Vegetables vs Sons

Do you have one of these?

Yours may be of a younger variety.  My teenager is 16 and going on 30.  He is stubborn and often plays opossum when I ask him to do dishes, walk the dog, clean his room, and EAT VEGETABLES!  I've found myself being the sneaky mom as I try to be creative in the kitchen.  It is a challenge! Besides trying to master the art of making chocolate-covered broccoli, I have done it all.  I know his pediatrician would like him to get about SIX servings of fruits and vegetables a day.  I'm lucky to get THREE into him!  He is too grown up for me to make airplane sounds as I try to feed him on a spoon. 

Here is my "rush" meal of the week (less than 10 minutes).  Buy the stuffed pasta. This one is the tortellini with cheese and Italian sausage.  It cooks in 4 minutes.  Drain.  Then add a little olive oil, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasonings.  Lastly, throw in a bag of fresh spinach chopped.  To make it more colorful, add some fresh grape tomatoes. 
"Vegetating" a meal does not require you to be a master chef.  Over time, make a note of the things you've tried, and repeat those that worked.  Before you know it, you will have a cookbook of goodies, and your teen would be up to his daily quota of vegetables.
--- The "Sneaky" Mom

So what do I do?  I make the most of every meal.  I limit the snacks in the house.  After soccer practice, his hunger is at its highest which makes limiting his options more effective. I make dinner each day about 4PM.  As soon as he walks in the door, starving from his only workout of the week (I can't count playing video games as a workout), there is a freshly made salad on the counter.  He may use a little "extra" ranch, but he will fill a small bowl and devour it in minutes.  I stopped adding the cheese and bacon bits, after realizing he would take all of the toppings and only one or two pieces of lettuce.   I buy the bags of salad mix with a variety of leafy greens and toss extra handfuls of spinach in it.