10 Tricks to Get Your Kids to Eat the Foods They Hate

As your child gets older he/she will start becoming more opinionated and want more control over their life. This will increase the number tantrums throughout the day, especially during meals. Here are a few tricks to help your child get the fruits and veggies they are now refusing to eat.

1. Veggie Based Pasta If your child loves pasta but won't eat their veggies, this may be the trick for you. By making spinach pasta your child will get their veggies without even realizing it.

2. Foods Stuffed with Vegetables                                                                                                                   

My son loves perogies and ravioli but cringes at the thought of eating vegetables. By making perogies or ravioli filled with broccoli and cheese or spinach, he is getting the much needed vegetables without the struggle.

3. Pancakes

Pancakes are a great way to get almost any fruit into a child's diet. My son's favorite are apple cinnamon and they are super easy to make. Simply use pancake mix and replace some of the required water with applesauce and viola, apple cinnamon pancakes!

4. Omelets

Add any veggies and cheese into an omelet to get those vitamins. This also helps me get my son to eat his protein.

5. Soup

My son absolutely loves soup. He is more likely to eat his vegetables if they are cooked in soup or broth. For extra picky eaters, puree the veggies before putting them into the soup.

 6. Meatloaf

I learned this trick from Jon and Kate Plus Eight. Puree or chop up carrots and add them to your meatloaf. You won't even taste them!

7. Rice

Cut it small and mix everything in with rice.

8. Lunch or Dinner Biscuits

I learned this one from Rachel Ray. Take biscuit mix and make according to the package directions then mix in anything you would like. Some great ideas are broccoli, cheese, chicken, ham, peas, carrots, and/or turkey. This is also a great idea for families on the go.

9. V8 Juice

This seems simple but it works. Kids love juice and V8 Fusion Juice tastes just like fruit. A word of caution, this can give your child "the runs."

10. Veggie Mac and Cheese

Add vegetables like broccoli, carrots, and peas to mac and cheese and your child won't even know they are there.

With these tricks your child will eventually learn that they don't mind eating those foods they think they hate.  In the mean time, they will get those much needed vitamins a well balanced diet requires.