If you want to succeed in converting your kids from junk-food eaters to vegetarian, here are some rules and tricks I've used myself:

Make trips to the farmers market every other day (make sure all your fruits and veggies are fresh, crisp and yummy looking).

Cook fresh food every day.

Never bring home foods you don't want your kids to eat. No matter how creative you get in hiding, - they get even more creative in finding them. We underestimate them.

For you kids birthdays never put any candy in the party bags, - toys and kiddy stationary only. Once you start doing so, at least some parents in your kids' class will follow.

When you fill up the form about your kids allergies for school, indicate that they are allergic to the foods you don't want them to eat. (I always indicate that my kids are allergic to milk, fried foods and artificial sweeteners, even thou they are not. I'm sure, God will forgive us for this little lie. It's for our kids' good).

When you go out with your kids, always bring snacks from home,- nuts, raisins, apples, baby carrots, grapes, pint-size bottles of spring water. If you fail to do so, you'll end up buying pizza, soda and ice cream.

When you cook, keep your kids in the kitchen. Ask them to help you, entertain them with food. Buy cute cutting boards, knifes, bowls... Ask them to peel carrots for you, cut fruits and veggies for the salad, etc. (I've been asking my kids to cut bananas and avocados with the plastic knives since they were 3). The trick is, - when they cut veggies, they eat them. (Bingo!).

When your kids come home hungry, never give them cookies (or snacks of similar food value) to keep them quiet till you cook a meal. The trick is, when kids are hungry (DON'T WASTE IT!!!), they'll eat anything: pieces of fresh cabbage, whole spinach leaves, chunks of cucumbers, avocados, bell peppers, carrots, apples, nuts.
IMPORTANT: they won't eat all these good things if they know you have Chinese, fried chicken or pizza leftovers in the fridge.

Educate them. When you see those junk food commercials on the TV (for those foods that "do your body good", "make your bones strong", "give you calcium you need"), tell your kids, that this simply isn't true. They'll start asking questions (Mommy, why? All the kids in school eat it). Be prepared to answer in plain language. They'll believe you, - after all you are a trusted parent they love.

Never send your kids hungry to the other kids birthday parties. Make sure their tummies are full with good stuff from home and have very little room for party foods.



Here's what my kids take to school for lunch.
I always cook one of the following grains the night before: buckwheat, brown rice (in the rice cooker), bulgur wheat, barley, green peas. Sometimes - pasta, white rice or corn-on-a-cob. I mix them with a little olive oil, so the grains don't stick together when grains cool. This improves the taste too. No heating required, these grains should be eaten at the room temperature.

There is always one container with grains (read above) and a second container with chunks of vegetables your kids like. I also put half an apple (two quarters, seeded, but not peeled) or some grapes in a sandwich bag.
Pint-size water bottle. No fruit juices (they are just as bad as sodas).

Very simple, but works great.
Hope, you find this information useful.

Good luck.
Vickie.