The concept I read was go out, buy the different vegis and make them all into different purees, then use them in planned meals. If that works for you...yay! Go forth and sneak foods into your children!
However, I am either too lazy for that or too unorganized to make it work, so I made my own plan. I make dinner, serving Lyam one thing he likes, one new/not usual/previously rejected food and two vegis (making sure one is something he likes) NOT hidden. I tell him he must eat at least 4 of one of the vegis (rule is 1 piece for each year of his age: he is 4 so 4 peas, 4 pieces of corn, etc) or no dessert.
Sometimes I am successful, sometimes not.
However the one thing that does not happen anymore is the old stand off that comes from "You cannot leave the table till you clear your plate' or the sometimes impossible to enforce (for me especially with Lyam's diabetes) 'you get nothing till the next meal'.
After I clean up I take the left over vegis, puree them in a little water or their juice, place them in ice cube trays and freeze. After frozen I move them to a Ziploc that I label with date and contents.
The next meal I try to use some of the pureed vegis by sneaking them in. They work great in mac n' cheese, sauces, smoothies, milkshakes, pretty much in any liquid you can think of. (offer your kid a healthy 'milkshake' as a snack you will be a rockstar!) I try to match flavors/colors when I can. When I can't I still sneak it in, but use less then I might have. The meal stays the same though, one thing he likes, one new/not usual/previously rejected food and two vegis NOT hidden.
You are now guaranteeing your child eats some vegis, but they don't think they are getting away without eating any. To me it's just as important he knows he needs to eat his vegetables as it is that he actually eat them. He needs to know are important to him/her being healthy and strong and that it's not okay he skip them.
For a long time I hid the good stuff, but didn't bother to offer him it as a choice. Kids love choices. It makes them feel in control, even if it's just an illusion. I am embarrassed to admit I lost sight of that and one day I realized I didn't even know if he liked any vegis cause I NEVER offered them to him anymore. He ate them, but never consciously. I became a self fulfilling prophecy. He didn't chose to try to eat them cause I never gave him that chance.
So now he has a choice, but at the same time he still gets what he needs.
I have also found that having a choice between two vegis means he will more often choose to try one then when he was given just one and told 'eat it'.
Since I started this way of eat (about a month now) Lyam will eat corn, peas and cooked carrots, but only a little and he's still picky as hell. The most telling thing for me it he TRIED beets without me even saying anything. He didn't like them, but that in itself is a major triumph (he ate his corn that day). He thinks he makes the choice and sometimes willingly says "No. Don't want dessert." IE: he won't eat or try the vegis. He thinks he's won, but that's okay cause I know the truth...and so do you. :)
