Vegetables are healthy, vegetables are good and absolutely essential for the functioning of our body. Say this to young children and you will only see expressions of doubt and incomprehension because the phrase often means nothing to them. So how do you get kids to fall in love with vegetables and want to eat them? The authors of Big Snacks and Big Lunch Dogs put together seven helpful tips to help you with this difficult task.
Show variety
Vegetables are not boring and you can conjure up absolutely wonderful dishes from them. So don’t be afraid to experiment more in the kitchen and try new dishes full of vegetables. Savory cakes, muffins, risotto, baked vegetables, various cakes, meatballs or soups are just the beginning. So try looking at cookbooks with your child and be tempted by how the food will turn out. We all eat with our eyes and often taste things that we would otherwise condemn to failure based on their composition.
Discover the known unknown
Do you know that it is often enough to offer children, for example, a sliced cucumber instead of wedges and they will eat it like wild animals? The way you serve it (toast cut into triangles instead of squares) or prepare it (broccoli muffins instead of broccoli soup) can do wonders. Therefore, do not be afraid to try not only new types of vegetables with children, but also to include old, so far unpopular pieces in a different and original way.
Involve children in food preparation
Do you also know that you appreciate food much more when you prepare it yourself? Children are exactly the same and will often surprise you with how intelligent and independent they are. Let them into the kitchen and help them prepare, for example, bread with vegetables. You will see how they will suddenly see their own food a little differently.
camouflage
They say what the eye does not see. “We are not supporters of lies, and certainly not of children. However, it can often be very useful to taste a new vegetable surprise if we disguise it so that what is on the plate is not visible at first glance. An excellent example can be several sweet or savory muffins, to which you can add, for example, broccoli, pumpkin, cauliflower, spinach, leeks, and children can taste them in a discreet and attractive way,” describe the authors of Velké svašinkové and Velké lunché bichle, who are currently preparing the soup recipes.
Do not give up
Did you know that before a child accepts a new taste, they often have to taste it more than 20 times? So don’t give up trying to include vegetables the first time, but be persistent, but not stubborn. Preparing a dish with pepper, cucumber and tomato and making it available to the child for a snack every day can be a good way. Children are curious and often very happy to taste. There is no harm in adding a good yogurt sauce, which makes the vegetables very special.
What you don’t eat, your child will love
Can’t you even see the tomatoes? But what if your child likes them? It often happens that as parents we are surprised by how little vegetables our children eat, but then it turns out that the main problem is that we don’t even buy vegetables at home. Or we simply limit ourselves to the kinds we eat ourselves, thereby depriving the child of flavors that he might like, even if we don’t. So try to go to the store sometime and let the child choose what he would like to try and you might be pleasantly surprised. Or try vegetables together you’ve never had
Lead by example yourself
Children learn by imitation, this is nothing new. “If we don’t set an example for the children and they don’t see that we eat vegetables, we can’t expect them to throw love at them either. Try making a vegetable salad for yourself and offer it to the kids too. It’s possible for kids to slip past it without being noticed, and if they say no, that’s okay. They will see that you like it and they will eat it. And maybe next time they’ll have some too. Patience brings a rose,” advise Pavlína Mähringová and Veronika Břicháčková, authors of Velké svačinkové and Velká články bichle.
Big Snack and Big Lunch Bichle recipes:
Quiche with bacon and leeks
Ingredients (4 servings):
On the body:
(O shape 25 cm)
- 150 g wholemeal spelled flour
- 100 g of butter
- 1 M egg yolk
- 30 ml of water
- 1 pinch of salt (3 g)
For the filling:
- 100 g of English bacon
- 1 leek (250 g)
- 150 g 30% goudy
- 3 M eggs
- 200 ml of 12% sour cream.
- 1 pinch of pepper (1 g)
- 1 pinch of nutmeg (0.5 g)
- First we prepare the dough. Knead the softened butter with the yolk, flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Gradually add water spoon by spoon and make a compact dough, leave the dough in the fridge for at least an hour to harden. But if we are in a hurry, it can be used right away. But it will stick more.
Prepare a mold (approx. 25 cm) and start filling. Dice the English bacon, slice the leek and grate the coarse Gouda. Fry the bacon together with the leek in a pan. 1-2 minutes is enough because we don’t want the leeks to be completely soft. The bacon will release the oil, so no need to spread more. - Mix the cream with the whole eggs and the grated Gouda, add a little pepper and a very fine nutmeg.
- Let the quiche dough rest at room temperature and prepare a form with baking paper. Either press the dough with your fingers or roll it to the size of the shape. Leave about 2-3 cm more for the edges. Put the dough in the mold and let it steam
pierce it with a fork in some places. Top with English bacon and leeks. Pour the cream mixture over everything and bake in the oven at 190°C for about 30-40 minutes. The quiche will have a nice golden color.
Broccoli Muffins
Ingredients:
(for 4 servings – 12 muffins)
300 g of broccoli
- 6 M eggs
- 1 grated mozzarella (125 g)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (20 ml)
- salt (3g)
- herbs – chives, parsley, basil
- Tear the broccoli into smaller florets and steam them until tender (or boil them in boiling water). After cooling, finely chop them with a knife so that the florets are thin.
- Add the eggs, olive oil and grated mozzarella. If we have a handful of herbs on hand, we’ll add them too.
- Put the mixture in muffin molds and bake at a temperature of 170 °C for about 20 minutes. The muffs must be well browned.
- You can fill the mixture almost to the brim as there is no yeast and it won’t rise too much. Malinko yes, but they won’t make it clear.
- For carnivores, we recommend adding high-quality finely chopped ham to the muffins.
A simple beet spread
Ingredients (for 4 servings):
- 250 g of precooked beetroot
- 100 g of grass
- 1 clove of small garlic (5 g)
- 1 pinch of ground cumin (1 g)
- spoonful of mint or chives (20 g)
- 1 pinch of salt (3 g)
4 sunflower balls (4 x 60 g)
We won’t do anything complicated. Finely grate the pre-cooked beetroot (my hands always look like it after a kill, but whatever) and add the chives, a clove of cleaned garlic and season with some ground cumin and mint (or chives). Add salt. It tastes great on a sunflower bun.