Sneaking in the Veggies: Ideas from a Self-Proclaimed Picky Eater

As a kid, like many others, my go-to meals were pretty simple and predictable: pizza bites, hot dogs, spaghetti, grilled chicken, and tacos. The only veggie I would eat? Corn. In fact, my mom’s favorite story to tell about me when I was younger is that as a baby, all I ever begged for was corn, constantly saying, “more, more, more!” But any other veggie? No way. 

My mom had a hard time trying to make meals I would actually eat, and she wasn’t exactly the best cook either (even though she tried her best, bless her heart), so mealtime was often a bit of a challenge.

Even now, at age 20, I consider myself a picky eater and still have trouble getting in my veggies. But now that I’m in college, I’m starting to try new things. Just the other day, I went out to lunch with The Buzz team for pho, a Vietnamese noodle soup, which was way out of my comfort zone. I pushed myself to try it and actually ate it. The flavors weren’t my favorite, but I was proud of myself for trying it. Baby steps, right?

At home, I have been starting to experiment with simple meals that are both healthy and quick to make, finding ways to include veggies without making it complicated. 

If you have picky kiddos or teens, here are some of my favorite recipe twists that they will love and, trust me, you’ll definitely want to sneak a bite too. 

Cauliflower Chicken Nuggets 

Slightly tweaked from The Natural Nurturer

1 cup riced cauliflower, fresh or thawed frozen 
1 cup ground chicken 
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
⅓ teaspoon paprika
1 egg
1 ½ cup Panko breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 400℉ degrees and lightly grease a large baking sheet. Combine riced cauliflower, ground chicken, salt, and spices in your food processor and pulse until well combined. The recipe offers turkey as an alternative to chicken, however I prefer chicken. 

Using a small cookie scoop, portion out the mixture and use your hands to form each portion into a nugget shape. Having slightly wet hands helps the mixture not stick to your hands as much.

Place the nuggets on a plate until you work through the batch. After washing your hands, crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk them. Pour the breadcrumbs into another small bowl.

Dip formed nuggets into the eggs first and then into the breadcrumbs to coat all over. The eggs help the breadcrumbs to stick to the nugget.

Place the breaded nuggets on a baking sheet and bake for 15-16 minutes or until cooked through, flipping nuggets after 10 minutes.

Avocado Brownies 

Slightly tweaked from Well Plated

1 large avocado, peeled and pitted 
2 eggs at room temperature
⅓ cup light brown sugar (or coconut sugar – I prefer brown sugar)
¼ cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
½ cup blanched almond flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup semisweet chocolate chips, divided

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment paper so that two sides overhang like handles. Lightly coat with nonstick spray.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade, place the avocado, eggs, light brown sugar, maple syrup, butter, and vanilla. Process until it’s completely smooth and combined, stopping to scrape down the bowl a few times as needed so that no chunks of avocado remain. To the food processor, add the cocoa powder, almond flour, baking soda, and salt. Process until smooth. Add 1/4 cup chocolate chips and pulse a few times so that the chips are roughly incorporated.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle over the remaining 1/4 cup chocolate chips. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is set and a toothpick inserted in the center of the brownies comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs clinging to it. 

Place the pan on a wire cooling rack and let the brownies cool for 30 minutes. With the parchment paper handles, lift the brownies from the pan and place them on the rack to cool completely. 

If time allows, refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. (I find that they taste their best and fudgiest the next day.) Slice and serve.

Veggie Noodles 

2 sweet potatoes or zucchini

Peel the potatoes. Next, using a vegetable spiralizer, spiralize the veggie into noodle-like shapes. Drizzle them with marinara sauce after they're cooked for a delicious spaghetti alternative! 

Baked Meatballs 

Slightly tweaked from Thriving Home Blog.

½ cup breadcrumbs 
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
½ cup finely shredded carrot
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons ketchup 
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef 
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover a rimmed sheet pan with parchment paper or foil for easy clean-up. Optional: Place a cooking rack on top of the sheet pan to let the fat drip below.

In a large bowl, use a fork to stir together the breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan, parsley, carrot, beaten egg, and ketchup. (The recipe calls for chives and zucchini as well but I prefer to omit these two ingredients.) 

Add in the ground beef by pinches (to break it up a bit) and then sprinkle the salt, pepper, and garlic powder evenly over the top of the beef. Use your hands to combine the mixture but do not over mix.

Using a heaping tablespoon of mixture per meatball, roll into 1 1/2 inch meatballs. Place them on the sheet pan (or on top of a cooking rack), leaving a little room between each one. You may find that placing them on a rack helps so the fat drips below and stays behind.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cooked through. (If your meatballs are on a rack, they may take a few extra minutes.) Cut one open and make sure there is no pink in the middle to assure doneness. Internal temp should be 160°F.

Zucchini Pancakes 

Slightly tweaked from Two Peas and Their Pod.

2 ¼ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon coarse salt
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup grated zucchini 
Maple syrup and butter to serve

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and sugars. (The recipe also includes nutmeg but I prefer to omit it.) In a separate bowl, whisk together buttermilk, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla extract. Pour liquid ingredients over dry ingredients, stirring until just combined. Fold in the zucchini.

Heat a griddle or pan to medium heat. Spray with cooking spray. Pour about a ⅓ cup of batter onto heated skillet. Cook until the surface of the pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, about 3 minutes.

Flip carefully with a spatula, and cook until browned on the underside. Continue making pancakes until the batter is gone.

Serve pancakes warm with butter and maple syrup! Yum!

Peanut Butter Banana Bites 
From Eating Bird Food
3 bananas
⅓ cup of peanut butter
½ cup of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips
2 teaspoons of coconut oil

Start by prepping your bananas – peel them and slice them into rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Line two platters/plates or baking sheets with parchment paper. Spread the peanut butter on a banana slice and top with another. It’s like you’re making little banana sandwiches! 

Repeat until all of the banana slices are used and you have about 30 bites. Place bites on the prepared platter(s) and put in the freezer so they harden a bit.

Once your peanut butter banana bites have hardened, make your melted chocolate. Add the dark chocolate chips and coconut oil to a small bowl. Microwave for one minute, stir and microwave for another 30 seconds.  Continue stirring and microwaving until all of the chocolate is melted – this shouldn’t take more than two minutes total!

Take your frozen banana bites and dip them into the melted chocolate so half of each bite is coated, place them on the baking sheet. Continue until all of the bites have been dipped and place them back in the freezer so they can harden again (should only take about 15 minutes this time!). 

Sneaky Berry Smoothie 

Slightly tweaked from I Heart Vegetables

1 cup whole or almond milk
1 cup spinach
½ cup plain Greek yogurt 
1 tablespoon honey
1 cup berries (mixed berries or your favorite berries)
1 banana (frozen)

Add all ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth! The recipe also offers cottage cheese as an alternative to Greek yogurt. I find that adding a tablespoon of honey makes it slightly sweeter!  

Find more recipe ideas on our Recipes section.