Picky Toddlers and Sneaky Veggie Mac and Cheese

Little kids are PICKY! Before having Ella and nannying for young toddlers, I was somewhat high and mighty about picky eating. As a child I was extremely picky. My mom had to peel the skin off of my hot dogs! I swore that my own children would not have the option to be picky eaters. They would eat what I served or else! And then I became a mom and nanny.

While I still am firm in my stance that my children will eat what I serve (I'm a mom, not a short order cook!), I quickly realized that you cannot force a baby or toddler to eat something that they have no desire to eat. They are incapable of being reasoned with or even bribed (sometimes a plateful of carrots is worth an oreo). No matter how delectable you make your steamed broccoli appear, that 18 month old who refuses to eat green foods will not let it touch his lips. So how do you get a picky veggie hating tot to eat his or her veggies? Well, I sneak them into their favorite foods!

Ella is an AMAZING eater! She puts me to shame. So far (cross my fingers) she is willing to try anything and everything. BUT Ella is an extremely strong willed one year old. Although she loves bananas, she might not want it one morning and refuse to eat it. If she is not in the mood for a certain food, she will not eat it. Or sometimes she wants utensils. The pear cubes that she wouldn't touch are suddenly delicious if eaten with a fork. We will have our hands full with this one!

The boys that I watch are PICKY eaters. I could probably count the foods that they will eat on two hands (maybe one). Mac and Cheese is favorite of theirs. And not the lovely homemade kind, but the sodium saturated instant cups of Kraft Mac and Cheese. While I have somewhat given up on getting the 3 year old to eat his veggies (only eats carrots and corn), the 18 month old is still capable of being deceived into eating veggies.

While making some homemade mac and cheese sauce the other day, I got the idea of adding pureed carrots. The cheese sauce is yellow orange and carrots are orange, so no one will be the wiser right? Right! I made my cheese sauce and elbow macaroni and before I added the cheese to the pasta, I added in the pureed carrots and then used an immersion blender to puree the entire sauce mixture.

H (the 18 month old that I nanny) seemed to like it well enough. He gets in funky moods and doesn't want much food sometimes. But, Ella LOVED it. We had leftovers and she has had it for lunch this week. While she will eat veggies when I give them to her, it is nice to sneak in an extra serving when I can.

This is definitely a recipe to remember! And I look forward to trying more deceptive meals in the future. Hmmm, I wonder what you can hide spinach in? That would amaze the boys mom!

Veggie Mac and Cheese

2 cups Elbow Pasta

1.5 Cups Milk (Any milk that you normally drink is fine. Coconut, cows, soy, etc.)

1 Cup Shard Cheddar Cheese Shredded (use milder cheese if desired)

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp butter

.5-1 tbsp ground mustard 

pepper to taste

1-2 tsp garlic powder

1-2 tsp onion powder

optional: a dash or two of ground red pepper (Ella likes this)

1-2 cups pureed carrots, squash, pumpkin, or other appropriately colored (orange/yellow) veggie

1. Cook pasta according to package directions and set aside

2. In medium sauce pan melt butter over medium heat

3. Gradually add flour and mix until combined, stirring constantly

4. Add milk gradually and stir until combined

5. Add spices

6. Add cheese. Stir until melted.

7. Taste and adjust spices as needed

8. Add pureed veggie

9. Use an immersion blender or stand blender to blend the finished sauce (This might not be necessary if your puree was finely pureed. Mine was a bit chunky still).

8. Pour the sauce over the pasta and enjoy!

*You can used pureed baby food, fresh veggies, or frozen ones. I simply cooked the veggies until soft, added some water, and pureed them using an immersion blender.

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