Do protein and greens have a connection? How many veggies should your kids eat each day? And what are the high-protein green vegetables? You will find answers to all of these questions right here. First, most kids hate vegetables. Second, even if they eat a few veggies, they still like fried meat more. Most others want to have fast food in all three meals every day. Well, not only is this an unhealthy eating habit but also creates a bad personality. If you have a kid who refuses to take a bite of anything green, one thing you can do is to come up with different recipes and ways to make them eat leafy greens protein.
15 Tips And Recipes To Feed Your Kids Protein And Greens
These tips, recipes, cooking methods, and mealtime tricks will turn your kids and the whole family into veggie lovers. Try these ways to make protein and greens more fun for your kids.
1. Mix Veggies In Their Favorite Meals
Try adding some vegetables to their favorite dish, the one they would want to eat even with a full stomach. Vegetables are so versatile that you can use them in various ways. You can add and mix zucchini noodles in the pasta, use veggies as fries with sauce, or use cheesy mashed potatoes with the burger they want to eat. This way you will be one step closer to making your kids familiar with vegetables. They might find their favorite vegetable while trying different dishes.
2. Put Some Effort Into Presentation
There is a popular adage among the chefs “You eat with your eyes first.” This is a fact, true for adults and kids alike. Foods that look unappetizing, bland, oddly shaped, or discolored are left untouched. Vegetables must look more appetizing to kids than fast food and sweets. This is a difficult task but you know your kid better. They will try different shapes and colors out of curiosity and eventually eat more vegetables.
3. Be Sneaky With Veggies
Most kids start eating vegetables once they taste them and find them delicious. But the first and foremost thing is to let them have a taste which they are not willing to do. Be sneaky and shred some vegetables in the pasta they eat heartily. Make chicken soup with vegetables. Put tiny diced toppings over the pizza under cheese.
Also Read: Your kids might hate some vegetables with more health benefits than you think. So, you have to ensure they like getting some of the green leafy protein.
4. Make Delicious Protein And Greens Smoothies
Kids like sweets and sweet drinks. You can try making a smoothie that tastes delicious and has every health benefit that your kids need. You can add spinach for protein without making it noticeable. Kids will enjoy their banana or blueberry smoothie with spinach or kale as high protein green vegetables and enjoy.
5. Try Cooking In Different Ways
Blanch or fry the vegetables, roast them, bake sometimes with steak, steam in dumplings, or sauté for a dip in the sauce. You can experiment with a lot of ways to find out which one your kids like better. Don’t allow them to get bored of any one way. They will eat some vegetables every other day if not always.
6. Combine Their Favorite Flavors
You can modify the usual cheese sauce that your kids like to eat. For example, the hummus can have carrots and ranch to make it extra flavorful without a noticeable difference. They will get that extra veggie punch in their food. You can add roasted beans or veggies in the taco filling, or spaghetti with blanched green vegetables.
7. Make Kale Pesto Pizza Rolls
Kale is packed with healthy vegetable proteins. You can make the kids’ favorite thing and still include kale, spinach, or other high-protein green vegetables. You can make these kale pesto pizza rolls and store them in the freezer for an easy and quick dinner option, especially when your kids don’t want to have the usual meals. You can add bok choy as well because the protein in bok choy is also a rich protein source.
8. Introduce And Re-Introduce Protein And Greens
Make sure that you are reintroducing the same vegetables in different ways. If your kids don’t like veggie stir fry you can add some meat in it, or you can stir fry with pasta so they’ll love to eat the vegetables. Make edamame sushi at home just like the one you eat at a sushi restaurant. Your kids will enjoy the experience.
9. Try Blueberry Frozen Yogurt Pops With Spinach
Hide the veggies in different delicious flavors. You can make blueberry pops and add spinach which blends well with the tangy flavor of blueberry. Use a high-power blender, add a cup of spinach, with a cup of blueberry, and a cup of yogurt then blend for a minute or so. Freeze them overnight in a cone-shaped container. Healthy protein and greens snacks for your kids are ready.
10. Try It With Interesting Sauces
Spice it up with some interesting sauces. Kids enjoy the experience of experimenting with the flavors of different sauces. They can dip the veggies and other food in flavorful sauces and enjoy their meals heartily. For the dips and sauces option, you can make hummus, nut butter, guacamole, fruit salsa, or ranch dip. All of these dips are healthy as well.
11. A Little Cheese With Greens Is Fun
Kids hate it when you always reinforce eating vegetables on them. Try making it fun for the kids by adding some cheese to the veggie stir fry. Or you can make a cheesy vegetable pasta or spaghetti. A little cheese does not harm. It will encourage kids to try the different vegetables themselves.
12. Make Delicious Kale Dishes
Kale protein is a rich source of protein in green vegetables. You can make kale in different ways and let your kids try them. They will like at least one dish more than the others. You can introduce their favorite flavors in cheesy kale bites, kale air-fried chips, or other dishes. You can even make kale pesto to go with pizza instead of pizza sauce or pasta.
13. Egg Muffins With Spinach Is A Dessert
Egg muffins with spinach are one of the various ways to make muffins healthy. You can add greens with most protein in a dessert and hide the flavors keeping the nutrition value intact. The little eaters will have no problem eating this bite-size muffin while playing or doing some other activities. Make sure to grease the pan well because egg muffins stick to the tray.
14. Let Them Choose Veggie Toppings For Pizza
Most kids are willing to try and make their food. Involve them in the experience of choosing their favorite ingredients for any dish. For instance, if they want to add some extra cheese to pizza, make a deal with them to add one vegetable of your choice. You can get your kids to like some vegetables if you try this way.
15. Involve Them In The Process Of Creating A Dish
Or instead, let them get involved in the process of creating the dish themselves. Kids are more eager to make their creations. Let them help you with the cooking. For younger kids, let them peel the peas for you, and for older ones, allow them to stir and cut the veggies. This will excite them to try the food they made themselves.
It is always a struggle for women when it comes to getting their favorite vegetable dishes on the family table. Kids and adults shy away from the greens and protein diet. And kids get stubborn to even take a bite of it. Whether your kids are young or old, it is never too late to try and change their habits of refusing protein and greens. The above tips and recipes are the best help you can get to make kids like eating their leafy green protein.
Also Read: Eating foods that boost your immunity not only maintain your health but will keep diseases away as you age.
