those sneaky veggies

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elfling's gorgeous 'new' utensils from this etsy shop!

thehobbit has never been finicky when it came to food. on the contrary, he was quite adventuresome from the start. i realize how lucky i am in this. however, elfling? he is an all together different kettle of fish. whilst i would not say he has serious food issues (he will try just about anything he sees us eating), he does have a stubborn streak. if he is not in the mood for xyz, which is more often of late, he will just not eat it. not that big a deal, as for the most part he is a healthy eater. but on days when he wants white rice, & only white rice? well, i've had to get sneaky. i thought i'd share a few sneaks with you.

to his rice i add:

* a sprinkling of nutritional yeast flakes. 

* a pinch of garlic powder. 

& either

* shredded zucchini (to the rice cooker, before turning it on)

or

* steamed, mashed cauliflower (added after cooking)

neither veggie is noticeable once the butter & yeast flakes are added, so he thinks he's getting just rice. i do add a pinch of salt & pepper, by the way, but he doesn't seem to mind the flavor. occasionally i'll add crumbled feta, though that's not really a sneak, as he's always in the mood for cheese.

both shredded zucchini & mashed cauliflower are excellent sneaks into mac 'n' cheese, by the way.

i've also had success with the following sneaks:

* into marinara: steamed (mashed) carrots, shredded zucchini, mushrooms pulverized in the food processor

* into mashed potatoes: steamed (mashed) cauliflower, shredded zucchini, finely shredded (sauteed) cabbage

things he loves, so i don't have to sneak:

* onto bread & butter: a thin layer of hummus

* he will eat scrambled eggs with anything added, so i have added most of the above at least once.

* ditto the last one, with baked sweet potatoes.

i doubt i am the only mama who has resorted to sneaking in veggies & other healthy things. i merely thought sharing what i have done might possibly help someone who has yet to think of doing such. the plus to all of this? the rest of us are eating more veggies. in fact, i now find white rice to be too plain without a steamed veg snuck in. & yes, i know we should be eating brown rice. manlyman & thehobbit do, & prefer it. elfling still has trouble with chewing though, so prefers the mushier white. personally, i think brown rice tastes foul.

hopefully i have helped at least one mama who is faced with food struggles. if you have had success at sneaking, post your tips in the comments! 

~peace. 

ps :: we are vegetarian, so making sure he gets things like hummus (protein), & nutritional yeast (b12) are important.