Hidden gems

_{"Rhubarb muffins" © 2010 S Schlingen Creative Commons Licence}

I love fruit and veg but I didn't like them as a child.  Now I have a toddler who will never knowingly eat them either.  And she's not the only one - some of the adults in my family are not that keen.

So I have to get creative about how I cook them.  But the good news is that I have found lots of things I can sneak both fruit and veg into that the little one and the rest of the family will wolf down.

Some of her favourites - and mine because they are quick to cook - are :

• Really cheesy pasta sauce blended with green veg - spinach and broccoli work very well which is great because they're packed full with good stuff!
• Home made smoothies made of yoghurt, orange juice, a banana to thicken and whatever fruit there is in the house - everyone loves these!
• Fruit muffins are the quickest thing in the world to make and they freeze well.  Just grate or mush the fruit and stir into mixture.  Banana & pineapple both yummy!
• Veg muffins savoury muffins - without any sugar - are also tasty.  Red onion, carrot and spinach and red pepper have all been popular.
• Tomato pasta sauce can hide all sorts of veg! I make a bit pot of very tomatoey sauce with lots of carrots, mushrooms and courgettes, leave it to cool and then blend to hide the veg

We've also enjoyed blended curry sauce, grated apple in cheese on toast, banana cake, banana custard and nice thick creamy soups.

Are you a fruit and veg fan or do you prefer to hide it away inside other stuff? Have you got any hidden gems of your own to share?

Note to self it doesn't matter how you eat it as long as you enjoy it!

Did you know? fruit and vegetables are rich in fibre that helps to flush away the "bad" cholesterol that can block your blood vessels