My kid is a complicated one when it comes to eating. In some ways he eats very healthy, but given the option he would eat crackers and peanut butter sandwiches all day. He won’t touch vegetables or fruit on their own, so I have to get creative about getting them into his diet.
One thing I have found is that he will eat anything if I tell him it’s a “pizza.” So I have a great, delicious, vegan pizza I put together for him regularly. Here’s what I do:
Get your bread. I use the Garlic Naan from Trader Joe’s. It’s delicious, it’s a good source of protein, it’s higher on the calories (which is good for my guy who is very small for his age) and it crisps up beautifully in the oven.
Add your tomato sauce. I use Rao’s Marinara from Whole Foods. It’s a pricier one, but it doesn’t have added sugar, plus it is absolutely delicious.
I then chop into tiny pieces whatever veggies I have. Usually, it is broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and sometimes zucchini or peppers. I mush them into the pasta sauce - you could also mix them into the pasta sauce so they are barely visible. Sometimes I will put them all into a food processor to make the pieces really tiny!
I add my sausage, which again is vegan breakfast sausage from Trader Joe’s. This is a very heavy Trader Joe’s-based meal. It is delicious and really helps you feel like you are eating real pizza.
Last I do a sprinkling of vegan mozzarella. I’m not a big fan of vegan cheese, so if you are you could go heavier on this. Or, of course, just use real cheese if your diet allows.
I cook it in the oven at 350 for 10-15 minutes. I like mine a little longer because of how good the naan is crispy.
It’s a healthy hit every time!