Winner Winner, Veggie Dinner

 

My mom was always a healthy eater and cook, so I grew up with delicious tasting vegetables. 6 out of the 6 kids are 0% picky, pretty good odds. I didn't really understand picky eating until I was nanny I realized that some kids just won't eat things and how limited their palate is to basically carbs, meat, and dairy. Then when I went to college I was surprised to realize that not very many people even liked vegetables or knew how to cook them. When my husband and I were dating I made him dinner and he had no idea what asparagus was and was surprised how delicious it was. I would like to self proclaim myself as his vegetable guru. He was introduced to a whole slew of veggies the he used to not like or eat.Vegetables are now always a part of our meals and everyday eating. We both were students full time and then we both worked full time and so I found ways to incorporate vegetables fast and easy into any meal.

 

Then comes in the little man. I feel like having him in our home and realizing that we controlled everything he ate and what food he was introduced to really picked up the notch on the veggie scale. He hated baby food from the beginning and would not touch a baby cereal for the life of him.

This literally was his face when we tried to get him to eat anything "baby" food and then he would weep

He would only eat what we ate. Which means if I wanted wholesome food for the baby then that was what was on our plate. Vegetables really became a part of every meal. We still eat "normal" per say - I make meat, pizzas, enchiladas, soups, etc. they are all just picked up a notch with a little added love =veggies.  Take a look around and found something that meets your families taste buds and give something new a try! Look for some tips on getting your family feeling and eating better and ways to get those kids introduced to Veggies.

For the love of...

So we have 6 girls in our family. All of us love vegetables. And I do mean LOVE. Not just tolerate. I think a day does not pass without some sort of text, conversation, or email chain with a  recipe modified to include more of this plant medicine. That's a pretty good win for my parents. For those of us with spouses and children, that's a slightly different story. My husband loathes most vegetables and when I met him had not consumed a single fruit (that was not in a Jamba Juice or in ice cream) for about 5 years. Major yikes factor. I think he had just enough OJ to keep him from being "that guy that made scurvy come back."

C'est moi. Illustrating my love of veg.

In any case, over the course of the 7ish years we've been married, Its become a slight obsession for me to make things that were "Collette-level" on the heath spectrum but "spouse approved for taste." No small feat for a man who has texture issues, is a self-diagnosed "super taster" (read as: can't tolerate cilantro...WHA????), and has had limited veg exposure. Side bar, I am a vegetarian (and we sister run a pretty wide range of semi-vegan, super strict, and flexitarian), so we will for sure have an entire blog post about plant-based protein-rich foods.

Then enter little D man (almost 2 now) into the picture. It was very important to me to get the best possible, nutrient-dense foods into this goober, and have him love them, and have a great example from both of his parents. BOTH of his parents. :)

Little D man eating my homemade garlic hummus with raw zucchini, snap peas, and baby portabellos. 

My posts will focus on the Collette tested, spouse and baby approved recipes that have become favorites. Spoiler alert, you can have veggies in pancakes, in cookies, and in yogurt!

Check back often for posts/new recipes from all of us contributing sistas. We will keep your palate engaged, your kids, spouses, friends, and family trying new things. Here are some more spoiler alerts for future posts. Now go veg out.

The importance of cooking with those kiddos...

Sweet potato kale "Pesto" za. 

High protein, veg-filled, flax "pancakes"

 Szechuan lo mein overloaded with veg...you're welcome in advance. 

Everyday Veggies

Vegetables. Most people have such a love hate relationship with this food group. We know it is good for us, we know we need them but a lot of times we have a hard time getting them on our plate, getting our families to eat them, and having them be a part of our everyday food.

All of us want our families to eat well, but some can't seem to get out of the "cream of soup casserole" meals that we all grew up with. Or we feel a little intimidated by the unheard of ingredients, long cooking times, or "out of our comfort zone" recipes that are out there...that all seemed to be geared toward some new age hip eating style. Veggies can be delicious, you can get your kids to eat them, and they can be a part of every meal without hassle. 

Simple, easy, delicious, and veggie-tastic meals. That is what we do.

*** Disclaimer we are real people. Pictures will most likely going to be taken quickly on a phone while we are prepping our real meal for our family or friends. Photos will not be staged, edited, or professional. You may even see a few little finger or toe photo bombs while kiddos cook with some of us daily.