How do you get the extra Veggies/fruit in?

[canwegosoon]

My children are 21BMI and I have been told by their DR. that I need to not have my boys not gain any weight this year(OK-whatever). But I am trying to have them eat better meals.

My new favorite trick is browning 1 Zuchinni, 1 box of fresh mushrooms, 1 large onion, a few tomatoes(2-3 small), and a green pepper. Then I blend it to a smooth consistancy add one can on tomato paste, and 1 jar of tomato sauce. This gives me 2 jars of "vegetable spagetti sauce"...kids never notice. I serve it with turkey meat balls and spagetti.

For fruit I make fruit parfiats with whipped cream(or sf/ff pudding), or fresh fruit available for snacks. Dr. says kids can only have desserts(or treats) 2 times per week.

Anyone else have some "subsitute" recipes or tips?
Thanks
Terri

 

[disykat]

I bought a grill pan recently and discovered that my kids actually like veggies that are grilled.

 

[piratesmate]

Just a thought about sugar-free & fat-free things:
Low-fat and Fat-free items are often higher in sugar than their full-fat counterparts. This is especially true for salad dressings...they need something to keep it from being watery I guess. Check the labels against the full-fat ones - you may or may not actually be saving calories.

As for sugar-free, there is a lot of thought that the artificial sweeteners (especially Splenda) actually make people gain weight. I didn't really believe it until more & more things were made with Splenda instead of the other sweeteners. I'm diabetic & use a lot of artificial sweeteners. For years I had difficulty losing weight (beyond the norm), but once Splenda became more prevalent I noticed that I was actually gaining weight...even when I cut more caloric intake even more. It's very frustrating.

I honestly don't have any actual suggestions for you. My kids always liked veggies, so I never had to sneak them in...although DD does prefer the starchy veggies like peas & corn. And we only have desserts here on holidays or other special occasions...I can't imagine having them once/week!

Good luck with this!

 

[canwegosoon]

As for sugar-free, there is a lot of thought that the artificial sweeteners (especially Splenda) actually make people gain weight. I didn't really believe it until more & more things were made with Splenda instead of the other sweeteners. I'm diabetic & use a lot of artificial sweeteners. For years I had difficulty losing weight (beyond the norm), but once Splenda became more prevalent I noticed that I was actually gaining weight...even when I cut more caloric intake even more. It's very frustrating.

I honestly don't have any actual suggestions for you. My kids always liked veggies, so I never had to sneak them in...although DD does prefer the starchy veggies like peas & corn. And we only have desserts here on holidays or other special occasions...I can't imagine having them once/week!

Good luck with this!

I did not know this about splenda...thanks. I have to use the pudding (SF/FF) to help get their calcium in since my children have inherited my inability to drink milk...and one does not like cheese.

Both love veggies, and one loves fruit while one is so-so about it. I am trying to get more F/V in to eliminate the carbs(starch) and the refined sugars.
My kids are great eaters...but it is hard to some up with new ideas.

 

[piratesmate]

Since your children love veggies, have you tried Spaghetti Squash? It's available in our grocery stores at this time of year. It's a big yellow thing. I used to bake it & then when you cut it in half you can use a fork to pull out the flesh. It comes out in strings, like pasta. When I had a garden we used this in place of regular pasta all summer.

Will they eat stir-fry? Most people will serve that over rice or Chinese noodles. But when I go to the Chinese buffet in town, I like to put my food on top of the stir-fried green beans instead. DD prefers that as well.

 

[canwegosoon]

Both great ideas...I will try them out. I know the other market in my town usually has Spagetti Squash, so I will try it out. My boys love Mexican stir fry...but I totally forgot about Chinese stir fry(and they love Green Beans). 2x's a week at school they get them for lunch.

 

[MazdaUK]

Are they good with fresh fruit? You could make up fruit skewers, or serve fruit with meringue (which is fat free - OK it has sugar, but a meringue nest is only 1/2 a WW point I think). Or if they're not so keen you could take them fruit picking - funny how kids will eat off the tree/bush but not out of a bowl. Have a look at WW recipes - they have lots of tasty things using veg and fruit. Quark is a virtually fat free soft cheese, and mixed with berries it tastes like a really fattening pudding but isn't. Bolognaise/shepherds pie can have veggies added - the trick is to brown the meat then put it into a sieve over a bowl to let the fat drain off
Tinned fruit is as good as fresh if you need variety/portability, as long as you get it in unsweetened juice instead of sugar.

If they like dips, how about cucumber, carrot and pepper sticks witha tomaot salsa?

 

[piratesmate]

Hmm....Mexican stir-fry? I never heard of that, but we do a lot of Mexican here. What do you put in it? Any actual recipe or do you just "wing it"?

 

[canwegosoon]

Hmm....Mexican stir-fry? I never heard of that, but we do a lot of Mexican here. What do you put in it? Any actual recipe or do you just "wing it"?

That's what I call the Frajita (sp) mix without the flour tortias....because it looks like a stir fry to me
I usually wing it-Beef or chicken, peppers(red/green), onions, cilantro, chili spice, and cumin.

