How to sneak greens in

How to sneak in the greens?

I was not a fussy eater although peas were my arch nemesis. The problem is I wanted to like them. I would try and hide them in my mashed potatoes or party pies. I don’t claim for it to be the healthiest meal but there sure are way worse. Now back to greens. Peas are funny…I would eat snow peas or even in the garden, the snap peas. But pea peas a big NO. Now my daughter eats them frozen by the handful. On a side note they are great for teething.

My latest trick is buying frozen spinach. Sure fresh is best but the amount of time required to wilt it down and the cutting, I prefer the convenience so I choose organic frozen. Trader Joes/ Aldi is great and cheap. Take a chunk and defrost it, either leave it out or use a microwave. I cook up a big batch of spiral pasta, this works best for the spinach trick because it sticks in all the nooks and crannies. Take the cooked pasta and stir through a small spoon of pesto, say 1/2 teaspoon per 1/2 cup of pasta. I then add a couple of tablespoons of spinach, stir through well and serve.

I make enough to have for 2 x lunch and dinner. It goes well when traveling because it does not spoil quickly. It can be a little messy but that is what bibs and wet wipes are for.

I use the spinach for so many other things, I make smoothies with frozen mango, a banana, some soy or almond milk, sometimes a little greek yoghurt. I also buy this great greens powder from Aldi that has spirulina, kale, cholera and barley. I put a smidge in and my daughter drinks it by the gallon. Preferably with a straw. I would get brain freeze if I drank it as quickly as she does.

Another favourite in our house is Kale. I will eat it straight up as a salad. With my daughter I need to put it in a smoothie or pulverize it and add it to pasta. She will eat edamame if I cut it up too. I like this one because they get a little protein too. But really you can just take any and all greens and blend them up and add to sauces/ soups.

One of my go to’s when I am cooking is to give her a bean to chew on. Even if she only consumes 1/5 of it I am happy because it keeps her distracted for a few minutes. Sure there is some cleaning of spit up required but worth the couple of minutes I get of uninterrupted cooking time. Plus I like her to be amidst the cooking and in the kitchen taking it all in and learning. How many of us can say that there one year old unloads the dishwasher.

My last little tidbit is putting greens in omelette, frittata basically any egg like food. Add a few grated veggies or the frozen spinach. Just remember with any frozen ingredients to defrost and strain out liquid so it does not make the mixture too soggy.