If there’s one thing we have learned throughout our nutrient hunter expedition it’s that lying isn’t necessarily always bad. In fact we do it often and without a guilty conscience, we’re not talking about black lies or little white lies. Our favorite are the green lies! 

A green lie isn’t so much a lie, as it is withholding the entire truth from our children of just exactly how many veggies and other healthy boosters we tuck away into their favorite dishes. And so far our noses haven’t begun to grow, so we don’t think there’s any harm being done.

When the kids ask if they can have pancakes, we don’t even make them say “pretty please”, instead we say “great idea!” as we sneakily grate some zucchini into the batter. And if we are really trying to cover up all evidence we just get out the hand mixer and give the batter a quick buzz.

And when we ask what they want for dinner and the response is pasta, no problem, we make their favorite sauce plus a few little green lies e.g., finely chopped onions, broccoli and carrots. If you feel like that would never fly then give it a try with the magical hand mixer to give you a smoother consistency. 

Not even the words ice cream send us into any kind of tizzy. The kids get to sit and enjoy the cool sweetness of our homemade ice cream while we hide our smirks, knowing all the while that their ice cream is actually a nice cream that even includes frozen cauliflower (get that recipe here).

Start with things your child already likes and make small additions from there, and keep in mind that you don’t always need to spell out in capital letters what tricks you’ve got up your sleeve and which veggies may be lurking in they’re pancakes!

Pasta à la green secrets

pasta (Have you tried wheat alternatives like bean, chickpea or buckwheat?)
zucchini
your preferred pasta sauce  (for inspiration take a gander through our pasta sauces)

Prepare the pasta as directed. Use a spiralizer to make some zucchini noodles and combine with the warm pasta (or use a coarse grater). Combine the pasta with your chosen pasta sauce and try not to give it away with a big smile while the kiddos gobble it up.

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