One of my absolute favorite things about spring is the seasonal veggie variety it offers for cooking healthy family dinners and packing nutritious lunches. After a winter’s worth of squash, spring vegetables such as asparagus and peas are a welcome change!

If your little ones are anything like mine, you might be able to relate to the challenge of convincing them that certain foods (ahem – a lot of foods) are actually quite delicious. I’ve found offering the same vegetables in varying shapes and forms often leads to discovering a winning preparation in which plates are polished.

Here are a few easy and tasty ideas for preparing asparagus and peas (my personal spring veggie favorites) that passed the test in our house:

Oven Roasted Asparagus: This one requires minimal effort and my kids love it. I’ve found the make or break trick is to trim and peel the tougher bits, leaving the asparagus spears easy to bite into.
Pea Sandwich – Fresh peas are such a treat! For health and environmental reasons my family aims to eat vegetarian a few times per week and with 8 grams of protein per cup serving peas can make an amazing meat substitute. Instead of a traditional deli meat sandwich, why not try a pea sandwich? And to level it up a notch, when made with a fresh focaccia base, this twist on the standard sandwich might even result in your little ones proclaiming “more peas please!”
A Green Addition: Add fresh peas and/or asparagus into entree dishes such as pasta and stir fry.
Crunchy Roasted Peas – Sometimes texture is the ultimate game changer for winning kids over and this recipe makes a great on the go snack.

What other spring veggie recipes are a hit with your family? Share your favorites in the comments below!

About the Author

Nancy Yen is the founder of OmieLife, and developed the OmieBox after realizing there must be a better way to pack lunches for her young sons. She enjoys challenging conventional wisdom, and is always looking for a better way to do things.

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