(Easy) homemade ranch dressing. {Getting kids to eat their veggies}
Somehow we raised three (out of four) little boys who ate their vegetables willingly. I mean, they ate their vegetables gladly. Like: no battles. Sure, they avoided a few specific varieties: mushrooms and beets I believe, but from asparagus, to steamed broccoli, to spinach and kale salads, they were all in. In fact, raw onions were a favorite to those first three.
Of course those first three were born during my husband’s medical school and residency years, when Dave was especially aware of the link between diet and disease. He’s always fallen into the “eat to live” rather than “live to eat” category anyways, but he wanted to raise boys who also saw food as fuel. I have memories of him opening the fridge, grabbing a pinch of raw spinach, turning to one of the young boys and saying “open”. They opened their mouth, he inserted the spinach and they ate it. Just like that. No tears. No arguments.
Crazy, right?
Well I had no idea just how crazy that was until son #4 arrived and was innately determined to never, ever, ever join the “open mouth and insert spinach” club.
Son #4 resisted veggies from the start. He didn’t want to eat them on his own and he most certainly didn’t want anyone shoving them into his mouth.
In fact, to this day watching him eat a miniature serving of salad (because we do require that much) is a sight to behold: He pushes the salad around his plate, studies each baby spinach leaf, and cuts it in half. And then again. He dips it in dressing, then wipes a bit of dressing off…all the while hoping that the family might all fall into a deep sleep from the exhaustion of watching him so he can quietly dump it all in the trash and be done. When he realizes we will not quit watching, he slowly, ever-so-carefully inserts his barely loaded fork into his barely open mouth. Starting always with a dramatic gag, he then begins to slowly chew, contorting his face fifteen ways until four or five minutes later the entire family is leaned over the table screaming “JUST SWALLOW IT!” and in a painful moment…he does. I don’t know if it’s more a battle of wills, or a dislike for vegetables, but either way, trust me when I say: you don’t want to have dinner with us when there is salad on Levi’s plate.
Perhaps you also have had a kid or two who entered the world at odds with vegetables. If so then I’m sure you have stories, too. (Talk to me in comments, would you? Misery loves company)
Thankfully we discovered the fruit/veggie packets that come in little squeezable containers (found in baby food section of the grocery store), and Levi still uses those to supplement his diet. (We tease him that one day I’ll send care packages to college filled with Gerber squeezable fruit and veggie mixes.) He also eats Juice Plus gummies every day, which are a whole food supplement containing 17 raw fruits and veggies. (quick note on that at the bottom of this post.) And because of those two things, at least I can sleep at night.
And yes, I have learned all of the sneaky techniques of packing mixed or blended vegetables into meatballs, smoothies, muffins, and anywhere else I possibly can.
But the truth is: I want my kids to LIKE vegetables. I want Levi to eat them willingly. (a mom can dream…)
So onward I march.
We have made some progress: In the last year Levi announced that he likes raw carrots, and cucumbers “sometimes.” He likes them, he says, IF he can dip them in ranch dressing.
Whatever, kid. Here’s your ranch, now show me your stuff.
I have bought my share of ranch dressings at the grocery store, and I let him dip and double dip his carrots, celery, and cucumbers. But knowing that most ranch dressings off the shelf are full of preservatives and ingredients I cannot pronounce, I wanted to nail a recipe he would like that I could make at home. It was way easier than I thought, and in case a few of you could use it too, I thought I would share my homemade ranch dressing recipe here.
This recipe is simple — simple is usually the best when it comes to kids’ preferences. If I put in too many herbs (or as Levi calls them “what are those GREEN THINGS!!!??”) then he won’t like it. So I keep the “green things” to a minimum. As always, I suggest you vary the herbs as fits your family’s tastes.
Also, most ranch dressing recipes call for buttermilk, but mine does not. This is because I rarely have buttermilk on hand, and honestly, I like using fresh milk and fresh lemon juice (which combined is also a short-cut for making buttermilk.) I add whatever herbs I have on hand, but pretty much always use dill, garlic salt, parsley, sea salt and pepper. Also, you’ll see I list mayonnaise as “optional”. I usually leave it out, but it does add that nice mayonnaise zing, so sometimes I add it. Totally up to you.
The first time Levi tried this (with a raw carrot stick) he announced, “This tastes like CANDY!” hahaha… Then he said it was ten times better than the store-bought kind. OK then. I’ll keep making it.
Here’s the printable recipe:
(Easy) homemade ranch dressing.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup sour cream to make it thicker for just dipping, you might want a full cup.
