Sharon of Kennesaw, Georgia, inherited from her mother a few tips for making vegetables more enticing to young children, and the main one was to throw them in the blender. “First puree carrots and other fresh vegetables before serving; they’re always received better by fussy eaters that way,” Sharon explains. To introduce a splash of color and make things more interactive and hands-on, “gather up several colors of carrots, puree them separately, and use them to fill up an ice-cube tray.” Her kids get a kick out of making different designs—and eating cube-sized portions of thawed vegetables later in the week.

Her kids also love starchy sides with every meal, so Sharon made things healthier by trading mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower, which conveniently ends up the same color and consistency. “Mashed or unmashed,” Sharon says, “they haven’t stopped eating cauliflower since!”

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Gingered Carrot Soup

Mashed Cauliflower