Creative ideas for getting more fruit and veggies into your preteens!

As a kid who has grown up eating lots of veggies and fruit without a fight, I thought I would share a few of my mom's and my favorite ideas with you!

• Add a can of coconut milk to rice right after it finishes cooking and serve with frozen or fresh mango slices.


• Mix yogurt with slightly frozen berries, especially blueberries.


• If you like crunchy, mix the yogurt with the berries, and add a bit of cereal or granola, tasty way to get calcium if you do not drink milk.


• Rice with pineapple slices. Good warm or cold.


• Smoothies.


• Sweet potatoes (mashed) with a small amount of brown sugar in them, and marshmallows toasted on the top (Mom says -- marshmallows are for holidays only)


• Green beans sautéed a minute with butter and garlic (works with spinach too)


• Sweet carrots -- add a little butter or brown sugar to the carrots after they are cooked

Read the rest of this article on PAMF's preteen nutrition page.