- 1/2 cup 2% or whole milk
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise --optional. I use the olive oil based kind
- <span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"><span></span>1 Tablespoon lemon juice to mix with milk to make buttermilk + <span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"><span class="hiddenSpellError" pre="" data-mce-bogus="1">1-2tsp</span></span>. lemon juice for dressing/dip</span>
- <span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"><span></span>1-2 <span class="mceItemHidden" data-mce-bogus="1"><span class="hiddenGrammarError" pre="1-2 " data-mce-bogus="1">tsp tsp</span></span>. dried parsley or if fresh chopped, you can use up to 2 Tablespoons</span>
- 1/2 tsp. dried dill weed
- 1/2-1 tsp. sea salt I use a full teaspoon
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
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Combine the milk and lemon juice in a small bowl and let sit for ten minutes (this is the cheater version of buttermilk)
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Combine the sour cream, milk/lemon juice mixture, mayonnaise, and all herbs with a whisk until smooth
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Put into a sealed container and refrigerate.
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Use to dip veggies or toss on a salad.
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ENJOY!
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Keep container in fridge for up to a couple of weeks
Hope your family likes this too. And if you have any genius ways to get your kids to eat vegetables, please share in comments. Or…feel free to tell your own stories about kids and vegetables. They put us through this stuff, we should at least get to laugh about it.
Aloha and see you soon!
Monica
PS: ABOUT JUICE PLUS: Our family has been taking Juice Plus for around 18 years (since before my first son was born.) I spent some years working as a distributor supporting Doctors who offered it to their patients, and though I do not do it so much as a business now, I have kept my distributorship and we all take it faithfully. (CLICK HERE to check it out.) If you or your children could use more fruits and veggies in your diet, I do believe Juice Plus is an excellent product, and would love for you to use my link to order. (My hubby has read the medical research behind it and also believes it is a great supplement!) Also should note: When I make smoothies I also use the Juice Plus complete powder. Let me know if you have questions or need help figuring out what to order! 😉
How do you get your older boys to continue to eat healthy when you aren’t around? When my brother, sister, and I were little kids my parents never gave us processed foods. However, as we got into high school and college and my parents couldn’t control what we ate, we all made, and continue to make bad food choices. My sister is definitely in the obese category and my brother, although skinny, has high cholesterol, and 3 kids and a lack of will power has me about 15 pounds above where I should be. I really have no idea what to do with my own kids (4, 2, and 6 months) because my parents shoving veggies and healthy foods down our throats as kids obviously had no lasting impact.
great question, Cassie! I honestly think a huge key is to educate kids practically. Since my husband is a doctor, he will tell stories of people who are literally dying because of the food choices they have made over a lifetime. He doesn’t do it inappropriately, and we totally eat in moderation in our home (which i also think is helpful– sugar and fat are not forbidden fruit so much as enjoyed in moderation.) The more kids understand that they have one body for this one life, the more likely they are to want to take care of it. But kids will still tend to be drawn to what tastes good (and is easy–and cheap, if using their own money) and my boys will also make bad food choices more often when they are on their own. We can only do so much but there is much we can do! 🙂
what age should children begin juice plus?
Gloria–Great question. I used to open the adult Juice Plus capsules and put half of one into my babies food! 🙂 I continued to do that until they were old enough for the chewables. We gave our kids the chewable gummies as soon as they were old enough to chew them. (I forget but pretty young!) When they are little I just gave them half of a normal dose of the chewable, so that saved a bit, but from the time they are elementary age they can handle a full dose (two chewables of each blend.) Hope that helps and please let me know if I can help in any way. 🙂 Aloha!
I do the same thing for my daugher, she’s a bit younger but doesn’t like veggies…I give fruit and veggie packs although she sips my green smoothies and is finally starting to eat some other veggies, hurray! Another interesting food issue…my son (7 yrs) LOVES animals, he reads about them all the time and loves to watch animal shows, etc. As he has become old enough to realize that he is eating fish or chicken, etc., he is feeling sad about eating it. Have you ever dealt with this? My husband and I are working on how to give him freedom for his feelings but we don’t really want it to become a big thing, we’re not vegetarians and I think he’s young to make that choice. I’ve tried to share how God provided for us, but he’s having a hard time taking that viewpoint. He’s a really sensitive soul! So far he’s not refusing, just feeling bad about it although he seems to move on quickly (which is why we’re trying not to make a big thing of it). Thanks for the recipe–I’ll definitely be trying it.
