July is Zucchini Month at Veggie Buds Club and we are excited to bring you this summer treat from Katie at Eat Pretty Darling! You can find more recipes and tons of fun zucchini activities in our "Zany for Zucchini!" eBook, check it out here.

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.

​Nice cream is all the rage in our house! My kids love it and I love that it’s just fruit. But did you know you can also throw in some veggies?! Frozen zucchini adds a creamy texture with no real taste. YES! We wanted to really make it green and add in spinach for color and mint to make it into mint chocolate chip flavor. 

Ingredients​

• 1 small zucchini, chopped into medium sized cubes
• 2 ripe bananas, peeled and cut into rounds
• Handful of fresh spinach
• 6 mint leaves
• ⅛ tsp mint extract (optional)
• Dark chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Take zucchini and bananas and put them into a freezer bag and place in the freezer. Let them freeze until firm.
2. Place frozen zucchini, bananas, spinach, extract and mint into a food processor. Pulse until it becomes creamy. It will take a while so keep going! Use a spoon to scrape down the sides as needed.
3. Once ingredients are nice and creamy, mix in chocolate chips by hand. Serve immediately and sprinkle with extra chocolate.

July is Zucchini Month at Veggie Buds Club and we are excited to bring you this summer treat from Heather at Happy Kids Kitchen! You can find more recipes and tons of fun zucchini activities in our "Zany for Zucchini!" eBook, check it out here.

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.

Blending up zucchini into a creamy, chocolate smoothie and freezing it in molds, makes for a yummy frozen treat perfect for summertime. Not only are these treats made with a handful of wholesome ingredients, they are packed with nutritious zucchini! This is the perfect recipe to get the kids in the kitchen with you and get those veggie skeptics on board with trying the veggie of the month. If you want to enjoy this treat right away, there are also instructions below on how to turn the smoothie into a frosty milkshake.

Ingredients

• 1 medium-sized zucchini
  
• 1 can full fat coconut milk*
  
• ¼ cup almond butter, peanut butter, or sunflower seed butter
  
• 3 to 4 large dates, pitted or 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  
• 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
  
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• Pinch of salt

 Instructions

1. Trim ends off zucchini and cut into strips. Your child can now help cut the zucchini into a dice. Measure 2 cups of the diced zucchini and add to a blender.
2. Add remaining ingredients and blend until very smooth. Taste and add more sweetener if you’d like.
3. Pour blended mixture into popsicle molds and freeze overnight. Allow frozen pops to sit out at room temperature for about 1 minute before enjoying. If you don’t have popsicle molds or want to enjoy this treat right away, blend 2 cups of ice into the chocolate zucchini mixture and drink like a milkshake!

*If you don’t want to use coconut milk, feel free to substitute 1 cup plain yogurt and ½ cup milk of your choice.