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You’re stuck at home with the kids and trying to be healthy, but they won’t eat anything green except M&Ms. How do you get them eating something healthy without making them overweight?

Some of these methods aren’t really low calorie, but you have to start somewhere, and getting the fruits and vegetables in the diet are a good place to start. These also work for adults, but you shouldn’t be sneaky about it, and you really shouldn’t lie to your spouse.

If you have a mashed potato lover, mix the mashed potatoes with mashed cauliflower, equal parts of each. With gravy, it may not be noticed. You can also puree some vegetables into the gravy. Try using vegetable beef soup pureed into beef gravy or cooked carrots and peas. Pureed vegetables lose a little of their value, but not all. It’s better than no vegetables at all.

Add some pureed butternut squash to macaroni and cheese. Adding a little extra cheddar cheese might help mask the squash, but you might not need it.

Topping vegetables with cheese, especially if there’s a cheese lover in the family, might make them look like they’re worth a try.

Try using spaghetti squash instead of pasta for noodle dishes.

For kids who are more adventurous, you might be able to find recipes online that they can help you make. If kids help make them they are more likely to try them.

Freeze fresh, cut-up strawberries, whole raspberries, banana pieces and other fruit pieces and use them in smoothies with a touch of milk or yogurt, or water to lower the calorie count. It’s quite refreshing on a hot day and there’s no need for added sugar. This is probably the easiest thing to get your kids to try. After they star liking smoothies, you can begin to add some veggies like spinach or kale.

Keep fruit easily accessible so it’s easier for kids to grab the fruit than search for it in the refrigerator. Suggest cheese and crackers or nuts before candy bars or chips. Limit the amount of high-calorie, low-nutrition foods that are available.

In other words, find a really, really good hiding place for the emergency chocolate.

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Contact Johanna Eubank at jeubank@tucson.com

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