 

[canwegosoon]

Are they good with fresh fruit? You could make up fruit skewers, or serve fruit with meringue (which is fat free - OK it has sugar, but a meringue nest is only 1/2 a WW point I think). Or if they're not so keen you could take them fruit picking - funny how kids will eat off the tree/bush but not out of a bowl. Have a look at WW recipes - they have lots of tasty things using veg and fruit. Quark is a virtually fat free soft cheese, and mixed with berries it tastes like a really fattening pudding but isn't. Bolognaise/shepherds pie can have veggies added - the trick is to brown the meat then put it into a sieve over a bowl to let the fat drain off
Tinned fruit is as good as fresh if you need variety/portability, as long as you get it in unsweetened juice instead of sugar.

If they like dips, how about cucumber, carrot and pepper sticks witha tomaot salsa?

Actually I made Pavalovas(sp) earlier this sprin...they didn't care for the meringe cups, but I was thinking the skewers are a good idea-just to dress it up. I try to avoid dips(since it is more calories-but I think I will look into a few-they like raw cucunbers, carrots, one like cherry tomatoes(I grow-along with the cucumbers). I have never heard of Quark...I will have to look for it.
I grow blueberries/peaches/tomatoes/cucumber/lettuces/peppers.
Thanks for the suggestions,
Terri

 

[piratesmate]

That's what I call the Frajita (sp) mix without the flour tortias....because it looks like a stir fry to me
I usually wing it-Beef or chicken, peppers(red/green), onions, cilantro, chili spice, and cumin.

You're right - I just never thought of it that way before. What do you serve it on/with if you don't put it in the tortilla? Rice? Or just one the plate? (Obviously rice is a carb...I'm just wondering if you use anything to "sop up" the juices.)

I realize dips can be an issue (we avoid them here also) but I'd think using salsa (esp homemade) wouldn't quite count as a dip...just another way of getting more veggies into them. Sometimes we'll use salsa as a salad dressing when we're having Mexican food, but want green salads on the side.

That reminds me of a recipe I have for a fruit salsa - we've used it as a dip for strawberries, pineapple, apple slices & even celery. We don't always make the 'cinnamon chips' portion of the recipe.

Apple salsa and cinnamon chips

Cinnamon Chips
4 flour tortillas – 7” size
1 Tbl granulated sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon

Salsa
2 granny smith apples, medium
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1 kiwi, peeled and chopped
1 orange, small
2 Tbl packed brown sugar**
2 Tbl apple jelly**

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly spray tortillas with water. Combine sugar & cinnamon; sprinkle over tortillas. Cut tortillas into 8 wedges & place in single layer on pan. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly brown & crisp. Set on cooling rack. [NOTE: Do not spray both sides of tortilla or you won’t be able to get them off the pan.]

Peel, core & chop apples. Slice strawberries & chop kiwi. Place all in small bowl. Zest and juice orange. Add zest, orange juice, brown sugar** & apple jelly** to fruit mixture. Mix gently. Spoon into bowl & serve with chips.

[NOTE:] I have substituted freely in this recipe with great results. I’ve replaced the apple jelly with orange marmalade, replaced the kiwi with ½ cup raspberries, replaced both kiwi & strawberries with raspberries, skipped the brown sugar & used canned mandarin oranges with OJ & dried orange zest. Tart apples work best.

**It really doesn't need the sugar & apple jelly always seems like such a waste of calories to me...no fruit, just sugar. If I use orange marmalade it's plenty sweet for us. I use the Polaner All-Fruit spreads and the seedless raspberry would be another option if you really need some sweetness in it.

 

[Imzadi]

How about hummus as a dip? It's mostly chick peas, so it's loaded with protein & fiber. I make my own so I can regulate the garlic. Most are too garlicky for me & I know for days that I've eaten store bought hummus.

I also make my own salsa. Just open a can of chopped tomatoes & add some olive oil & a few spices.

Canned yams are a good substitute when the kids are craving the sweet taste of fruit.

I also make pumpkin soup from canned pumpkin when the weather gets colder. Very high in vitamin A. Squash soup is high in vitamins too. Serve either with crunchy croutons.

 

[Disneyaholic]

Have you ever tried the "Flat Out" brand of wraps? They are available in several different varieties and are high-fiber. I think they are 90 or 100 calories each. They're recommended by Bob Greene on his "Best Life" list of foods.

http://www.flatoutbread.com/

I'll bet they would be great with your "Mexican stir fry"!!

 

[MazdaUK]

You can make mash and add in carrots and sweet potato - that's very nice and makes a change! You can get low fat houmous and salsa in the chill section of supermarkets - ours even does little individual pots you could use for lunchs (or just spoon a protion into a tupperware pot).

I also like Quark mixed with pesto - its a bit like philly, but only 1/2 a ww point for 60g. Its in the cheese section not the cream one. Low fat creme fraiche is also good for sauces etc.

 

[Katy Belle]

Two of my son's are in the same boat. I just read an article about how to get the fruit in. One tip was to ALWAYS have some fruit at breakfast. Banana cut into the cereal. Yogurt with fresh strawberries or blueberries. Really anything, it has worked pretty well for us.

Another I liked, fruit for dessert. Like choc. covered strawberries, but maybe only 2 with choc. and then 4 more plain. Seems like a treat but not so much fat and calories.

My youngest really has a sweet tooth and it is a big challenge.

Good luck!
Katy