16 Tricks for Getting Your Kids to Eat Veggies

1. Make Veggie “Fries”: What if your kids magically ate everything that was on their plate? That’s no surprise when fries are on the menu. These tasty treats have got good things going for them: They’re fries — and hey, there’s dip involved! (via Pottery Barn Blog)

2. Disguise Veggies As Candy: These Paleo “skittles” are made from fruit, veggies and organic coconut oil. Serve ’em up in a colorful cup for a fun snack. (via Joyful Abode)

3. Serve Them in a Cup: We’ll call this delicious little project “No sibling left behind.” Because there’s nothing more horrible than being stuck at the table over a plate of chickpeas, while your smart-eater sister chills in front of the television. (via Taste of Japan)

4. Keep it Colorful With Rainbow Flatbread Pizza: Pizza is the food of kids. Don’t fight it. This colorful version is super-fun and healthy too. (via Gimme Some Oven)

5. Do the Dip: Dip, dip hooray! Kids will eat almost anything if they can dip it. (via Uit Paulines Keuken)

6. Serve it Pretty: Real talk: Adults need veggies too. Even the most broccoli-abhorrent parent will agree that a display this pretty is appealing. (via Modern Parents Messy Kids)

7. Mix It Up with a Healthy Mac & Cheese: Warm, cheesy and gooey — no one will ever know that there’s cauliflower thrown in. (via Eat Yourself Skinny)

8. Make a Food Face ($12): Your child will work up an appetite creating food faces for Mr. or Ms. Fashion Plate. These fun plates from Uncommon Goods encourage kids to get hands-on with those veggies.

9. Sneak Them in a Sauce: Obviously the goal is to get kids to learn to love veggies. But there’s nothing wrong with sneaking a few extra servings in here and there. This veggie-packed sauce should be a staple in every momma’s kitchen. (via Parenting)

10. Serve a Creative Plate: Sometimes a fun food arrangement is all it takes to encourage a kid to enjoy their food. Bonus points if you can think of interesting names for each food. Broccoli is way less boring when it becomes “tiny trees" and beets are suddenly beautiful when they've transformed into “jewels". (via Meet the Dubiens)

11. Veggies in Popsicle Form: Because no kid ever did turn down a popsicle. (via Cooking Stoned)

12. Play with Your Food: Yep, play with your food. We know your mom wouldn’t approve, but hey — the times, they’re a-changin’. If having a little fun with food will encourage kids to eat better, we’re all for it. (via She Knows)

13. Drink ‘Em Up: Kids need at least five servings of fruits and veggies daily. This smoothie is a delicious disguise for at least one of those servings. (via A Pumpkin and a Princess)

14. Transform Veggies Into Fruit Snacks: That box of fruit snacks from the store? It’s definitely not veggies… and maybe not even fruit. Kids will be pleasantly fooled by this healthy (shhh — and veggie-loaded) alternative. (via Modern Parents Messy Kids)

15. Sneak Veggies in Every Snack: We know — the experts all say to put a stop to snacktime so kids will eat better at mealtime. But since the no-snack policy isn’t always realistic, we’ve found a way to sneak veggies into a snack. This green apple fruit leather is sure to be a hit. (via Oh My Veggies)

16. Make It a Game: Send the kids on a snack-time hunt, or turn this idea into a guessing game. Suddenly veggies are cool and fun to eat — no mealtime breakdowns involved. (via Kailo Chic)

Do your little ones like vegetables? Any tips? We’re all ears — share your smart ideas below.