Great food ideas for getting vegetables into toddl

toddlers. All would be welcome:-)

My children ate baby vegetables up till age 10 or more, and loved them. It was an easy no fuss way to feed them, and know they were getting all the vitamins and minerals they required. I was too busy to fight over food.

I gave my daughter a lot of raw carrots, apples and stuff they will like. I made a lot of stir fried vegetables with sauces that are slightly sweet. Favorite base for sauce is near to the end of cooking is to sauté the meat in enough soy sauce to coat, and around 60 seconds later, add enough golden syrup to sweeten. I would sometimes add sweet, mild chilli sauce and the odd herbs and spices. I would then either do the same to the veges and then toss the meat in and mix them all up, and often omit the meat all together in favour of crispy ™Highmark brand noodles.
With regard to the raw veges, I would quite often give my daughter them before (and any other kids we had around) she got any meat and potatoes (or rice). We used to call them starters and because she was hungry, she would happily woof them down. I discovered doing this when I noticed she went straight for the meat, spuds and gravy and then say she was too full. I'd also get her involved in the cooking process. I'd talk and we'd sing about what we were doing, how lucky we were to have yummy orange carrots (or whatever it was) whilst prepping dinner. The evening meal was pretty much a party in the attitude I brought to the event. Rather than outwardly showing how exhausted or flustered I was, I'd downplay it, or say something like, "yippee. we're tired and hungry and soon we will have all these bright colours that will make us feel bright". The mistake +some+ parents make is to pander to the little ones. If they don't eat their veges then they don't get a second choice. I always had carrots chopped up in a bag in the fridge as a nice snack during the day. She could eat as much if them or fruit as she wanted.
Never make the mistake of letting the kids not at least try the veges. They can't possibly not like something if they've never tried them. If they've really given broccoli a go and don't like it, give it a break for about a week and then try again, possibly in a different way. I can't stress enough how important it is to present veges in a positive light. Rave about the colours and shapes and where they come from etc.,. Make it fun, rather than something that they just have to put up with.
I hope this tips help and sorry it was such a long post.

My nieces & nephew still love it as a 'side' dish. (so do I)

Kids eat more than you think. Offer a variety of foods when young, they may not like them first time, or even second. but they do learn. It is instinctive to like sweet and dislike bitter.

Offer, let them taste, offer later. Don't force them to eat it - but don't then give junk food instead. That just teaches them they can get whatever they like.
Hungry kids eat. not hungry? Offer it again later when they are - this once they are older.