Salad can be tricky for most kids to enjoy. For one, we don’t often serve kids salad and two, lots of greens can have a slightly bitter taste. Here are some things I’ve found that help my kids eat and enjoy salad greens:

1. Chop everything very small so it’s less intimidating for kids to eat.
   
2. Add fruit. Seeing pieces of their favorite fruit makes the salad feel more exciting.
   
3. A yummy dressing. Figure out what kind of dressing your child enjoys by trying a few different kinds.
   
4. Try a different presentation. Separate parts of the salad into bowls then let your child add them to a plate or bowl. You can also try serving the dressing on the side to dip pieces of lettuce into.

Keep experimenting with new ways to eat lettuce and exposing those kiddos to let them make friends with the crunchy greens!

This mashed chickpea salad is a vegetarian version of the classic tuna salad! The perfect no-cook meal that you can easily make in minutes. When served on lettuce “boats,” this quick meal instantly becomes extra fun for littles to eat as well as getting some extra veggies in!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 cups cooked and drained chickpeas
  
• 1 stalk celery, diced
  
• 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, or to taste
  
• 1-2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  
• 1/4 cup mayo or Greek yogurt, or to taste
  
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon onion powder, or to taste
  
• Salt & pepper, to taste
  
• Lettuce leaves, washed and patted dry

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pour the cooked and drained chickpeas into a medium bowl. Using a potato masher or fork, mash the chickpeas until there are no more whole beans and to your desired consistency.
   
2. Add diced celery, lemon juice/apple cider vinegar, mustard, mayo/Greek yogurt, onion powder, salt and pepper to the bowl. Mix well.
   
3. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Add more mayo/yogurt for a creamier salad.
   
4. Arrange the prepped lettuce leaves (these will become your “boats”) on a serving platter or individual plates. Fill each one with a scoop or two of the mashed chickpea salad.
   
5. Enjoy as is or top with sliced tomatoes, shredded carrots or diced avocado.

We love making whole meals in one color! It helps get my picky eaters more interested in the foods that they are still exploring. Have your children pick 4-5 green colored foods to serve for a meal. They can even help prepare them with you! Serve them up on a color themed plate or even in a muffin tin to make it more like a sampling platter. Do the different foods taste, look, and smell different even though they are the same color? There are SO many great green foods out there. Have fun picking which ones to add to your monochromatic plate!