So, your kid won’t eat their greens. We know. Finding vegetables kids will eat is often a difficult task, if not an impossible one. That’s why we explained last week the psychological secret to getting kids to enjoy their veggies. Try it. It works. However, it definitely doesn’t hurt to know how to select the right veggies for picky eaters! After all, you can pack fruits and vegetables for preschoolers, but you can’t ever be sure they’re eating them.
Or can you? Might there be a way to select kid friendly veggies—veggies kids will eat for certain? According to the feedback we’ve received from HOPE fans who are parents, there are at least a few veggies kids like more than others. Taking this into account, we now have three factors that you can consider to make the most appealing lunches around… and to have your child happily chowing down:
- Use the Jedi Mind Trick we explained last week!
- Select the best vegetables for preschoolers (see below).
- Send a side of hummus to make tasty and healthy vegetable meals for toddlers.
With this approach, you’re preparing yourself—and your child!—for success. Let’s waste no more time, shall we? Check out our top veggie ideas for toddlers.
Snack Attack: The Best Vegetables for Toddlers
In our fans’ experience, the best vegetables for kids are the unique ones—tasty, healthy and fun. You can send them off with celery or broccoli, but don’t expect rave reviews… You want to focus on veggies that are easy to chew and swallow, and that have slightly milder flavors. To find the best veggies for picky eaters, a good rule of thumb is this: The vegetables toddlers will eat are the ones that taste good on their own.
What do we mean? Try a few of these amazing choices to turn your kiddos into herbivores, time-tested veggies that we’ve paired with complementary hummus selections to save you some work!
- Snap Peas and Snow Peas – These two selections, with their unique construction and sweet taste, are some of the easiest green vegetables for kids to eat. Whether they like crunching down on the whole pea pod, or they like to pry it open and eat each pea separately, kids love snap and snow peas.
HUMMUS SELECTION: Original Recipe, Jalapeño Cilantro
- Peeled Carrots – Of course, right? Carrots’ bright orange color and sweet flavor make it one of the most toddler friendly veggies. However, make sure you peel them first. Many children don’t like the slightly more bitter flavor of the peel.
HUMMUS SELECTION: Original Recipe, Buffalo Bleu, Spicy Avocado
- Jicama – One of the best vegetables for picky toddlers, jicama has a mild, slightly sweet taste and a watery crunch that everyone finds fun. Plus, the mild flavor means that it blends well with whatever hummus your kid loves! Here are our favorites.
HUMMUS SELECTION: Kale Pesto, Thai Coconut Curry
- English Cucumber – Thinner, less watery, and less seedy than its American counterpart, the English cucumber makes a unique veggie stick, and it’s one of the healthy vegetables for toddlers too. Don’t peel all the skin off, however. Leave a couple thin stripes of skin for visual fun, nutrients, and flavor.
HUMMUS SELECTION: Original Recipe, Black Garlic
- Green Beans – Another favorite among the green vegetables for toddlers. Thin, crunchy, and slightly sweet, raw green beans are some of the most fun and tasty green vegetables for toddlers. You can’t overlook a little entertainment value when considering kid friendly veggies.
HUMMUS SELECTION: Red Pepper, Original Recipe
You may have noticed that Original Recipe was one of our favorite hummus flavors to pair with our vegetable ideas for kids. That’s because it’s usually the favorite! Obviously there are plenty of hummus recipes that you can use to create fun and innovative veggie dishes for toddlers, but you can’t go wrong with a container of Original Recipe.
Obviously the right fruits and veggies for kids will help their growing bodies. We want them chomping on a carrot stick instead of a Twinkie. And that’s where you, as a parent, have the power to make a difference. By helping them think of healthy food differently, selecting the best fruits and veggies for toddlers, and pairing it with tasty hummus, you can have your veggie stick and eat it too.
As always, cheers and happy eating!
