This Is How a Real Chef Gets Her Kids to Eat Their Veggies

Updated on March 4, 2015 at 4:21 PM

You may recognize Donatella Arpaia from her roles on the Food Network's Iron Chef America and Next Iron Chef. But in her home life, the NYC-based restaurateur and mom struggles with getting her kids to eat well, just like the rest of us. "I was raised by an Italian mother; she was a stay-at-home mom, and she cooked, and we ate whatever was presented to us, and I thought I would have the same thing," Donatella said. "And so early on, I really wanted to make sure he [her son] would have the variety of fruits and vegetables. Obviously they go through the phases of just spitting it out, throwing food at you. You're born with the most taste buds in the world, so the reason why kids gravitate toward chicken nuggets and mac 'n' cheese is because of the neutral flavor." We got the mother of one and stepmother of two to share her secrets of sneaking in the good stuff (plus a few of her favorite veggie-packed recipes!). Source: Getty / Jemal Countess, Libby's

The biggest mistake you can make is: "When you are a working mother, or a busy parent, and you want to get food on the table, you fall back on certain habits because you just want to get them to eat as opposed to not eating.

"And I think that maybe sometimes we give up too soon. We tend to say, 'Oh, my son doesn't like peas, so let me eliminate that. And let me find other vegetables.' A lot of times they're pretty picky, and if you come up with new ways [to serve them], you shouldn't give up on the peas right away. They change from week to week."

How getting them involved can help: "I'll tell them to help me get the food out of the refrigerator, or you can talk about the vegetable, and cut it up and make it exciting, and you model the behavior of you eating it, and you kind of make it a little more fun. That's why I love Libby's vegetables in a cup. Number one, any time you see things in a cup, or in the snack drawer — every mom has that snack drawer where the kids go to where they think it's the best stuff — because it comes in a cup, they think it's not so good for you, which is good for me!"

Don't rule out veggies for breakfast: "Eggs are such a great healthy protein for a child, and I put broccoli in eggs, I put peas in eggs; I do it all. And sometimes it's not a combination that, me as a chef, would use, but the kids? They'll eat it!"

Packaged food doesn't have to be the enemy: "I don't have the time that my mother had to go fresh grocery shopping four days a week. I live in the city. I think there are really good products today — but I always say read the nutritional label, because the labels on the front can be very deceptive. You shouldn't feel guilty about using these . . . I have chicken nuggets in my freezer, but they're organic and made with whole-grain breadcrumbs. So you really try to do the best that you can."

Glazed Carrots With Spicy Pecans

These glazed carrots with spicy pecans are a surprisingly easy way to get your kids to embrace cooked carrots (and would wow company at a dinner party as well!).

Little Ears Pasta With Peas, Mint, and Ricotta

This easy pasta dish is packed with fresh flavors and makes a perfect early Spring main course. Try Donatella's little ears pasta with peas, mint, and ricotta for your family tonight.