimalexander]

Hi, I found your post really helpful. Thanks for posting such informative content. Keep posting.