How to Get Your Kids to Eat Vegetables

One of the main complaints I hear from parents is that they have a hard time getting their children to eat their vegetables. In our family, I was beginning to think this was an urban myth made up by parents who weren't urging their kids to eat something from every part of their plate. My daughter loves broccoli and humus, baby asparagus and green beans. Still, we have run into a wall of late where she comes to the table and immediately says "I don't want that!" before she even tries out the meal.

For parents in similar situations, there could be a couple reasons for this. At three, she is testing her limits and learning to be assertive. There's also the rather major issue I have with daycare giving her a carbohydrate-laden snack as late as five o'clock in the afternoon. Sometimes, they will even dole out seconds without thinking twice about what Dad might be preparing for dinner. Another reason could very well be how food and especially vegetables is prepared. Here's a recipe I've created which incorporates vegetables in what most kids love -- ground top sirloin.

What You'll Need for this Meal:

1.25 to 1.5 lbs. lean ground top sirloin
2 small zucchini
4-6 green onions
2 slices of bread
1 bell pepper
1 egg
2 tablespoon of basil
2 cloves of garlic

Optional Side Dish: Brown Rice
One Cup of Rice
Two Cups Boiling Water

First Ten Minutes: Prep the Meal
As my cooking philosophy calls for ten-minute increments, start by immediately starting to boil two cups of water for the brown rice we are cooking with this meal.

This recipe calls for lean ground top sirloin. It will usually say something like 90/10 on the package at is less than 10% fat. The healthier choice, I take the sirloin and put that in a large bowl. I then cut two small zucchini and a bell pepper in quarters and put them in a food processor. I then dice six green onions. The lighter green parts I place in the pan of boiling water I am making rice in and sometimes even cut up a small tomato and put that in the water too.

Adding the darker green parts to the food processor, you can give it a quick charge and take the diced vegetables to the bowl of sirloin. The vegetables can then be folded into your meat with your hands. Crack an egg into the bowl for moisture -- it also helps keep everything together. Finally, if I have the end of a nice loaf of bread from the bakery -- I'll cut up a few pieces into small bits and fold that into the mixture as well. A tablespoon of basil or two to taste adds a little flavor.

In just ten minutes, you have the basis for your meal and your water is probably boiling. Pour the cup of brown rice, stir, bring back to a boil and then turn to low. Cover and set your timer to 45 minutes. I use my microwave timer as it is easy to use and loud enough to hear.

Second Ten Minutes: Cooking the Sirloin
Putting the bowl in the refrigerator, you can go spend a half an hour with your family knowing that there is not much that can be done until the rice is cooked. When the rice has been cooking for half an hour, simply heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large enough pan. Once hot, you can make hamburger patties out of the meat with your hands and put the sirloin in the pan. Turn occasionally until cooked all the way through. This may take a little more than ten minutes.

Final Ten Minutes: Finish and Serve
Once you have been cooking the sirloin for a few minutes, your timer should go off and it will be time to take off the cover of the rice, stir it around with a large spoon and place off the heat, uncovered for five minutes. By then your sirloin should be done cooking and you can serve the meal.