This simple bright green dip is such a fun way to celebrate peas! Little chefs can add the peas to the food processor or blender, scoop in the avocado, and measure the other simple ingredients in the recipe. The hummus takes a little while to get smooth, so don’t worry if you check on it and return to blending a couple of times. Do a countdown and put on some music and dance while the hummus is blending away. This makes about 4 cups of dip, so if you want to make a smaller batch, just cut all the measurements in half.

Many kids are big dip fans so blending veggies into a dip is a great way to introduce them to veggies in a form other than simply raw or cooked.

Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.

These kid-friendly sushi rolls are a healthy lunch option. Have your kiddos help assemble the Cucumber Sushi and get creative with the filling!

Get your kids in the kitchen! To make the assembly super simple for children, first fill small bowls or ramekins with each filling (i.e. cubed avocado, sliced string cheese, cooked rice, bell pepper strips, etc.). Encourage them to snack as they assemble their Cucumber Sushi!

Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.

For this easy, colorful salad, you can really use whatever fresh veggies your family enjoys. Mix up the types of lettuce you use and try out different toppings as well. I really love to make this salad a more complete meal by adding some crumbled feta or goat cheese and some sliced almonds. You can also add some cooked chicken or shrimp too. The dressing is so simple and sweet. Plus, the pink color makes it extra fun for kids!

This recipe was developed by Happy Kids Kitchen for Veggie Buds Club.

Salad can be tricky for most kids to enjoy. For one, we don’t often serve kids salad and two, lots of greens can have a slightly bitter taste. Here are some things I’ve found that help kids eat and enjoy salad greens:

1. Chop everything very small so it’s less intimidating for kids to eat.
2. Add fruit. Seeing pieces of their favorite fruit makes the salad feel more exciting.
3. A yummy dressing. Figure out what kind of dressing your child enjoys by trying a few different kinds.
4. Try a different presentation. Separate parts of the salad into bowls then let your child add them to a plate or bowl. You can also try serving the dressing on the side to dip pieces of lettuce into.

Keep experimenting with new ways to eat lettuce and exposing those kiddos to let them make friends with the crunchy greens!

Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more!

This is a fun brownie recipe that you can make with your kids that includes nutrition from peas, avocado, and hemp hearts! If you want to make them peanut free you can use almond butter or sun butter in place of the peanut butter.

​This recipe was developed by Motherhood and Meals for Veggie Buds Club.

Creating a good relationship with food means enjoying treats along the way. We like to add extra nourishment to treats by including some veggies in the ingredient list!

Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.

We are excited to bring you this month's post from Katie Blauser, the creator of Eat Pretty Darling. Each month on our blog we feature a "Color of the Week" that corresponds with Veggie Buds Club's veggie of the month. January's featured veggie is BROCCOLI so of course we're celebrating GREEN veggies!

This week is as easy one, GREEN! I think green is probably the easiest color to find in the produce section of your grocery store. But unfortunately, it can also be the hardest one to get your little ones to eat. You can find anything from fruit to vegetables, herbs to nuts. Green is such a fun color to take on for #eatprettycoloroftheweek and allows for so many options!
We picked out broccoli, spinach, avocado, and green onion and decided to make it into a savory pancake. Pancakes are always a favorite in our house so I thought it would be a great new way to introduce a food we’re still learning to like, broccoli. And what pairs better with broccoli than cheese?! These Broccoli & Cheese Pancakes are great served as pancakes for breakfast, dipped in ketchup as a side to any meal, or eaten just as they are!

Ingredients

• 2 cups broccoli florets
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 of an avocado
• 1 tablespoon green onions
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Flour ( optional )

Instructions

1. Place the broccoli florets into a food processor and pulse until it becomes a rice like texture. Add in eggs, mozzarella, avocado, green onions, salt & pepper. Pulse until mixture is combined. If you have trouble getting the batter to stick together, add a spoonful of flour to help it bond.
2. Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Pour in olive oil and scoop heaping spoonfuls of the mixture into pan. Lightly flatten with the back of the spoon. If it sticks, coat the spoon in olive oil.
3. Cook until lightly browned and carefully flip. Cook other side until lightly browned and remove from pan. Repeat until all of the broccoli batter is used up.
4. Serve breakfast style or with ketchup as a side dish to any meal!

We are excited to bring you a new monthly series from Katie Blauser, the creator of Eat Pretty Darling. Each month on our blog we will feature a "Color of the Week" that corresponds with Veggie Buds Club's veggie of the month. We're featuring BEANS this month so we can't wait to focus on GREEN veggies!

​Let’s face it, we don’t all have access to farm stands and gardens year round to source our fresh produce each week. It’s not always feasible to have our kids helping to grow the food we eat either. Most of us have to count on the grocery store to fill our bellies, but there’s still a fun way to get the kids involved!

