Colorful pancakes

My nephews, as many small children, are picky eaters. They can identify a vegetable quickly enough to run away from it before their parents notice they're gone from the table. Myself, I eat my vegetables because I HAVE to, not because I WANT to, and I've admitted before that I don't eat enough greens. How can this situation be reversed? With a bit of imagination, of course. Veggies in disguise!

 

My brother adds colorful vegetables to the pancake mix, such as beets or carrots, to improve his family's diet. The children get to see the colorful pancakes, and even find them amusing, without noticing the nutritious veggies hidden inside. I decided to try this clever solution and see if I could fool myself. I chose grated beet, because it gives a lovely red color and is slightly sweet.

I added the beet and pancake mix in a blender and obtained a VERY red mix. Maybe I shouldn't have used the whole beet, but I'm still learning. After making the pancakes, I decided they didn't look appetizing enough for children. I might trick myself into eating them, but a small child would probably reject them, so I got creative.

Using cookie cutters and a knife, I made flower petals, a stem and a leaf. I placed them properly on a plate, added a tiny bit of cream cheese in the center and poured maple syrup all over my improvised flower. Voilà! Now it looks interesting.

Flavor-wise, the pancakes tasted a bit funny. Nothing the syrup couldn't disguise, but I could appreciate a strange flavor when I tasted them plain. However, I could be fooled by this preparation and I think it's a great idea to introduce more veggies in our diets. Do you have your own tricks for picky eaters? Share with us in the comments!

P.S.: EVERY picture in this post was taken by me. I know they aren't excellent but I'm still learning, so please be patient and overlook any mistakes. Any tips on food photography, btw?