I bet you have heard general advice about raising adventurous eaters — like introducing the same foods many times even if your child refuses it, making meal time social, and taking pressure off your kids during mealtime. These are all great, but I know that many parents crave (see what I did there) concrete and specific tips on making vegetables and high protein and fiber foods more palatable for their kids. Read on for a bunch of my own tips as well as tips that I’ve compiled from my community.

This post is may contain affiliate links, which means that I may earn a commission when you click a link within this post. Please see the Disclosure page for additional information.

picky eater - fiber, protein and vegetables

Ten+ ways to sneak vegetables, fiber and protein into your kids’ diets

I’ve been told many times in many ways that I make motherhood look easy. I always read those comments to my husband and we share a chuckle. I try to share info that will be helpful to other moms, which often takes the form of a success story. When it comes to eating, each of my kid has been a great adventurous eater at some stage, but has also gone through some really picky phases. They’re both currently pretty picky and I hope it’s just a phase! Below are a bunch of tips that have worked to get my picky eaters to eat more vegetables, fiber and protein.

Offer high protein chickpea or lentil pasta.
My own carb-loving five and one year old kids LOVE both chickpea pasta and lentil pasta.
Position these nutrient-dense foods as “toppings” or “sprinkles”
My kids love sprinkling milled flax and hemp hearts on yogurt, nut butter (over banana or apple), and avocado. One mom in my community puts them in spice jars and lets her daughter help herself.
Blend spinach into pancakes or muffins
Both of my kids love these three ingredient spinach pancakes (they freeze and travel well and work for a snack or meal).
Sneak veggies into smoothies or popsicles
If your child loves smoothies or homemade popsicles, try blending in spinach or frozen riced cauliflower. Nut butters, dates, chia seeds (pre-soaked) and hemp are also great additions. This is great for serving smoothies.
Sneak lots of nutrient-dense ingredients into pancakes
My kids aren’t great eaters but they wake up hungry. I frontload their day with these delicious nutrient-dense pancakes.
Try fiber-rich waffles
This fiber-rich pancake recipe isn’t quite as kid-friendly as the two pancake recipes that I listed above. One of my kids loves them and the other will rarely eat them.
Bread fish and chicken with finely milled bran (or almond flour)
Breaded fish and chicken are staples in many homes. We use an egg wash, then dredge in fine wheat bran (flavored with garlic and other spices). If you’re avoiding grain, almond flour works too. I recommend gradual changes — so if you usually use bread crumbs, start with a mix of half bread crumbs and half fine wheat bran .
Incorporate roasted chickpeas into trail mix to boost a snack’s protein content. Sharon Richter, RD recommends draining canned chickpeas, laying them on a cookie sheet and roasting them. Kids tend to like them unseasoned but you can add garlic or even cayenne pepper before roasting for yourself or a more adventurous kid. They’re great on salads too, as are hemp hearts.
Coconut wraps are a nice alternative to bread
My son loves almond butter on a coconut wrap, topped with milled flax and/or hemp hearts . These are especially convenient for travel. Note that these would be hard for a baby or toddler to chew, I recommend for age 2+.
Freeze-dried tomatoes are great as a snack or ingredient
My son won’t eat tomatoes but loves these sliced freeze-dried tomatoes in cauliflower rice, on grilled cheese, in mac and cheese or straight out of the bag. I’d rather him eat fresh tomatoes, but these are a nice runner up. This is the brand I usually purchase (this other one on Amazon looks promising too).
Mix a loved and not-yet-loved food
My daughter loves pesto, so I’ll often coat a new vegetable in pesto until she grows to like it. If your kid is super-picky, try this with ketchup.
Clean and low sugar pouches are great for on the go or when all else fails
If my toddler refuses her vegetables or just seems insatiable, I will give her a veggie pouch for dessert. I will also offer up a pouch when we travel or if we eat out and my daughter can’t wait. I read a lot of labels, and Serenity has the cleanest ingredients, coupled with the lowest sugar content while still being tasty. Click here for a discount.

On a related note, Involving kids in meal prep has many benefits. I wrote more about this here, but in short, I always have Sam choose a vegetable at the market and let him cut fruits and veggies with these kid-safe knives. I’ve caught him absentmindedly eating peppers, which he never touches at dinner!

Please note that I am not a nutritionist, dietician or feeding specialist. If you are looking for expert advice, please check out the Feeding Littles course (I have a promo code on my list of exclusive discounts).

You may also be interested in these past articles: