Ask a bunch of parents about how to get secret goodness into children’s meals and you get not only recipes and cooking tips. You also get down-to-earth strategies and philosophies that go way beyond the kitchen.
At our Twitter party Thursday, sponsored by Kingsmill to announce their new Seeded range, the tweets were flying thick and fast. The hashtag #secretgoodness trended in the UK!
Some bloggers even used the party as inspiration for posts as well. Angels&Urchins wrote about foodie strategies she uses. Mummysquared has a great picture of her little one trying loads of food. (Awww.) If you wrote about it, let us know!
Register for Kingsmill news and offers, and see food writer Jo Pratt's recipe for a Chicken Delight sandwich.
- @Mandi112: Getting kids involved in the food preparation process helps a lot. Young'un cooks & eats much better than most secretgoodness
- @liveotherwise: lead the way - all the family eats fruit at every meal. If your kids see you doing it, they are more likely to.
- @mydaddycooks: there is nothing wrong with pizzas, fish and chips etc. Full of great ingredients! <<esp if home made
- @grumpyishmum: I added blue food colouring to mash and told 3yo it was magic. Loved it. << cool idea!
- @ilovemealplans: Whiz up vegetables in the food processor and add to a tomato sauce for pasta, my little boy loves this
- @nixdminx: oooops sorry I'm a little late but smoothies always work & you can hide everything in lasagne....well, not quite everything
- @SewRecycled: RT @reddskingyal: I cut or peel fruit & present it as snack in a cute china bowl to my 15 year old! She laughs but she loves the attention!
- @MummyBloggers once a week we have a picnic in the living room with lots of nibbles and at least one new food #blw
- @cosmicgirlie: If your kid is a fussy eater and wants to spend hours poking at their food, LET THEM. It's them getting used to foods.
- @RainpiXie: We do all 3 here(not at same time!) RT @B4kersgirl: Make mini pizzas out of naans, pittas or toast
- @Childcareisfun_: Homemade pizza~ Steamed Spinach leaves placed on top of pizza sauce but hidden under melted cheese... Worked so many times
- @lucycdavies: Get your child involved with the cooking. Mine will eat anything he's 'made'.
- @crumbsfood: they're expensive but edamame (soya) beans are perfect out and about snack. children enjoy podding them. super good for you.
- @kateab: Final thought. We do a great job feeding our kids, let's not knock it.
- @meetJoSmith: Do a sweet and sour! throw in mushrooms, tin tomatoes, pineapple, onion, peppers
- @StomaFreeBuddie: Mash potatoes and parsnips together for that hidden healthy veg, even my OH doesn't know I do it!
- @Snugglefeet03: Chop it all up! Cheese, celery, carrot, apple all in a bowl. My boys love finger food.
- @XCrossthePond: My 3 1/2 yo daughter helps me make dinner. If she helps, she loves to eat what I'm serving.
- @julesey10: Everything in moderation. Don't ban foods, it makes them crave them and in later life covet them.
- @kikicomp: Try a chart 4 foods my little one has it divided into yuck, yummy and ok and is v proud of herself when finds a new yum one
- @caroleheidi: Little one wants toast to dip in their fruit and custard? Let them, experimenting is good.
- @mummiafelice: Use after school as a time to tempt them with new foods. My lot are always starving!.
- @simply_hayley: Arrange playdates with friends around mealtimes. They will copy friends and eat new things on their plates
- @clairemaccy: Cook your veg like you're going to eat them - so in my case that means butter and salt, please!
- @Beckicklesie: Cook with your children. It sounds traumatic and often is but they soon learn and will often want to eat what they've cooked
- @DDsDiary: You can freeze bananas too and put a stick in and they are like banana ice cream!
- @SuperAmazingMum: Get a juicer and let them experiment with different colours/flavours ... beetroot and apple is a fave in our house!
- @kateab: Try introducing a food they don't like alongside one they love. Mine love pasta and will eat virtually anything with it.
- @KarenPJ: kids love putting veg and fruit on top of a pizza - sweetcorn's a fave along with a bit of pineapple
- @cherishedbyme: call everything baby, baby potatoes,baby tomatoes,baby corn...can help.
- @schoolgate: and make your own smoothies - much, much cheaper, just as delicious and seen as a treat, even though full of fruit!
- @kikicomp: courgette choclate cake is a winner no one wd ever guess it has veggies in it
- @missmamo: make a snack platter of veg, fruit, bread, cheese and dips for with a movie or gaming, it will be gone in no time
- @pinkyaks: Six small meals a day are often more smallperson-friendly than three large ones
- @V82CHRIS: My mums a school cook and she blends fruit and puts it in her sponge puddings>the kids never notice >TIP!
- @JayneHowarth: don't force them to clear their plates - it can cause problems!
- @DDsDiary: I'm with @EnglishMum on adding butternut squash to soups and sauces - lovely velvety texture and no giveaway lumps :)
- @cosmicgirlie: Struggling with cereal every morning? Mix it up. Throw in a bagel. Give them the cereal dry with a cup of milk.
- @that_kat: Don't let your approval rest on what food they eat, neutral all the way
- @MummyBloggers: RT @lauravMSK: Making brownies w/ apple puree instead of butter >>you can sub applesauce 4 butter in loads of recipes
- @kateisgreatyeh: whilst the weather is still cold make warming casseroles made with lots of yum veg
- @erica: 'Picky Plates' are a fave in our house. Carrot sticks, grapes, little sausages, strawberries, bread sticks, melon
- @liathughesjoshi: big up how grown-up a particular food is when introducing -kids like being 'grown-up' (hence adding 1/2s and 1/4s to age!)
- @jhowze We add interesting things 2 sandwiches: start with good bread, add apples into tuna sandwiches or cucumber w/ ham
- @melissatalago: beans on toast. bfast, lunch or dinner. has carbs, protein & 1 portion of veg.
- @Mum_TheMadHouse: All eat the same foods. Eating with your children gives them the best example possible
- @melissatalago: have a healthy snack drawer that they can choose from - yogurts, fruit, smoothies - the treat is helping themselves
- @JayneHowarth: as silly as it sounds, giving food silly names worked wonders with mine when they were tiny: salmon was "Barbie fish"
- @missielizzieb: I got mine involved with growing veggies. Much more inclined to eat them now
- @kateab: Try foods in different formats. My kids swore they didn't like peppers but if I make fajitas, they'll gobble them up. #secretgoodness
If you have any more tips, please leave them below.
