Nolan-Approved: Veggies I will eat!

I'm not the biggest veggie fan, as anyone who has been to our house at mealtime can attest to. Mom and Dad try so hard but every veggie that makes it into my mouth quickly finds its way back out, usually pushed out by my tongue and accompanied by a crinkled-up nose and a "bleh" verbal protest. But Mom has recently had some success and thought we should share:

I really loved the "Lily Pad Pancakes" (which are chock-full of pureed peas) from the great book, "Toddler Cafe." There are so many great recipes in this book we can't wait to try them! Although we're a little nervous to try the "Minty Pea Pops," which, among other ingredients, includes peas, cream cheese, peppermint extract and chocolate chips, all frozen on a stick!

I've also loved many of the hidden-veggie recipes in "Deceptively Delicious," but especially the macaroni and cheese (with pureed white beans and cauliflower), grilled cheese (with pureed sweet potato or butternut squash), and sloppy joes (pureed sweet potato and butternut squash).

Another recent winning strategy has been soup! Mom will drain most of the tomato base from veggie soups like Amy's Organic Alphabet Vegetable Soup and I will scarf down the carrot, potato, green bean, and celery chunks in the soup. I guess it helps that everything is so soft and the flavor of the tomato soup base has soaked through!

And then there are the old standbys - Dr Praeger's spinach or broccoli pancakes, and Morningstar Farms spinach and artichoke bites. And I'm still a HUGE fan of artichoke pizza!