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Ideas on how to make healthier pasta for my kids?

They really don't like vegetables. Does anyone do anything creative? TIA!

Sat. Sep 7, 5:55pm

When I do pasta I just serve it how they like and surround the small portion with lots of healthful choices: salad, fresh fruit, and vegetables with a dip, for example. So, the bulk of their meal is simple, fresh and nutritious and I don't mind so much they're eating buttered pasta. Do I love it? No, but it makes up the smallest part of their meal and if they want more they have to at least eat whatever is green on their plate.

I don't like dips (like ranch dressing.) but that's how I started and now I just serve the raw vegetables no dip and they eat it. Started out with salads with cheese and croutons - now it's just a simple salad minus all that other junk. I just make a point to keep serving them vegetables...every dinner! (And we eat at home 90% of the time. ) They all eat roasted vegetables now (cauliflower, broccoli, kale, asparagus are common favorites.) I just serve something every night! They didn't always eat them without complaint - I just didn't let that sway me! :)

Saturday, September 7, 2013, 6:41 PM

love previous poster reply!!! way to go on teaching your kids to eat healthy

how old are the kids?

have they tried all vegetables.. do you have a spiraler.. maybe if you could let them help you make the pasta.. zucchini. sweet potato

also spaghetti squash if they can help pull the strands apart with a fork .. if its fun they may eat it more.

thats how i loved eating veggies and foods was helping my mom cook.. now i cook healthier now..

also there is always brown rice pasta.. quinoa pasta they may be options compared to white pastas.

lynneta6

Sunday, September 8, 2013, 3:40 PM

In Europe, all my friends served vegetable at every dinner to their children, even if they didn't care for a particular vegetable. The rule was that they always had to take at least one bite of the veggies on their dinner plate every night. No exceptions. Eventually the kids come around, especially after 20 to 40 bites of a new veggie. Just keep at it. They may not like all of it, but they end up liking most of it, you just have to be consistent and serve vegetables at dinner every night. Over time it gets easier. The kids get more familiar and comfortable with veggies at dinner.

Depending on the age of children, you can let them pick out a few vegetables at the market to serve with dinners that week.

One bite is a good place to start. Hopefully, in a few months they'll be eating a 1/2 cup serving with no complaints! ;)

Monday, September 9, 2013, 11:02 AM

3:40pm...My kids are 10, 5 and 2. The 10 year old is by far the 'hardest' (darn outside influences - ha) but she knows - it's what's for dinner! But even she has come around! I've even had other kids at my house whose parents say they refuse to eat vegetables and they'll eat them all at my house - b/c that's just how we roll over here! Expectation is 80% of it! 11:02 got it - just gotta keep at it. If you never serve healthful foods, they'll never eat them!

Thursday, September 12, 2013, 2:47 PM

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