We may be pediatric dietitians, but that doesn’t mean we are immune to the struggles associated with feeding kids. As much as we want our kid's plates to be full of colorful fruits and vegetables, it can take some time for them to accept these foods.
However, that doesn’t mean we don’t offer these foods regularly. Research shows that exposure is among the most important things in getting kids excited about new foods. That means we offer them at most meals and snacks without hiding them.
While all kids are different, veggies can take a little longer for a child’s palate to accept. It can take 10-30 (or more) times to be exposed to food before a child even decides to try it, let alone like it.
As we often tell our clients, patience is one of the biggest factors when feeding kids. Have patience that continued exposure will pay off and patience towards your child for taking their time in accepting new foods.
That said, having a few ideas for boosting veggie intake at lunch can be helpful! Here are 6 ways to add vegetables to lunchboxes for kids (and adults!).
1. Sushi Lunch!
A bento box with rice balls, edamame, avocado, and a single-serving package of Gimme roasted seaweed snacks is one of my kids' favorite lunches! They love creating their sushi roll with rice, a few edamame pods, and a slice of avocado, all wrapped in a crispy seaweed sheet.
And yes, seaweed is a vegetable! In fact, it’s one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables on earth. Gram for gram, the red porphyra seaweed found in gimme products contains more vitamin C than oranges, more iron than spinach, more calcium than milk, and more vitamin A than carrots.
Seaweed is also an incredibly sustainable vegetable, as it requires no fresh water, land, or chemicals to grow. It is also delicious; our kids love opening a pack and snacking on it!
A pack of roasted seaweed is an incredibly convenient way to get veggies in, which is why we love tucking a snack pack into their lunchbox.
2. Veggie Kebobs
Sure, sliced veggies are delicious and nutritious, but if there’s one thing we know about kids, it’s that they love novelty! Veggies cut into fun shapes or threaded into a kebob with a dip are fun, novel ways to enjoy them.
For a Mediterranean-inspired lunch box, we like serving mini falafel, whole wheat pita, cucumber, and cherry tomato kabobs alongside either hummus or tzatziki for dipping.
3. Veggie Packed Smoothies
We send smoothies in reusable pouches (or mini jars!) as a yummy way to pack in the veggies. You can toss veggies into various smoothies, though some work better than others!
We like blending greens into either green smoothies (paired with something more tart, like pineapple and green apple) or berry smoothies. Another favorite is adding beets to chocolate smoothies. You can even do carrots mixed with citrus-based smoothies or make pumpkin-banana blends.
4. Boosted Pasta Sauce
Pasta is a staple for most kids, and we like to boost the veggie content by adding chopped veggies alongside the cooked pasta or boosting the sauce.
One of our most frequently used hacks is blending a jar of marinara with chopped carrots and bell peppers until (mostly) smooth and pour over pasta. This gives the sauce a vitamin A boost, and the peppers and carrots blend into the red sauce for a uniform look.
5. Muffins!
We love lunchbox muffins for lunch meal prep. You can use any whole-grain muffin recipe you like and grate in zucchini or carrots for a more wholesome, veggie-packed main.
Sweet or savory muffins work in lunchboxes. A cheesy broccoli and cauliflower muffin is a great pairing with fruit and a side of cubed tofu, or try a zucchini chocolate muffin paired alongside yogurt and fruit kabobs.
6. Veggie Quesadillas
Fill quesadillas with cheese (or dairy-free cheese) and finely chopped vegetables like spinach, bell peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, or Seaweed! Or, slather your tortillas with refried beans, guacamole, and a little shredded cheese.
If your kiddo gets overwhelmed by lots of veggies, we suggest combining one they like with just a couple of pieces of one they are learning to like.
About the Authors
Plant-Based Juniors (PBJs), is a community for parents and educators interested in properly implementing plant-based diets for children. Created by Alexandra Caspero MA, RDN and Whitney English MS, RDN – both moms and registered dietitian nutritionists – PBJs is dedicated to filling the gap in credible pediatric nutrition information for plant-based infants and children.
PBJs promotes an all-inclusive “predominantly plant-based” approach, supporting all families from vegan to vegetarian to flexitarian. Basically, if parents want to get more plants on the plate, PBJs wants to help!
