5 tips to make vegetables eat small
Do you eat vegetables for your child is a real ordeal? Do not panic ! Love vegetables, that can be learned. Editus.lu gives you some tips to make swallowing broccoli, beans, carrots, etc., at your fingertips. ... And give you a chocolate cake recipe made from ... zucchini!
An aesthetic presentation
To make children eat vegetables , sometimes you have to compete with ingenuity ... Because after all, do not we say that we also eat with the eyes?
To give the little ones the desire to touch their plate, take care of the presentation: offer fresh vegetables cut in different forms, make imaginative plates and referring to things they know, choose colors.
The more the plate will smile, the more the child will want to touch it. Even if the preparation is longer, it is probably worth it.
Camouflage the vegetables
To make vegetables swallow to the youngest, camouflage can also be an option. Soups and purées, in which several vegetables are mixed, can seduce the most refractory. Just like homemade vegetable chips, healthier than those found in stores .
Also think of mixing meat with vegetables. Behind the stoves you can prepare chicken nuggets with baby vegetables, or chopped steaks with tomato pieces.
Cook with the child
To sharpen the curiosity of the little ones, it is necessary to involve them in the preparation of the meal. So, before you even go to the kitchen, take your child with you to the market or the primeur to help you choose the vegetables you eat.
Back home, apron on, give him small tasks: peel carrots with a peeler, cut a tomato (with a not too sharp knife), shell the peas, etc.
If the child intervenes in the making of the dishes, it will take all the more pleasure to savor them.
Lead by example
Many studies confirm that a child will want to taste a vegetable if he sees other people doing the same. So, even if cauliflower is not your favorite vegetable, eat it if your child has it on his plate. Seeing that what you consume is good for you, he will want to do the same.
Other studies show that mom's behavior, before birth, also counts. If the expectant mother consumes a lot of vegetables during her pregnancy, the child will be more inclined to eat them.
Do not put pressure on him
If the child must of course taste what is on his plate, it is not necessary to get upset or force him to finish it if he does not like it. By adopting this behavior, he will not assimilate the vegetables to a punishment, and will have more desire to touch it at a next meal.
To make him love a vegetable, you can also offer him a small amount, then increase the dose gradually. By becoming accustomed to the color, smell and taste of a vegetable, he will appreciate it more and more.
The recipe: chocolate cake with zucchini
As tempting as a real chocolate cake, butter less. For a succulent dessert or snack, try this recipe!
Ingredients (for 8 people)
200 gr. dark chocolate
3 eggs
90 gr. white sugar
100 gr. of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 zucchini (200 gr peeled)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.
In a bowl, whisk the eggs with the sugar, until a frothy mixture is obtained.
Wash, peel and grate the zucchini. Add all to melted chocolate.
Add the flour and yeast to the mixture. Mix until the dough is smooth and even.
Pour the mixture into a mold. Put in the oven for 25 minutes.
Let cool, unmold ... and enjoy!