1. The power of prep. It's morning snack time, your child is ravenous and you grab the easiest thing: toast, a cheese stick, a yogurt tube. Not bad, but if you'd thought ahead and pre-chopped organic carrots, cucumbers, broccoli and red peppers, you could serve up a plate of vegetables with a ranch dressing dip instead. "We want our kids to eat more vegetables, but we don't have them ready to grab, so we turn to the bag of chips or pretzels," says Karen Schachter, a certified nutrition counselor and an expert in the psychology of eating, who says prepping your veggie snacks is key.

2. Get them cooking. Another way to increase interest in vegetables is to include your child in the meal preparation or let him put the veggies on the plate himself. "When kids are helping to prepare a meal, it makes a big difference," says Schachter. They are also more likely to eat their vegetables if their vegetables look like something fun. Arrange vegetables in the shape of a face atop a cheese quesadilla, on an open-face sandwich or in some unusual form on a plate, such as a hand with fingers, or a princess fairy wand.

3. Crunchy goodness. Shake it up even more by roasting thinly sliced vegetables after lightly coating them with olive oil and baking to create a chip-like treat. Schachter does this with kale. She slices the tough ribs from the washed and dried kale, lightly coats the leaves in olive oil and sea salt, then bakes them at 320 degrees for about 20 minutes. Her children and their friends crave it.

4. Veggies under cover. When all else fails, go ahead and hide your vegetables. Add cauliflower to mashed potatoes, hide pureed vegetables such as broccoli, kale pesto and tomatoes in meatloaf. Sneak squash, sweet potatoes and zucchini into your tomato sauce. This approach doesn't get your child used to eating veggies, but at least he'll get the nutrition.

Allergy-proof party food
Serving kids party food that is healthy, festive and allergy-safe doesn't have to be a challenge, says Schachter. For savory treats, she suggests popcorn seasoned with sea salt, gluten-free pretzels and all-natural seasoned nori strips. Sweet potato chips, beet chips and plantain chips pair well with guacamole and salsa and are corn- and wheat-free. While not necessarily weighing in as health foods, these are transitional foods rather than junk foods, and they contain some health benefits. When in doubt, keep in mind that some of the most common allergy triggers are gluten, wheat, dairy, soy, corn and strawberries.

For sweet treats in the summer, mold your own Popsicles by freezing fruit and juice, or blend the frozen ingredients into a colorful smoothie. For nibbling year-round, try agave-sweetened rice cakes and dairy- and wheat-free fig bars. And don't forget the chocolate. Chocolate lovers of any age will enjoy peanut-free dark chocolate cut into small squares.