Tricking your family to eat healthy

As a Mom we all do what we can to see that our kids get enough fruits and vegetables, and many times they fight us.  And so, the war begins.  But let’s face it; a young child cannot outwit us sneaky adults.  And so, the deception begins….  We grind up the vegetables and add it to the food so they don’t realize they are eating it.  How many dishes can you make without anyone ever seeing the hidden vegetables?  Yes, we Moms are sneaky…

Can you guess what's in the sauce?

My recipe for pasta has probably changed more than any other dish that I make in an effort to make a healthy meal without resistance.   I first began hiding my vegetables in my pasta sauce.  I knew I could put mushrooms, onions, peppers, and even carrots if I pureed the vegetables enough. 

Soon, the sauce became a meat sauce because you could “hide” so much more in a meat sauce.   But how could I serve them all that red meat?  Not on my watch!  So I began mixing half ground beef with half ground turkey, and they never noticed the change.  I gradually faded out the beef, because who would notice it with all of the wonderful flavors of the vegetables? 

Next was the pasta issue.  I wanted to switch to whole wheat, and of course, the family resisted.  So I did the half and half measure again.  When I mixed the whole wheat pasta with the traditional pasta and served it with the white meat sauce filled with vegetables, they were content.  They never really noticed when the traditional pasta was gone and the whole dish was whole wheat.

There are times when I will substitute the meat with meat substitutes, but no one seems to care anymore.  My children are older and understand the benefits of eating healthy, but I find it a little funny when they ask if there is any meat in the meat sauce. 

What about you? What have you done to help your family eat healthy meals? 

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