Sneak good stuff into your kids food - this is how I do it!

Many toddlers Braydens age flat-out refuse to eat their fruits or vegetables. And they may refuse a variety of other nutritious foods, too.

sneak in the healthy stuff. Here’s how:

Grate veggies for toppings: If your toddler doesn’t like fresh tomatoes, try homemade tomato sauce with pasta instead. Other vegetables — like carrots, squash, green peppers and onions — can be finely grated and added to the spaghetti sauce and he’ll never know the difference. Also try mixing finely chopped spinach into ricotta cheese for delicious stuffed shells.

Try bread, pancakes and muffins: Low-fat pumpkin bread is a good way to offer the wonderful nutrition of pumpkin. Also try adding pureed vegetables or fruits to muffins. Baby food also does the trick. And grated vegetables can make yummy pancakes, like potato pancakes with some grated red pepper. This colorfully fun pancake could thrill any toddler.

Puree all sorts of things: Pureed fruits or vegetables can add moisture, nutrition and lots of flavor to your favorite dish. For meat loaf, you can add almost any pureed or grated vegetable. Or try making a vegetable puree base for soup by cooking potatoes and veggies in broth until tender. Then mix in a blender until smooth and creamy. You can add whatever else you want to your soup and season to taste.

Slice it up: Raw fruits and vegetables are usually the best way to enjoy their full nutritional value. And if you slice them up and offer some type of dipping sauce, your little one will more likely take the bait. Try slicing up apples and offering a caramel dipping sauce. Or serve bananas and strawberry slices with yogurt. Baby carrots with ranch dressing are usually a hit, too.