Someone has to say STOP!

Growing up, many of my friends thought that vegetables came in a can.... no, seriously, THEY DID! Vegetables were supposed to be mushy, and mostly gray. They were tasteless globs that sat on their plate, untouched and unloved...poor veggies! They came from a can, got warmed in a microwave and sat untouched and uneaten on their plates, their final destination: the garbage disposal. Their parents tried to get them to eat them; they threatened, they pleaded, they covered them with Velveeta, but to no avail!

So what was wrong with the veggies we grew up on? They weren't FRESH. They were processed and salted and shoveled into cans that sat on shelves for months, sometimes years! Who wants to eat that???? Seriously folks, do you want to eat salty, overly processed, months old food? EWWWWWW!!!!!! So why in the world are you serving it to your kids?? An alternative to canned veggies is frozen. It's almost as good as fresh, as the veggies are usually flash frozen right after being harvested. If you are a busy mom, as most of us are, then frozen veggies can help you keep your family in the healthy veggie business.

We do what we learn, what we grow up with, what we are used to as the norm. If you grew up on veggies from a can, then you are probably pleading with your kids to eat the mushy peas on their plates. Peas come in PODS, people! Buy them fresh, let the kids help take them out of the pods (yes, they will actually think this is fun), let them taste them raw...then steam them, lightly, just a bit to warm them, but not enough to take the crunch out of them. Yes! Peas have a crunch! Most vegetables can be eaten raw and are very tasty that way. If not raw, then steam them or stir fry them lightly in olive oil. You will be amazed at the colors; veggies are not meant to be gray, or washed out, their colors are vibrant and attractive! The Skittles commercial is right in one thing: Eat the Rainbow! Vegetables come in a rainbow of colors, greens and yellows and oranges and reds and even purples and we are meant to eat them all!

It's time to put a stop to the mushy vegetable brigade. Just say NO! No, I won't feed my kids canned veggies! No, I won't microwave the veggies to death! No, I won't deny my kids the delicious crunch of a fresh vegetable prepared with love and care! No, I won't over-salt the veggies! As a matter of fact, I won't salt the veggies at all! Stop the vegetable insanity and start serving fresh, crunchy, colorful veggies...your kids will love them!

Now...don't get me started on canned fruit.......