Sneaky Veggies

Caleb has always been an excellent eater -- between 9 and 12 months he gained 6lbs. Seriously he's always loved food! And he wasn't picky --  he would eat almost anything, including vegetables. So, of course, I was all "yea this is why I made all his baby food; its supposed to help him be more open to things like vegetables...awesome job me!" Annnd then as he hit 2 yrs he started getting picky. Most of the time he is still a pretty good eater, but we have had some epic battles at meals. During The Oatmeal Standoff of 2013 we stared at each other for 2.5 hours before he finally took the required ONE BITE of oatmeal. The ridiculous part is that most of the things he doesn't want to eat are things I know he likes and has eaten many times before. In the Chicken Cheese Soup battle of 2014 once Garrett finally got him to eat one bite, he finished the whole bowl. So, we know that most of his refusal to eat certain things is really just his stubborn little sin nature coming out :) Because of that, I've always been kind of resistant to the whole hiding vegetables in another recipe kind of thing -- like putting carrots or zucchini in pancakes. It seems like he should just learn to eat them. And he does have to eat veggies at every meal. But spinach and carrots, for example, he just will not eat, and I get that. I HATED carrots as a kid, but I like them now. SO lately I have been making a ton of recipes with somewhat hidden veggies. And they are delicious! Caleb's favorite, I think, are chicken nuggets. Mikey D's nuggets are a typical kid favorite, but I really don't want to know what's in them! These that I found on pinterest not only have no additives and processed junk in them, but they also have spinach and carrots IN them!

Toddler Chicken Nuggets
I make a batch of these, freeze them, and pull some out for lunch. Caleb will eat about 6 in a sitting, which is definitely a serving of veggies.

One of Caleb's favorite activities is "helping" mommy bake. Actually, lately, its been Henna helping too (which means Caleb holds Henna's paw on the measuring cup as we all three pour something in...it does take awhile...). So my good friend gave me a list of recipes for muffins with "hidden" veggies -- AND they are very healthy too! These that have applesauce in them taste like apple streusel muffins

These are whole wheat but the shredded carrots make them really moist -- delicious!

And a batch of these muffins lasts about a week -- good for snacks too!

Of course, Caleb by no means always eats healthy...its all about moderation right???