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Corn Sunflower Food Art

8/15/2019

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August is Corn Month at Veggie Buds Club and we are excited to bring you this fun summer snack from Katie at Eat Pretty Darling! You can find more recipes and tons of fun corn activities in our "Crazy for Corn!" eBook, check it out here.
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Katie Blauser is the mama of two boys, wife of a picky eater, and food lover at Eat Pretty Darling. She believes in making food fun, healthy, & pretty! Katie’s not only outnumbered by boys in her little family, but also by picky eaters. She loves trying to find new ways to get both kids and adults to eat healthy while making food pretty yummy, pretty healthy, and pretty fun! Find Katie on Instagram (@eatprettydarling), where she shares colorful and cute food ideas for both picky and adventurous eaters.

Corn Sunflowers

My kids love sweet corn but sometimes they have a hard time eating it. They want to have the whole cob but their small hands make it tricky to eat. Try slicing the cobs into smaller rounds and transforming them into sunflowers! The cobs are smaller and they become a special treat.

Ingredients
  • 1 corn cob, cooked
  • Green toothpicks
  • Black olives
Instructions
  1. Slice the corn cob into one inch rounds. Stick a toothpick in one end and top with a black olive in the center.
  2. They can pick it up by the toothpick or just hold it in their hands to nibble around the edges and eat the “petals” of the sunflower.​
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Clean Caramel Corn

8/12/2019

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We hope you enjoy this simple and all-natural caramel popcorn! Popped in coconut oil and sweetened with maple syrup and a little bit of vanilla, it's the perfect afternoon snack or popcorn treat for your next movie night. If you're making this with kids, you can enjoy it as a sweet snack while reading the classic children's book, "The Popcorn Book" by Tomie dePaola. 
For more delicious corn recipes and children's corn crafts, growing projects, activity sheets and more, be sure to check out Veggie Buds Club's "Crazy for Corn!" digital eBook. 
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Clean Caramel Corn

Ingredients
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup popcorn kernels
  • 1/8 cup maple syrup
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. ​Place 1 Tbsp of the coconut oil in a pot and melt over medium-high heat. Add the popcorn kernels and cover with a tight fitting lid. Shake pan back and forth occasionally until more than 3 seconds elapses between pops. Immediately remove the pot from heat and pour the popcorn into a bowl.
  2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, place the remaining coconut oil, maple syrup, and salt. Boil for 2 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Drizzle the caramel sauce over the popcorn kernels and stir well. Allow to cool and serve.
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Sweet or Savory Corn Pancakes

8/6/2019

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August is Corn Month at Veggie Buds Club and we are excited to bring you this summer-y seasonal recipe from Heather at Happy Kids Kitchen! You can find more recipes and hours of fun corn activities that are guaranteed to get your kids excited about eating corn in our "Crazy for Corn!" eBook, check it out here.
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This recipe was developed by Heather Staller, a mom of two boys, ages 6 and 4, and cooking instructor specializing in bringing cooking into preschool classrooms. After college, Heather knew she wanted to be a teacher, but first followed her lifelong dream of going to culinary school. Teaching cooking combines both of her passions, and she truly enjoys introducing young children to the joys of cooking with fresh ingredients. Find Heather on Instagram (@heather.happykidskitchen), where she shares inventive kid-friendly recipes and ideas for cooking with kids at home

Sweet or Savory Corn Pancakes

Fresh corn is so versatile! It is delicious in cornbread, corn muffins, corn soups, and corn salads, so why not make a kid favorite, pancakes, and try them out in both sweet and savory ways. Take pancakes beyond breakfast and serve them as a snack or a side dish at lunch or dinner. You can mix up the base pancake batter and really add in anything you'd like. For the sweet pancakes, add in fruit, like blueberries or diced strawberries. For a savory pancake, keep the batter as written or add soft herbs like chives or chopped cilantro. You could even add in extra veggies like shredded zucchini or diced bell peppers. Serve sweet pancakes as is or with a drizzle of maple syrup or honey. The savory pancakes are great with avocado or spread with a little cream cheese and made into sandwiches. Try both recipes and come tell us whether you are on team sweet or on team savory!
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INGREDIENTS
  • 2 ears of fresh corn
  • 1 cup milk (any kind)
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • ¾ cup whole wheat, all-purpose, or gluten-free flour
  • ¼ cup cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 tablespoons neutral oil, plus more for cooking
  • 1 large egg or flax egg
Sweet:
  • 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup blueberries, rough chopped if large (or any other fruit)
Savory (optional):
  • 2 tablespoons snipped chives or chopped scallion
  • ½ cup shredded or finely chopped vegetables such as zucchini, yellow squash, or bell pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Cut corn kernels off the cobs and measure one cup. Roughly chop the corn and set aside.
  2. Stir vinegar into the cup of milk and set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add oil, egg, milk, vinegar mixture, and the chopped corn. Mix until just combined. Mix in any additional ingredients.
  4. Heat a skillet over medium heat and grease with additional oil. Use a tablespoon measuring spoon to scoop batter into pan, leaving 2 inches in between. Cook pancakes until small bubbles form on the surface and the edges start to look set. Flip and cook until second side is lightly browned, about 30 seconds. Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve warm.​
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Carrot Cake Muffin Tops

