Part 1- The 5Ss that Make My Kids Eat More Vegetables

Hi Foodies and fellow hivers.
Welcome to the first of a five part series.Here, I’ll be sharing with you the 5Ss(S-S-S-S-S) that get my kids to eat more vegetables.

I think the best way to get kids to eat vegetables is to introduce them early, often and in a variety of ways.
I believe having kids plant, grow, reap and prepare vegetables for a meal is also great. But let’s face it, some kids are picky eaters and some just don’t want any or too much of those healthy stuff… vegetables.

I try to prepare my kids favorite foods while trying to ensure that they get the required nutrients but…what do I do when they constantly change their favorites or even forget what they said their favorite was? Sometimes I really want to say to them:

Let’s face it, change is constant and change is good. People’s taste change. But, let’s be honest too, when kids are picky, don’t want to eat “this and that”, it’s a true test of patience for a tired-don’t-even-feel-like cooking-parent who has cooked. Lol!

How many of us grew up hearing:

“Eat up your vegetables, they’re good for you”.

“Don’t waste it, eat everything”.

“You can get ice-cream when you’ve finished eating your veggies”.

I remember my mom telling me to eat lots of carrots because they contain vitamin A which is good for my body and eyesight. I did eat up those carrots. I thought I had quite a bit of them but clearly I did not have enough to be able to foresee how my own kids would have responded to me telling them to eat their food. Fortunately, they love carrots but I sometimes do get some unexpected reactions when I tell them to complete their meals.

Me: Please don’t waste it, finish everything.
Son: Mommy, I’m really full.(Tone-don’t you get it?)

You know, I got it but growing up, whether I was full or not, I’d have to at least show or even pretend that I’m trying to complete the meal.
Things and times have changed. Lol

I had to stop,look at my menus and see what meals and dishes got the kids eating. In those meals, I try to incorporate more vegetables or serve vegetables in different ways. Of course there are still times when I have to encourage my kids to complete their meals or even try something new. However, these meals that I’m about to share with you, let me do less talking and the kids, more eating.

5Ss (Stir-fry-S-S-S-S)

As I mentioned earlier, this is a 5-part series. In this particular post, I’ll share one of the Ss. The first “S” in no particular order is “Stir-fried vegetables with noodles. My kids love yakisoba (fried noodles). Yakisoba is often served at festivals in Japan. While you may order it at a restaurant, it’s often sold as street food especially at outdoor events. It usually has meat, some vegetables and noodles which are combined with a sauce that brings all the flavors together.

Bamboo Shoot Season

It’s spring and it’s bamboo shoot(たけのこ) season in Japan. Bamboo shoots are a good source of fiber and vitamins among other nutrients. I cooked some recently and my kids hardly ate it. I decided to put some in the yakisoba and they ate it all. It added some crunch to the dish. With the yakisoba I served fresh slices of tomatoes. They’re were no complaints, no excuses, no comments. Mission accomplished. 🥳

Gathering My Ingredients

I started by gathering my ingredients.

Ingredients:

• half of a cabbage
• medium sized carrot
• boiled bamboo shoot
• 1 pack of sliced bacon
• half of a large onion
• few cloves of garlic
• 2 medium sized tomatoes
• 3 pack of noodles
• 3 packets of powdered yakisoba sauce
• olive oil for stir frying
• 2 medium sized tomatoes

Half of a cabbage and a medium sized carrot.

Boiled bamboo shoots.

Half of a large onion and some cloves of garlic.

Olive oil for stir frying.

3 packs of noodles and 3 packets of powdered yakisoba sauce.

1 pack of sliced bacon.

2 medium sized tomatoes.

After gathering my ingredients, I went ahead and started preparing them for cooking.

Ingredients for yakisoba.

Preparation

This is how I prepared the dish. There may be other methods to preparing yakisoba with vegetables.

Wash, peel and cut carrot into cubes or strips depending on your preference.

Bamboo shoot removed from the packet.

Cut the bamboo shoot in small pieces.

Cut the onion in strips and dice the garlic (your preference).

Cut the cabbage in medium size strips (threads).

Remove noodles from the packages.

Ingredients ready for cooking.

Cooking Time

To a heated frying pan:

A. Add a few teaspoons of olive oil. When the oil is heated, add the garlic, onion, carrot, bamboo shoot and bacon. Stir fry them.

B. Add the noodles and then the powdered sauce. Add a little water to help to mix and spread the sauce.

C. Mix the ingredients then add and stir the cabbage. The cabbage is done last to maintain the crisp in the vegetable.

Keep on a low flame for a few minutes and then the meal is ready to be served.

Fresh Tomato Slices

1.Wash the tomatoes.
2.Cut them in slices
3.Arrange them in a circular pattern on a circular plate or your plate of preference.

Dinner is ready to be served. 😃

Thank you for reading my post.
The first “S” is for Stir-Fry.
Please stay tuned as I reveal the other Ss and meals that get my children to eat more veggies.

Disclaimer:
-While the above meal and dishes have worked well, I’m not sure how soon my kids’preference will change. I’m happy it’s working now. 😂

Please share with me recipes that excite your family in eating more vegetables.

Have a great day. 😃🎶🥕🥗