Love Your Veggies

One of the toughest experiences I have endured in parenting is getting Harlan to eat. I have mentioned it here before that she is one of the pickiest eaters I have ever met. She could eat snacks all day, but when it comes to lunch or dinner she won’t budge. Although she is picky, one thing I have learned about her palate is that she LOVES veggies. She would choose to eat a salad over a plate of chicken nuggets any day. She is probably one of the only toddlers that I know that would make that choice.

Many parents struggle with getting their kids to eat veggies. It can be a nightly war to get them to eat the broccoli off their plate before leaving the table. It’s amazing how much energy a child will put forth into refusing to eat vegetables. The bland and boring veggies that are occupying their plate might be the reason that this is a never ending battle.

The makers of Hidden Valley® and celebrity mom Angie Harmon have teamed up in an effort to get kids to love their veggies. The campaign, called the Great Veggie Adventure, tapped insights gleaned from a poll of more than a thousand school-age kids in order to identify four possible candidates for the next great kid’s veggie. The final four are: Watermelon Radishes, cone-shaped broccoli-cousin Romanesco, Rainbow Carrots, and Party Cauliflower. What kid wouldn’t want to try these cool looking veggies?

I attended the kick-off event and got a first hand look and taste of all of these amazing vegetables that I have never end heard of.

I also got a chance to sit down with mom of three girls and fellow southern girl, Angie Harmon, who looked absolutely stunning and was the most down to earth person.

She also had on some fabulous shoes!

Harmon started the event helping a room full of kids get enticed by veggies by making funny faced veggie pizzas.

Harmon fully understands the struggles moms go through to get their kids to eat their veggies. “What I’ve found is that my girls respond more positively when I engage them. That is why I personally am so passionate about this project – it makes eating and nutritional education a fun activity that kids will want to be part of,” says Harmon who likes her get her daughters involved in the process of cooking “Once they are in the kitchen doing it, they enjoy eating it.”

Harmon also gave me other great tips on getting kids to eat their veggies. “Mine (children) really like seasonings and things like that. I chop up a couple cucumbers and put salt and pepper and some red wine vinegar and it’s gone.” She also gave me a great tip to spice up one of my daughters most hated veggies. “Try lemon and greek seasoning on broccoli. It might be that it’s just too bland.”

Visit LoveYourVeggies.com to learn more about the Great Veggie Adventure and some great recipes that will help the whole family develop a life long love of vegetables.

For more pictures from this event, visit the A Mommy in the City Facebook page.

Disclaimer: A Mommy in the City was not compensated for this post. I did receive samples of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing. All opinions expressed are my own.