5/17/2019

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The top of the muffin is the best part, right? These wholesome treats are a combination of a tender muffin and an oatmeal breakfast cookie. We love them for breakfast or a snack at my house, and this carrot cake version is a must try. Have your little chef help grate the carrot, measure the ingredients, and mix everything together in a big bowl. The muffin tops are great as is but sometimes I also like to mix in a ¼ cup of chopped walnuts and a ¼ cup of raisins to make them extra special. We really hope you enjoy this nutritious, carrot-packed treat!
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This recipe was developed by Heather Staller, a mom of two boys, ages 6 and 4, and cooking instructor specializing in bringing cooking into preschool classrooms. After college, Heather knew she wanted to be a teacher, but first followed her lifelong dream of going to culinary school. Teaching cooking combines both of her passions, and she truly enjoys introducing young children to the joys of cooking with fresh ingredients. Find Heather on Instagram (@heather.happykidskitchen), where she shares inventive kid-friendly recipes and ideas for cooking with kids at home.

Carrot Cake Muffin Tops

Makes 8 to 10 large muffin tops
Ingredients
  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and end trimmed
  • 1 ripe banana, mashed or ½ cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 eggs*
  • 3 tablespoons neutral oil
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup quick-cooking rolled oats 
  • ¾ cup almond flour, oat flour, or whole wheat flour
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or lightly grease with oil. 
  2. Shred carrot on the smaller holes of a box grater until you get ¾ cup grated carrot. Add the carrot to a large bowl along with the mashed banana (or applesauce), eggs, oil, maple syrup, orange juice, and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
  3. Add the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Stir in nuts and raisins, if using.
  4. Scoop batter onto the prepared pan using a large cookie scoop or ¼ cup measuring cup. Flatten the tops of each mound slightly with the back of the scoop or cup.
  5. Bake muffin tops until cooked through and golden brown around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Store cooled muffin tops in a container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for up to a week.
​*For an egg-free version, use 2 tablespoons ground flax seed mixed with 
  6 tablespoons of water.
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Onion Flower

4/18/2019

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We are excited to bring you this month's adorable post from Katie Blauser, the creator of Eat Pretty Darling!
You can join in on lots of onion fun with our "Onions are Fun & Compost is Cool!" Veggie Buds Club box. Your child(ren) are guaranteed to love (...or at least try!)onions after this fun box, learn more and purchase here.
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Katie Blauser is the mama of two boys, wife of a picky eater, and food lover at Eat Pretty Darling. She believes in making food fun, healthy, & pretty! Katie’s not only outnumbered by boys in her little family, but also by picky eaters. She loves trying to find new ways to get both kids and adults to eat healthy while making food pretty yummy, pretty healthy, and pretty fun! Find Katie on Instagram (@eatprettydarling), where she shares colorful and cute food ideas for both picky and adventurous eaters.

​Onions are one food that I often forget about! No one else in my family of picky eaters like them so I often sub for onion powder. But real onions give such a better flavor and I’m so excited to share this onion food art with you!
Transforming an onion into a flower and adding a favorite dip make it a little more approachable for the picky eaters. Simply slicing and baking turns this veggie into a beautiful bloom! My kids loved seeing it transform in the oven.

Onion Flower

Ingredients
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt
  • Ketchup for dipping (or your favorite dip!)
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Take onion and carefully slice off a tiny bit of the bottom root end just so it will lay flat. Cutting to much will cause your flower to fall apart! Cut the onion in half stopping about ½ inch from the bottom. Turn and cut in half again, and again making sure not to cut all the way through. Making 8 sections of onion.
  2. Place the onion on a lined baking sheet and brush olive oil all over the onion letting it drip down into the slices. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the onion has fully bloomed! Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
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Ants on a Log Smoothie

2/26/2019

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We are excited to bring you this creative kid-approved recipe from Noelle Martin of @motherhoodandmeals- Ants on a Log Smoothie! A quick reminder that February's theme at Veggie Buds Club is "Celery-brate Celery!" and we still have a few boxes left in our shop, purchase one today to receive fun hands-on celery activities, games, growing projects, and more! 
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Ants on a Log Smoothie

Ants on a log is a super common snack for kids to expose them to the taste and texture of celery. But what about the children that struggle with the intense crunch or the “celery strings”? This applied to my youngest child so for his celery exposure I started with adding celery to smoothies, and gradually moved my way up in exposure with cooked celery in stir fries and eventually raw celery on veggie plates. One of his favorite celery smoothies was one I called “ANTS ON A LOG”. Here is the recipe if you want to try it too!

INGREDIENTS
​
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 Tbsp peanut butter
  • 3-5 celery stocks, washed and chopped
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup crushed ice

INSTRUCTIONS
  1. Blend all ingredients in a high power blender and serve!

Noelle Martin is a Registered Dietitian and mom of three young boys. She has a passion for education, inspiring, and empowering moms to make healthy choices for themselves and their families. Noelle loves involving her children in food planning and preparation for their home and sees the kitchen as a perfect area for teaching both academic and life skills. Follow @MotherhoodandMeals on Instagram for Noelle's nutrition tips, recipes, product reviews, and motherhood moments.
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