Every now and again I read an article outlining the decline in healthy eating among all age groups and want to scream. This one today in the Sydney Morning Herald reports on the declining number of 18-month-old toddlers who eat the recommended daily amount of vegies.
Getting healthy food into toddlers is not sexy or fun work. There’s plenty of frustration and effort wasted. But it is SO important to keep trying.
Originally this blog started as I struggled to feed my daughter. It was the place I posted all my successes (and fails) as I tried (and tried again) to find recipes that were full of nutrition that tasted good enough for the whole family to eat.
My little girl turns 14 this year. And she’s still not a particularly enthusiastic eater (she missed out on my glutton gene). But she DOES eat everything. Healthy food is part of her every day.
While my second child had a fussy stage but then went on to love all food, without concerted effort, my girl easily would have progressed from a fussy toddler, to child, then teen. I can’t over-emphasise how worthwhile our Vegie Smuggling journey has been for her and her healthy-life prognosis.
So if you’re struggling with a toddler who hates vegetables, don’t despair. Keep going, keep trying. You will get there.
Here are some of the basic meals that helped me find my first vegie-smuggling victories…
Cheesy pots!
The best bolognaise sauce! Serve dollops in large pasta shells.
Chicken sausage rolls (with mushrooms and lentils).
Shepherd’s Pie (with 6 vegies)
Try the salmon pikelets (easy to hold and munch)
And if these recipes look good to you, check out my shop for about 300 more recipes!
Advice on how to get your toddler eating a wide variety of vegetables with 26 clever recipes that smuggle the healthy ingredients in.
Vegie Smugglers 
Anna Rogers said,
March 12, 2018 @ 10:21 am
I haven’t seen anything from you in ages… When your email landed in my inbox this morning it was perfect timing for fresh inspiration! I have an incredibly fussy 8yo and I am almost at my wits’ end… Thank you, Wendy, for motivation to put the right food on the plate again tonight! 🙂
Wendy Blume said,
March 12, 2018 @ 11:00 am
Yay! It must be meant to be. And no, I haven’t posted in over a year! Doing other things mostly these days. 🙂
Felicity said,
March 15, 2018 @ 1:50 pm
Thank you soooo much for your continued inspiration! My daughter has been fussy for 4 years now and my son follows suite!!! The sausage rolls are ALWAYS a hit 🙂
Wendy Blume said,
April 6, 2018 @ 6:50 pm
Glad it helps you Felicity 🙂