At Top Meal, one of the most common mealtime struggles we hear about from parents and teachers is getting children to eat their vegetables.
It can be difficult to excite children, and – let’s be honest, even some adults – about eating vegetables. Sometimes they can come across as bland, or a new texture, or strong unfamiliar flavour.
There are many great ways to make veggies more enticing, such as offering them with dips – which is also a great way to sneak in some extra protein, roasting them with herbs and spices, pan frying them in sauces, and more.
At Top Meal one of the ways that we have found most successful in getting children to consume their vegetables is to hide it in some of their favourite meals.
Some that we utilize at Top Meal are:
- Shredding zucchini and carrots to add to our baked goods for extra moisture and nutrients
- Mincing mushrooms, peppers, carrots, onions and other vegetables to mix into our ground meat items.
- Blending vegetables into smoothies and soups
However, we have found the most success in adding that extra boost of fibre, protein, vegetables, nutrients and vitamins through our home-made Veggie Loaded Protein Stock.
Traditionally, a vegetable stock is made of a mirepoix – which is carrots, celery, and onion, with herbs and spices. Those are boiled with water, then the vegetables/herbs & spices are removed, and the remaining liquid is a delicious flavoured broth that serves as a wonderful base for soups and sauces. However, at Top Meal we do our vegetables stocks a little differently.
We also use carrot, onion, and celery, but we also add fibre rich beans or legumes, and add any extra vegetables we have on hand. First, we roast all the vegetables with a delicious combination of mood and immune boosting herbs and spices, and then we soften the vegetables and legumes further by boiling them in water. Then instead of draining the broth, we blend everything together so the children still get the benefits of the fibre and all the nutrients from the vegetables and beans or legumes.
This becomes a thick, flavourful, and rich stock. We use this as the base in our soups, pasta sauces, and more. With this base to our recipes even the pickiest children still get their vitamins.
It is important to note that while hiding vegetables in items that we know children love, is a great way to get them to consume their daily recommended number of fruits and vegetables, it is also equally important to offer them vegetables in their whole form so children can learn to associate vegetables in positive ways and have the opportunity to try them in different ways. Because of this Top Meal always includes whole vegetables either on the side or mixed into the meals where we also have hidden vegetables and fruits, that way even if children avoid the whole vegetables, they are still getting some additional nutrients, but they have the opportunity to try new or familiar vegetables in different forms, in ways that they may learn to love them.
Our Veggie Loaded Protein Stock is one of the many ways Top Meal goes above and beyond to ensure the children we serve consume their daily vitamins and minerals. What about you, would you try this at home, and see if your children notice or enjoy it?
If you would like to learn more about Top Meal’s services and what we can do for your daycares or schools, you can connect with us at [email protected].
