Yes, I’m The Sneaky Chef and I’m known for hiding healthy foods in kids’ favorite meals…..however, this post is from my alter ego, The not so Sneaky Chef! There are certain fun, healthy foods that most kids will eat without any arm-twisting. This is probably the least sneaky of all of my tricks because most mothers have figured out which fruits and vegetables their kids will think of as snacks and not resist. More often than not, they are finger foods of some kind. For reasons child psychologists haven’t figured out, children like little foods they can hold in their hand and pop in their mouth. They provide kids with a kind of mini-adventure in the culinary realm. The moment they have to use a knife and fork, it isn’t so fun anymore.

Through experimentation, I have pinpointed the top 10 unusual, surprisingly popular fruits and vegetables that (most) kids will eat without a fight:

1. Artichokes, whole
2. Edamame (soybeans), in pod
3. Strawberries
4. Sweet green peas, in shell
5. Grapes
6. Cherries
7. Pomegranates
8. Popcorn
9. Snap peas, raw
10. Corn on the cob

And just in case your kids aren't willing to try these new foods, here are my top 5 ways to entice kids to eat the above healthy foods in their natural, undisguised state:

1. Offer the new food without competition - don't put out the snap peas you want them to try next to their favorite bowl of chips.
2. Make sure the kids are hungry when you set out a new food.
3. Don't tell them this new food is "healthy" or that they "must" try it.
4. Eat it yourself - let the kids see you enjoying the food you want them to try.
5. Call the new food a "special treat."
   
   What's your child's favorite fruit or vegetable?