Thursday, October 21, 2010

on getting your toddler to eat his vegetables

For nine glorious weeks this summer, our family was able to split a fresh delicious box of vegetables from a local CSA, Tierra Garden Organics.  The boxes were full of kale, spinach, lettuce, collard greens, kohlrabi, squash, potatoes, leeks, garlic and more... wow, just tons of good stuff.  I was forced to experiment cooking with quite a few things that I had only heard of, and some I hadn't even heard of (like kohlrabi).  Most of the experiments came out great (creamed collard greens, anyone?). 

I don't know about the rest of y'all parents, but it is a FIGHT to get Olaf to try things at dinner, especially weird looking veggies.  Sometimes we can coax one bite into him, which sometimes will make him gag and spit it back out, or cry.  It is not so awesome.  Even if he says he likes it, he usually maxes out at 2-3 bites. 

So here's my confession.  At least once a week, sometimes twice, he gets those boring, non-organic, kind of gross (to me) mixed veggies from the freezer.  Carrots, peas, corn and green beans.  Microwave with water in a small bowl, drain water, and squeeze a little ketchup on top.  And he will gobble an entire bowl of them!  I figured it is better that he is getting vegetables at all, rather than try to force tiny bites of those premium organic vegetables into every meal.  Right?  Right. 

3 comments:

gina said...

i am like Olaf. i'm taking his side on this one. ;) i try so hard to like veggies, but they make me gag and cry. or gag anyway. but, i can eat peas and corn. mostly, i get my vitamins from fruit. i love fruit!

Jenny Sorensen said...

Right!!! Veg is veg, even smothered in ketchup. Ingrid won't even eat those kind of vegetables, so chalk that one up as a victory!!

Ranelle said...

Yeah, the only 'vegetable' that I can get Jacob to eat is avocado, whcih is actually a fruit...but it is green right?...He won't eat the mixed veggies either :(