Easy Ways to Sneak in Veggies

Vegetables may not be a favorite food in your household, but you still want to include them in your meals for their nutritional value and contribution to your overall health. Unfortunately, 3-to-4 ounces of raw carrots or steamed broccoli may not appeal to you, your partner or your children, and may end up as food waste. Healthy food is only good for you if you eat it.

Fool your taste buds, and those of your family, by sneaking veggies into the foods you love. When vegetables are incorporated into comfort foods, such as sandwiches, pasta and muffins, that 'vegetable taste' is more subtle; it's tempered by the more familiar sweet, spicy or savory flavors in the dish.

Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Joe sandwiches are an American classic and the tomato sauce provides an opportunity for sneaking carrots into the dish. Carrots are high in vitamins A, K and C, as well as thiamin and niacin.

Brown one pound of ground turkey with finely chopped onion and drain off most of the fat. Stir in 1 1/2 cup of tomato sauce, keeping the heat on low.

Grate one large carrot and stir the grated carrot into the meat mixture, turning the heat up to medium. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of salt. Add a teaspoon of red wine vinegar, bring the mixture to a boil and then lower to a simmer. Allow the sauce to thicken and then serve. The carrot adds to the sweetness of the sauce, but no one thinks they're eating carrots.

Macaroni and Cheese
Cheese is a great disguise, and combined with pasta, you can hide zucchini and carrot from your taste buds. High in vitamin C and copper, zucchini is a powerful antioxidant.

While the pasta cooks, peel and finely chop a zucchini, cutting it in pieces approximately 1/8 inch in size. Grate half a small carrot as well.

Drain the pasta, put it back into the pot and stir in the zucchini. The steam from the pasta cooks the zucchini, making it soft.

Add the grated carrot and cheese sauce to the pasta, heat through and serve. The veggies slide right down, along with the pasta and cheese.

Chocolate Muffins
Chocolate muffins are a rich treat for dessert or for snacking. Instead of the eggs and oil, though, add pureed pumpkin to a chocolate cake mix and give these goodies a nutritional punch.

Pumpkin is high in fiber and vitamin A, and lower in calories than eggs and oil.

Use a cake mix that yields one 13x11 sized cake. Empty the mix into a mixing bowl and stir in one 15 ounce can of pureed pumpkin until thoroughly blended. Scoop the mixture into prepared muffin tins and bake according to the instructions on the package for cupcakes. Cool and serve

If the pumpkin taste is a bit too strong for you and your family, add 7 ounces of pureed pumpkin and 4 ounces of applesauce to the cake mix instead. Stir, scoop, bake and eat.

References
University of Kentucky
WH Foods
Health Diaries
WebMD

Further Reading
Eating Local: Fall Vegetables in the Produce Aisle
Cooking Tips for Making Low-Fat Stew
Foods for a Productive Breakfast Meeting