Each week we head out to to grocery store with a color to find! We stick to the produce section and try to pick 4-5 items that fit our color. Sometimes it’s the color on the outside, sometimes it’s the color on the inside. It’s a great way to get the kids excited about trying new things! Let your kids pick the items out. We try to get at least one thing he likes and some other things he hasn’t tried or is still learning to like. Even if I’ve offered him something a million times, he gets more interested in trying it if he had a hand in picking it out. Getting kids involved every step of the way can help your picky eater become a little more adventurous. Now go explore your grocery store! A colorful bounty awaits.

Now what to do with all of your colorful food? Try to incorporate these items into your weekly meals. How about a totally green meal such as these Green Bean Sticks with Green Dip?!

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh green beans ends removed and cut in half
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 avocado pitted and diced
• 3 green onions, remove roots and dark green
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

  Instructions

1. Blanch green beans in lightly salted boiling water 2-3 minutes until beans are tender. Quickly plunge beans in ice water. Once cooled, drain beans and place in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Put basil, lime juice, avocado, green onions, honey, Parmesan, and garlic in a food processor. While pulsing, drizzle olive oil through top until dressing is smooth, scraping down sides if necessary. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
3. Serve the bean sticks & dip right away or place covered in the fridge until chilled.

The dip can also be used as a sauce over zucchini noodles (another all green meal!) or even spread on a piece of toast.
 
Get the kids involved in cooking!
​Here’s some ways they can help for this recipe:

• Tear up the basil leaves
• Break off the ends of the green beans
• Press the button on the food processor
• Pull the beans out of the ice bath

We hope you enjoy these 7 activities that teach your preschool-aged kids about the letter "A" (and that veggies and fruit are fun!).

Here are some of our recommended books featuring veggies & fruit and the letter "A":

• "Eating the Alphabet" by Lois Ehlert
• "The Apple Pie Tree" by Zoe Hall
• "Bad Apple: A Tale of Friendship" by Edward Hemingway
• "Curious George: Apple Harvest" by H. A. Rey
• "Ten Apples on Top" by Dr. Seuss
• "Up, Up, Up! It's Apple Picking Time" by Jody Fickes Shapire

Both my 2 and 4 year old had fun with this craft! I cut out some apple seed shapes and drew the lower case letter "a" and apple stem on construction paper. My 4 year old was able to trace the word "Apple", cut out the "a" and stem and use a glue stick to put the picture together. I assisted my 2 year old through the whole craft, he particularly enjoyed using the glue stick!

Download this FREE Letter "A" Tracing Sheet below:

Enjoy this simple kid-friendly recipe for Applesauce (we added a carrot because this is Veggie Buds Club!). Your kids can help peel and chop the apples and carrot. Have them measure and add the apple juice and then observe the rest of the process.

Ingredients

• 4 apples
• 1 carrot
• 1/2 cup apple juice

Instructions

1. Peel and chop apples and carrot.
2. Add apple juice, chopped apples, and chopped carrot to a large pot.
3. Simmer for about 20 minutes over medium heat until the carrots are tender
4. Place softened apples and carrots into a food processor or blender and process/blend until smooth.

Download these FREE Letter "A" Coloring Pages!

Here is a simple and fun "snacktivity" that is great for fine motor skills, problem solving, and encourages healthy eating. My 2 year old is not an apple fan (he's more of a berries and grapes guy) and he totally ate up these apple chunks on toothpicks!

This is a simple science experiment for young kids! Even if they're too young to process why oxidation happens, it is still great to expose them to the idea of a "science experiment" and "observation". Make sure they observe what the apple halves look like at the beginning of the experiment vs. the end!

Materials Needed

• Apple 
• Lemon Wedge
• Knife

Instructions

1. Cut the apple in half.
2. Rub the lemon wedge on the cut side of one of the apple slices.
3. Place both apple halves on a plate with the cut side exposed to air.
4. Check on your apple halves in about 3 hours and observe the differences.

The apple half that was not rubbed with lemon juice should have browned a bit and the apple half with lemon juice on it should still look fresh.
There are compounds in apples that turn brown when they are exposed to air which contain oxygen. This process is called oxidation. If you add an acid to the apple this prevents oxidation, and lemons are very acidic. 

These carrot chips are a delicious and healthy snack or side dish. Use different color carrots to make the dish even more fun! Dip lovers, be sure to make the simple Avocado Ranch Dip that pairs perfectly with the Carrot Chips. Yum!

​This recipe was developed by Happy Kids Kitchen for Veggie Buds Club.

Make this recipe with you kids! Show your child how to safely peel a carrot by standing behind him or her and holding the peeler together. If you have a crinkle cutter, assist them with slicing the carrot rounds into fun crinkly shapes!

Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.