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5 funky ways to get your child to eat green veg!

Green veg to a child can be like garlic to a vampire! 

The reaction you get can make you want to avoid serving them altogether. Well these five ideas are all great to serve as “mini-starters” and entice your child to eat greenery of their own accord. (Laughing your head off at the very idea that this would ever happen?! Then read Have you tried the “mini-starter” trick? to find out why mini-starters work and exactly how to use them!)

#1 Freezy peas

WHAT? Still-frozen peas

HOW? Grab a small handful from the freezer and serve immediately in a tiny dish or egg-cup

FUNKY FACTOR? Cold and tingly on the tongue, then melt in the mouth

#2 Poppy beans

WHAT? Edamame (Japanese soy beans) in their pods available from the freezer section of Sainsburys, Waitrose and oriental supermarkets

HOW? Boil for 5 minutes straight from frozen. Sprinkle with a smattering of salt if your child is old enough for extra salt

FUNKY FACTOR? They’re super-fun and satisfying to squeeze out of their pods (much more so than peas in their pods). Children can’t resist interacting with them!

#3 Green crisps

WHAT? Curly kale turned into ‘crisps’ in the oven

HOW? Spread the kale out in one layer in a large baking tray, removing any big stalks. Massage in olive oil with your fingers (or ask your child if they fancy doing it!) and put in the oven for 10 minutes or so minutes until crispy, tossing and turning them over once. Gas 6/200°C/Fan 180°

FUNKY FACTOR? They’re super-crispy!

#4 Dippy strips

WHAT? Iceberg lettuce or White cabbage served with a dipping sauce

HOW? Slice a very small portion into thin strips and serve the cabbage with soy sauce (great combo!) and the lettuce with satay, mild sweet chilli or any other sauce – even ketchup! (No rules about food combos here!)

FUNKY FACTOR? Kids love dipping!

#5 Minty leaves

WHAT? Pea shoots with a mint sauce & yoghurt dressing

HOW? Take a handful of pea shoots. Get your child to make a really simple but tasty dressing by mixing mint sauce and plain yoghurt, plus a bit of water to thin it down a bit. Then let them put it on top of the pea shoots themselves.

FUNKY FACTOR? Sweet and minty – and it’s super-easy and fun for even a two year old to mix up this dressing. Kids are more likely to eat something they made by themselves and feel ‘ownership’ of!

For lots more advice on how to get your child to eat vegetables, see How the #$%@&! do I get my child to eat vegetables?