In this episode of TWT, Jackie learns about The Adam Project which is an organization that utilizes geo-targeting in order to help authorities find missing children. Jackie also visits the Echo Museum and meets with people from Little Davinci to talk about vitamins and children’s health. Ultimately, as parents, we all want our kids to be safe and healthy. Vitamins are a very important part of that equation, but so is a balanced diet with protein, fruits, and the dreaded veggies. It can often feel like pulling teeth trying to get our kids to eat their veggies, but there are easier ways to get those nutrients into their system than trying to negotiate with your three-year-old at the dinner table:

Disguise them in sauces

One way to trick your kids into getting their nutritional needs is to add veggies into sauce recipes. Taking a little extra time to make your own spaghetti or alfredo sauce can save you the headache of trying to get them to eat a side of carrots at dinner time. You can easily add cauliflower to an alfredo recipe or blend other veggies like carrots, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes (obviously) into a yummy pasta sauce.

Put them in baked goods

You’re obviously never going to have a problem getting your kids to eat muffins or pancakes- just the words alone get your kids smiling and banging the table excitedly. Well, since you’re creating the batter for these goods anyway, it can be simple to add in some veggies to increase the nutritional value of these tasty treats. Using ingredients such as sweet potatoes, carrots, or avocados can add moisture to whatever you’re baking, thereby decreasing the amount of oil necessary. Even veggies like zucchini, broccoli, or spinach can be added by using a food processor to blend them.

Meatballs

Another perfect place to sneak in some veggies since you’re making them yourself anyway! Simply chop some veggies of your choosing (or put them through the food processor) and mix them into your favorite meatball recipe and suddenly you’re not spending your dinner begging your child to eat a carrot.

Smoothies

Because veggies lean more on the bitter side, it can be difficult to get your kids excited about eating them. But smoothies can be the perfect way to hide that bitter taste by blending veggies with yummy sweet fruits (which, bonus, also have vitamins they need)! A good rule of thumb when trying to figure out the perfect recipe is that you should balance it 3:1 fruit vs. veggies in quantity, otherwise that bitter taste is going to come through and you’ll end up having to eat it all by yourself.