Kids are notorious for being picky eaters. They love peanut butter sandwiches one day, and the next day when you give them their favorite it's like you're poisoning them! Getting kids to eat healthy is one of the biggest challenges parents face on a daily basis.

There are a few cookbooks being sold today that give parents directions on how to hide vegetables in popular kids foods - sweet potatoes in grilled cheese, spinach in brownies and cauliflower in tomato sauce are a few examples. You don't have to resort to cooking special recipes to trick your kids into eating better. Kids will benefit from seeing real vegetables on their plate, and eating them in their natural state. They will learn to recognize what is healthy and will take these lessons into adulthood.

Can't get your kids to sit still at the table for 5 minutes, let alone make a dent in their food? Try these five games that can be used at meal or snack time and your kids will be eating healthier faster than you can say "eat your veggies!"

1. Carnivore or Herbivore? Most preschoolers love dinosaurs and know more names than their parents! In this game, the parent is the narrator of the "story" and the kids "act" out the scene. Instruct your kids that they will be the dinosaur, and the parent starts off (in a deep voice perhaps), "I see a Tyrannosaurus Rex at my table! T-Rex LOVES meat! T-Rex is a carnivore!" Then instruct the kids to pretend to be a T-Rex by taking a bite of the meat on their plate. Then follow with, "Stegosaurus LOVES plants - he eats plants from the tallest trees! Do I see a Stegosaurus in my kitchen?" If you and your children are not so familiar with the eating habits of the popular dinosaurs, you can preempt the meal with a reading of their favorite dinosaur book to refresh your memories. In addition to eating better, this game is a great exercise in memory and learning.
2. I Spy Most parents rely on this game during long car rides but it's equally fun and beneficial at the kitchen table. It serves as a great way to get kids to spend more than 3 minutes in their chair without getting distracted and wanting to leave. And by incorporating the foods on their plate into the game you can get them to eat even the greenest of veggies. The game goes something like this - the parent will start with, "I spy with my little eye, something that is orange and crunchy." Instruct your kids before the game starts that instead of answering with a word, like carrot, that they are to take a bite of the answer instead. The first person to take a bite (and chew and swallow) gets to go next. The ideas for this are only limited to what you put on their plate. You can even use the same vegetable twice by mixing up the clue, for example, "I spy...something that rabbits love to eat."
3. Taking Turns This game works best with more than one kid, but if you only have one child you can join in and be the second player. This game celebrates the differences of everyone sitting at the table. The parent starts off with, "We'll be eating by taking turns tonight. Don't take a bite until it's your turn! OK, first it's the boy's turn! If you are a boy, take a bite of your food." Other ideas for differences are shirt colors, hair color, ages, first letters of names...the ideas are limitless.
4. Simon Says This game does not require much explanation. Mix up common directions with eating food. For example, "Simon Says pick up your fork, Simon Says put down your fork, Simon Says pick up your string bean, Simon Says take a bite, Finish your green bean....I didn't say Simon Says!"

5. Musical Plates This variation of musical chairs works better at snack time. Use place settings instead of chairs. On each plate, you will put one kind of snack, for example, carrot sticks on one plate, bell pepper strips on another, etc. Try to put one fun snack out, like goldfish crackers or graham crackers. Even if you have one kid, you can still set out 2 or 3 plates - just adjust the amount of food you use at each plate. Instruct each kid to stand in front of a plate and take one piece of the snack and eat it. When they are done, start the music. The kids walk around the table until the music stops. Then they take a piece of snack from the plate they stopped in front of. When they are done, start the music and continue until one plate is empty. Remove the plate and keep playing until all of the plates are removed. Unlike the original musical chairs, no kids are eliminated during the game - the point is to keep them eating their healthy snack until the game is over.

Here are a few runner-up games your kids may enjoy!

• Rainbow Veggies Make a rainbow on their plate using bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, green beans, etc.
• Veggie Dippers Kids love dipping their food almost as much as they enjoy eating with their hands! Offer a few healthy dips, such as MSG-free ranch dressing, hummus or even ketchup! Give each kid their own dipping cups so they can double-dip as often as they like.
• Veggie/Fruit Creations Keeping vegetables and fruits looking in their natural state, make fun combinations, like ants on a log (celery stick with cream cheese filling and raisins stuck in the cream cheese) or funny plate faces (apple slice smile, broccoli nose, string bean hair, grape tomato eyes). Kids can even make their own!