Vegetable Dishes for Kids

Are your children refusing to eat their vegetables? Consider these helpful cooking tips to approach that problem in new ways:

• Puree vegetables and use them as nearly undetectable ingredients in dishes such as meatloaf, hamburgers and pasta sauce.
• Prepare a variety of vegetables in a variety of ways. You may just hit on the right combination your child will love.
• Let them dip vegetables such as raw carrots and broccoli into a healthy sauce, such as a light salad dressing that they find tasty.
• Set a good example. Eating healthy yourself may help encourage your young children to emulate you. If they see mommy or daddy happily eating something, they may not think it’s so gross.
• Try having a little fun with food. Tell your child that broccoli are little trees, or arrange peas in a smiley face.
• Don’t give up. Kids may have to try something several times before they’re willing to eat it. Enforce a rule such as they need to take at least one bite of a vegetable or they can’t have dessert.
• Don’t force them to eat all of their vegetables. They’re only going to end up hating them and may lead to picky eating.

Spaghetti Squash Lasagna

Makes: 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 3 cups cooked roasted spaghetti squash
• 1 cup fat-free ricotta
• 6 tsp parmesan cheese
• 6 oz light shredded mozzarella

Preparation:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2) In four individual 5×7-inch oven-safe baking dishes, ladle ¼ cup marinara sauce on the bottom of each dish. Top each with ¾ cup of cooked spaghetti squash and spread evenly. Top with ¼ cup ricotta.

3) Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of grated parmesan cheese and .75 oz mozzarella on each. Add the remaining sauce, parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

4) Cover with foil and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the edges begin to bubble; uncover and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Nutrition Per Serving: 232 calories; 6g fat; 22g carbohydrates; 22g protein; 3.6g fiber; 260mg sodium

Healthy Green Bean Casserole

Serving Size: 6

Ingredients:

• 1 can (10 ¾ oz) fat-free cream of mushroom soup
• ½ cup skim milk
• Dash ground black pepper
• 4 cups cooked French cut green beans
• 1 1/3 cups French fried onions

Preparation:

1) Stir the soup, milk, black pepper, green beans and 2/3 cup French fried onions in a 1 ½-quart casserole dish.

2) Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the bean mixture is hot and bubbling. Stir the bean mixture.

3) Sprinkle with remaining onions.

4) Bake for 5 minutes or until the onions are golden brown.

Nutrition Per Serving: 130 calories; 6g fat; 18g carbohydrates; 4g protein; 6g fiber; 270mg sodium