• Add vegetables to store-bought foods or to those you already prepare (some suggestions are listed in the next section).



• Set out a plate of raw vegetables or a salad of cold, cooked vegetables before the meal--the time when your child is hungriest.



• Keep a bowl of cherry tomatoes or baby carrots in the refrigerator for a quick and handy snack. (Of course, you'll want to take into account the fact that these foods can be potential choking hazards for toddlers and preschoolers.)



• Serve raw or lightly steamed vegetables with salad dressing or cheese sauce for dipping.



• Make mashed sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, since sweet potatoes contain lots of vitamin A.



• Let your child make her own taco with shredded lettuce, tomato, ground turkey and a little cheese.



• Serve foods with tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes often.



• Try not to overcook vegetables to preserve their taste, bright appearance, and valuable vitamins.



• Help make your child familiar with vegetables; serve them everyday.



• Prepare meals together (e.g., younger children can wash and older ones can chop vegetables for stir-fry dishes and salads).



• Let your child help choose fresh vegetables when you're shopping.



• Plant a vegetable garden with your child or even just put a small cherry tomato plant in a pot in a sunny spot in the yard.



• Most important, set a good example. Remember that your actions will speak louder than words. Besides, parents need their veggies, too!

• Making muffins with your child and adding pumpkin, zucchini, or shredded carrots to the muffin mix.



• Tucking in a lettuce leaf, a tomato slice, or carrot curls into sandwiches.



• Adding chopped spinach or a handful of frozen vegetables to soups, ramen noodles, spaghetti sauce, or lasagna.



• Adding chopped tomato or grated carrots to tuna, chicken, or pasta salads.



• Cooking frozen mixed vegetables according to the directions and then adding them to store-bought potato salad.



• Making pizza with your child and adding chopped broccoli or spinach to frozen pizza or frozen bread dough topped with tomato sauce.



• Adding chopped broccoli or extra carrots to canned or dried chicken soup.

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