Five Easy Dips to Get Kids to Eat Veggies!

Dip it! Dunk it! Eat it! Munch it!

Most kids go through eating phases (can 2 to 30 years old be a phase??) where they just do not want to eat veggies.  Be it a taste issue, texture issue, or just newfound autonomy many kids say ‘no thanks’.

I think I am lucky.  My girls are eaters.  They will eat pretty much any vegetable or food I put in front of them.

I pay for it with my son.  I am telling you, the boy is suspect of anything that is not a meatball or PB&J.  His no-veggie preference has been around since he was eating finger foods.  When I was feeding him baby food he was great, ate it all.  Once we got to finger foods and self-feeding he capitalized on that freedom to express dislike on many foods.  Once I even saw him segregate the green goldfish from the other rainbow goldfish on his highchair at about 15 months!

Here are a few of my tricks strategies for getting vegtables in the kids:

1)   I sometimes serve dips and veggies while dinner is still cooking (and the kids are ravenous)and if I serve it on the counter in the kitchen it adds novelty of eating not at the table.

2)   I always put the same vegetables on his plate as on our plates.  If for no other reason,  just so he sees them as a regular part of meals.

3)   I will hide vegetables in food when I can/think of it/have time. Like: sweet potato “ice-cubes” (baked mashed sweet potato frozen in small snack size ziplock bags or ice cube trays) that I add to smoothies.

4)   I will ask him to try one bite, I will give him incentive occasionally, I will inform him on why they are good for him, but I will not force.

Okay, here are five dips I make to get the kids into eating thier veggies:

Ranch Dip-

1 container of low fat sour cream or 2 cups low fat plain yogurt (Greek yogurt is perfect for this)

1 package of Ranch dip mix

Plunk in a bowl and mix. Done.

“Green dippy” Guacamole

3-4 ripe avocados

1 finely chopped seeded tomato

½ cup finely chopped red onion

½ cup chopped cilantro

Juice of one lime

Salt to taste

Place peeled and seeded avocados in a bowl and mash with a fork to keep it chunky then stir in all the other chopped ingredients.  Important note:  You can make this in a food processor (it will be much smoother) but do NOT process with the onions the onions will become too strong in flavor, fold onions in last with a spoon or fork.

Corn and Black Bean Salsa

You can add or omit according to what you have on hand.

3-4 fresh green chilies (these are mild but full of flavor)

4-6 ripe tomatoes

½ red onion chopped fine

½ cup chopped cilantro

1 can drained and rinsed black beans

1 can summer crisp sweet corn (or you can use frozen)

Juice of one lime

1 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper to taste

Option: add chunks of avacado, add 1-2 chopped jalepenos

Chop and drop into a bowl, add seasonings to taste. 

Serve with chips or pita bread triangles.

Cheddar Cheese Dip

3 teaspoons butter

2-3 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

3-4 cups shredded cheese (this can be any combination of cheeses you wish)

½ teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by gently melting butter in a non-stick pot.  Add flour to butter and gently cook till all flour is aborbed into the butter (about one minute) stiring with a wooden or silicone spoon (this makes a roux).  Add the milk slowly while incorporating the roux (you can use a wisk if it is too lumpy).  Bring the mixture to a low boil (it will thicken once it boils) and then add cheese.  Mixture should be a stringy cheesy mass that pulls away from the sides some.  If it is too loose you can add more cheese.

Options: stir in a couple tablespoons of cream cheese or parmesan cheese for a little different taste.

Serve with sliced vegatbles.  Peppers, celery, carrots, sugar snap peas, broccoli , cauliflower or even sliced granny smith apples are great.   You can par-boil or steam cauliflower, broccoli, even carrots if you prefer over raw.

Orange Juice Dip for Fruit

8 0z Cream Cheese

½ cup orange juice (if using fresh juice you can add 1 tblspoon of orange zest)

2 tablespoons honey

Blend in a food processor or with a wooden spoon (using softened cream cheese makes it easy) and serve with sliced fruits.

Do you have an easy and yummy dip that you can share with us?

Happy Crunching!

-Amanda