Squeezing in (or blending, mashing, hiding) our Veggies

I'm on a mission to get more veggies into my family's diet. My oldest eats most pretty well...save squash or peppers. My 15 month old, however, pokes at and smashes peas and carrots with his chubby little finger like I've served him worms! Fresh, canned, or frozen: doesn't matter. I keep serving a required vegetable and sometimes he'll eat it...sometimes he won't even eat mashed potatoes! Since he's allergic to milk, the doctor suggested I serve him plenty of high fat foods- like avacado- Hah! You should see how he pokes at that green slimey goodness!

The rest of us don't eat many vegetables outside of dinner either, because we prefer cooked to raw and that takes time. So, I'm researching practical ways to get more veggies in. (The fact that I'm pregant with our third child makes it even more important...Can I eat peanut butter toast all day and just take my prenatal!?!)

Smoothies: Our saving grace! I started making smoothies for the boys and my after school/ afternoon snack. I've been playing with different mixtures, but I've found that fresh spinach and carrots are good add-ins to the usual fruit cocktails. The spinach can make it an unappealing color if it's not balanced with brighter fruits, like dark berries. Although , I served a bright green smoothie and called it "The Hulk Smoothie" and my 6 year old gulped it down ;).  I've also found that a scoop of sherbert sweetens up the smoothies and makes them really creamy! Sometimes I add in soy yogurt instead.

The Hulk Smoothie:
1 can pineapple and juice
1 large banana in chunks
2 large handfuls fresh spinach (stems and all) torn into smaller sections
1 cup ice
1 scoop orange sherbert
1 cup cold water if needed for consitency (or milk/ soymilk)
*Makes 3-4 small glasses

My latest experiment was More-Veggie Spaghetti sauce- attempting to get in some less-than-kid-favorite vegetables. It tasted like veggie lasagna! Yummy!

Chop and cook 1 squash, 1 zucchini, 1 bell pepper, and 1/4 onion in a skillet with a little cooking spray until tender.

Put them into blender with 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce. Blend until smooth.

Pour back into skillet and stir in other 1/2 of jarred sauce.

Add seasoning to your liking. I added basil, salt, pepper, and garlic.

Serve with spaghetti noodles and lots of grated Italian cheese. Delicious!

I've also been adding more veggies to my sandwiches at lunch...Cucumber and avacado are my current faves.