Kristen–thank you for commenting. Well done with the veggies for sure! 🙂 As for your son…first of all, how sweet! Though we haven’t really had that struggle here, I can see how it could be confusing and sad for a little guy. It sounds like you are handling it as well as you can. Maybe your son will grow up to be a vegetarian, but I agree for now he is a bit young to make that choice. Probably best to just keep doing what you’re doing–don’t make a big issue out of it and keep conversations about cute animals separate from meal time, haha. let me know how it goes though! 🙂 Much love and thanks for taking the time to stop in!
Thanks for sharing this post. I still struggle a bit with trying to get my kid to eat enough vegetables,. Example: getting him to eat broccoli I cook it in my stir fry it with olive oil add carrots, chicken and seasoned it with soy sauce. That seems to help. He likes it and actually eats it, not all of it all the time but enough that he is at least getting his vegetables.
Thanks for this recipe, Monica! I love it when you post recipes. I’m still using the baked pumpkin oatmeal recipe! I have twin boys, and one is averse to veggies. He doesn’t like ranch dressing (says he doesn’t, but I don’t think he’s given it a chance). I’m going to make this and have him help me tweak the seasonings to his liking (he’s 14 and has gotten into cooking some because of Boy Scouts). I’m glad you posted about Juice Plus. We used them for a long time and have gotten lax about it. This is a good reminder. I’ve been so impressed with the doctor backing it has–doctors who really care about nutrition and fitness. I’ve finally gotten a “formula” for green drinks that my picky eater loves. I keep sneaking more greens into it, and he doesn’t notice. I do think the “tolerance” grows. Thanks so much for caring for our body, minds and spirits with your posts!
Hi Monica,
Great post! I would like to know if the “tocopherols” in the Juice Plus capsule supplements are derived from soy or if they contain any derivatives of soy at all?
Thank you!
Hey Andrea–Oh wow, I need to look into that one, I’m not sure. I’ll try to find out for you and get back to you. 🙂 Much aloha-
Thank you!
It’s got to be the 4th kid thing–my first three never, ever threw a single tantrum or told me “no.” I thought I’d done something amazing as a parent, and then my fourth came along, and she threw enough tantrums to make up for the others! Something about that fourth child . . . 😉
I have a kid who’ll eat any vegetable but doesn’t like fruit. I’m not even sure how to get around that one. It is bizarre to me! I make my kids eat some salad every night when we serve it, and they all love a platter of cut radishes, carrots, red peppers, etc. before dinner (especially served with guacamole). I’ve found if they’re hungry enough, and there’s nothing else to eat, they’ll all dig in.
This made me laugh this morning!! I have six kids and most of them do great with eating their vegis but one sure fire way we like to fix them is to roast them. It brings out so much yummy flavor. The first time we roasted broccoli my son announced it tasted like a potato chip. I only have one child, my second oldest who hates vegis. It sounds like the gagging scene you described. Unless it’s a potato that is mashed (haha) he’s out. Then my two children on either side of him love them. My oldest’s fav food list includes broccoli and sweet potatoes. Which is great as a mom. The only other thing I can get him to eat sometimes with vegis is an omelet. But only occasionally. This mom battle can be tricky when it comes to getting them to eat vegis and just all around healthy. Thanks for the recipe. My kids love ranch as well.
Well Chantel, with six kids I think I’d just say they’re lucky if they get fed, haha. Well done, Momma! The gagging is pretty funny, right? Sounds like overall you’ve done great. I personally love roasted veggies so thanks for that reminder…I need to make more of those for my little guy! Blessings to you and thanks for letting me know I’m not totally alone. XO
I love this post & recipe. I have 3 boys and was wondering what I did wrong that my middle son is such a PICKY eater. Thanks for the encouragement to just keep feeding him healthy food, even if he turns up his nose. And look forward to trying your Ranch dip! Have you ever tried yours with Greek yogurt instead of sour cream? I have seen recipes that do that, but didn’t know if it’d be too tangy with the lemon juice. Thanks again 🙂
Thank you Julie–and always good to know I’m not alone. 😉 I haven’t tried it with greek yogurt but I’m sure it’d be great. I would probably leave out the lemon juice at first to see and add it later if it needs it. Let me know if it turns out well and I can add a note! 🙂 Blessings to you- aloha
Thanks for sharing, my kids eat their veggies pretty well, but they think ranch dressing is its own food group, ha! So I’m always looking for a healthier homemade version they would like! We are going to give a try.