Dip It - Tip 3

Tip #3 - Everything tastes better with dip.

But here's the kicker...it's not just any dip.  It's an hors d'oeuvre!

This has made a big difference in the veggie intake at my house.  Serve them some crudités as a first course and they're bound to eat it.  They'll be extra hungry, and with veggies as the only choice, that's what they'll eat.  The bonus is that these veggies are raw, so they still have most of their nutritional value (as opposed to cooked veggies which have lost a good chunk of their goodness).

Carrots and broccoli aren't the only options, of course.  You could try any kind of vegetable - green beans, mushrooms, peppers, celery, you name it!  You could cut up fruits, too, and serve them with a yogurt dip.  If you really want to get funky with it, you could have a cheese platter with sharp cheddar, brie, swiss and even bleu.  Of course, that's not a veggie/fruit thing, but, healthy nonetheless.

Having the veggies and dip before lunch is really what makes this tip work.  I used to serve carrot sticks with our meal, but the kiddos usually filled up on the other food instead of the veggies.  For example, if we were having egg salad sandwiches with chips and carrot sticks, which do you think they crammed in their mouths first?  Yep.

Now, will snacking before lunch ruin their appetite?  Yes, yes it will.  But if you think of the snack as part of their dinner, then I'm sure the Mommy Guilt will lessen soon enough.