fun food friday (for Family Friday on HB)

One of my favorite places to find tips on all kinds of subjects is in Woman's Day. I've actually been reading this magazine since I was a kid, I loved the household ideas-my shortcoming has always been housekeeping and (before I had my own family) learning to stay on a budget.
A section I've learned to appreciate since having my kids is the eat well- family meals. In the back of each issue, a mom shares her secrets for getting your kids to eat a little better (or at all if you have toddlers!) In this spirit, every Friday I will do a fun food Friday, when I share some of my tips and tricks for family-friendly cooking. Visit the title link for more family Friday goodies on http://www.homemakerbarbi.com/
One of the hardest mealtime struggles for moms, especially with younger kids, is green vegetables. Full of vitamins B and C, as well as minerals, veggies like broccoli, peas, and leafy greens are no doubt good for you. How can you convince kids they're just plain good?

1. Try serving raw, especially for leafys. My son loves to eat salad, especially with a yogurt dressing. I let him dip the leaves for added dinner fun.
2. If you're cooking things like broccoli, try just steaming lightly, as a bonus more of the nutrition is retained this way.
3. Try adding them to favorite dishes, like peas in a chicken soup, or a white pizza with spinach or broccoli.
4. Give it time, it can take 3,4, (or 10!) times before a child will learn to love something new.
5. If all else fails, try hide-and-don't seek: tiny dices of broccoli or spinach can go in lasagna, meatloaf or hamburgers. Or blender up cooked peas (think homeade baby food) and add it pretty much anywhere.

Hopefully this gives you some inspiration for making kid-approved meals with the least kid-friendly of ingredients. Leave a comment, or tell me how you get your kids to eat their veggies.

Look back later for Friday meal planning.