Tags: Healthy Kids Hidden Veggies Honesty Zone Little Foodies Pasta People Weekday Meals
Liev has finally started his picky eater phase. I’m talking about the boy who was eating seared scallops and beet/celery root puree at eighteen months. Don’t get me wrong, he’s always had his preferences and his dislikes. For example, he’s never liked corn tortillas, mashed potatoes, green beans or any leafy greens. But now he’s even shunning things like broccoli, steamed rice, blueberries—all of which he previously loved.
Adrian tells me it’s karma because I’m always bragging about how well he eats…*rolling eyes* I actually thought it was Silas’s doing. Silas has always been a little more difficult. He’s stubborn and not adventurous when it comes to food. Friends praise him as a good eater too, but not as good as his brother was at that age. So, I thought maybe Liev was/is subconsciously being influenced by his brother. But that might not be it either because Silas’s eating has been improving lately…he’s eating things Liev is now shunning.
When I brought it up with our pediatrician, she laughed and assured me it was perfectly normal. Apparently, kids start to test their controls at this age. They start to realize that mom and dad dictate their entire lives, so they begin to fight for whatever control they can get their grubby little hands on. Most commonly they try to enforce this control over foods they eat. It’s the one place they can gain a small amount of control. She warned us that particularly stubborn children would make this phase really difficult…it was better to just relinquish control a little until the phase passed. Relinquish control? Yeah THAT sounds like me *rolling eyes*.
No way! It was time for this mama to regroup and make a plan of attack! *smears battle paint on face*
So, this adorable little monster decided to test ME on control and just who could be more stubborn?! Oh man…he had no idea who he was dealing with. I invented “stubborn toddler” just ask Grana and Papa!! Alright, if he wasn’t going to willingly eat healthy, I’d SNEAK it in.
His favorite food is noodles…any kind of noodles—Italian, Chinese, Korean, Thai. He’ll eat it ALL. I figured a marinara would be a great start. I make marinara and Bolognese sauce regularly and Liev loves both. I decided to add veggies to my marinara recipe, but pulse them in the food processor until they were small enough to give the marinara a meat sauce texture without actually adding meat. It worked.
I chopped up carrots, celery and zucchini, threw them into the food processor, and pulsed them until they were very small. Then I cooked them down until they were semi-soft. I cooked some pasta and served it with the sneaky marinara. We sat down, said grace, and dived in. Liev licked the bowl clean!! We had a winner!!
I don’t know how long this phase will last, but I’m already planning out more hidden-veggie meals for my little dude all based on his favorite foods—hidden veggie meatballs, hidden veggie dumplings, hidden veggie mac-n-cheese, hidden veggie muffins, hidden veggie quesadillas, hidden veggie pizza sauce…you get the point.
HIDDEN VEGGIE MARINARA
**I make a large batch so that I can freeze some. Feel free to cut the recipe in half if you’re not looking to freeze a portion. It does freeze really well though, so I’d consider making a large batch…you can never go wrong with marinara in the freezer—with store-bought raviolis for a quick meal or with meatballs, sliced mozzarella, and good bread rolls for meatball subs.
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup white wine
- 2 28oz. cans crushed tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- Fresh basil, chopped
Put the carrots, celery, zucchini and onion in a food processor and pulse until very small (alternately dice vegetables until very small). Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large heavy bottom pot over medium/high heat. Add the vegetables and garlic and sauté until veggies are soft—about 7 minutes. Pour in the wine and let cook down until ¾ reduced. Add crushed tomatoes, and bay leaves, reduce heat and let sauce simmer for at least an hour (the longer it cooks, the better it tastes). Add basil and simmer an additional 10-15 minutes. Serve and try not to smirk as your little ones gobble it up.
