Monica Irwin, the creator of Veggie Buds Club, recently Skyped with Twin Cities Live to discuss 4 simple snacktivities (1-2 ingredients!) that are guaranteed to keep your kids entertained and well-nourished. A snacktivity is simply a snack and activity combination, they are all guaranteed to make veggies fun for your kids!

These chewy granola bars are perfect for breakfast or for an on-the-go snack! They are similar in texture and flavor to commercially available Lara Bars but are even tastier as they're home-made and more eco-friendly as they don't require any packaging: a win-win!
You can find more kid-friendly carrot recipes and activities that are guaranteed to make carrots tasty for your kiddos in our Facebook Group, request to join here.

Celebrate carrot month by making this sweet, creamy dip filled with carrots! Kids can help peel and chop the carrots then measure and add all the ingredients to the food processor or blender. You can choose a few different dippers to see which combo you like best. Fruit, pretzels, or even veggies like celery and carrots sticks are delicious in the dip.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 to 3 large carrots
  
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or non-dairy alternative
  
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, optional
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• Dippers such as sliced apples, carrot sticks, celery, pretzels, and graham crackers

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Peel carrots then cut into a small dice. Measure 1 1/2 cups diced carrot and add to a small pot. Cover carrots with water and simmer on the stove top until very soft, about 8 minutes.
   
2. Drain carrots really well and place on a paper or kitchen towel to dry. Set aside to cool or place in the refrigerator to speed up the process.
   
3. Once carrots are cool, add carrots and remaining ingredients to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice to make sure everything is well incorporated. Scoop dip into a bowl and sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top, if desired. Serve chilled.

​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.

Carrot month calls for a monochromatic snack! This orange hummus made with carrots instead of garbanzo beans is slightly sweet and a pretty shade of orange. It’s perfect for dipping or spreading on a wrap.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  
• Olive oil
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  
• 3 tablespoons Tahini
  
• 1 lime, juiced
  
• 5 tablespoons water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400F. 1. On a baking sheet, toss carrots in olive oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Roast until the carrots are tender, stirring halfway through, about 25 minutes. Let cool.
   
2. Add roasted carrots, garlic powder, tahini, lime juice and water to a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Slowly add 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil with the food processor running slowly.
   
3. Serve with carrots, bell peppers, pretzels, or pita chips.

Breakfast is an important meal that gives you energy to get your day started. But often a major food group is missing from your breakfast plate or bowl... veggies! Join us for our #veggiebudsbreakfastclub challenge for the month of February: include at least one veggie in your first meal of the day. To give you some inspiration we've compiled some of our favorite veggie-packed breakfasts! We've broken them down into 3 categories: Savory, Baked Goods, and Smoothies. Each recipe below includes veggies, is delicious, and is simple to make!

Sweet Potato Quiche: This tasty quiche is packed with veggies and bacon (optional) and swaps the standard crust with shredded sweet potato instead for an extra veggie boost.
Savory Corn Pancakes: These savory pancakes from Happy Kids Kitchen are great with avocado or spread with a little cream cheese and made into sandwiches. Yum!
Sweet Potato Toasts​: These sweet potato toasts from Eat Pretty Darling are so versatile because they are delicious both sweet and savory. That’s what makes them the perfect toast substitute!
Rainbow Fried Rice: This rainbow fried rice from Happy Kids Kitchen is colorful, easy, healthy, and delicious for breakfast!
Vegetable Frittata: Healthy Little Foodies has a great kid-approved and veggie-packed frittata recipe, make it ahead and reheat in the morning.
Cauliflower & Cheese Muffins: Be sure to let your kiddos know that their yummy egg muffins have some "hidden" cauliflower inside, recipe from My Kids Lick The Bowl.
5-Ingredient Bacon & Broccoli Egg Cups: These are a great grab-and-go breakfast option from The Natural Nurturer.
Carrot Banana Protein Oatmeal: This oatmeal from The Natural Nurturer is full of nothing but the good stuff and is super easy to make!
Veggie Oatmeal: Happy Healthy Casa has some great options for veggie-packed oatmeal including how to incorporate zucchini, carrots, cauliflower, squash, sweet potato, and spinach!

Carrot Cake Muffin Tops: 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. Recipe by Happy Kids Kitchen.
One-Bowl Sweet Potato Pancakes: These pancakes from Happy Kids Kitchen are a great way to add some extra nutrients into your morning!
No-Bake Pumpkin Energy Balls: These no-bake pumpkin energy balls from Stephanie Middleberg are tasty, and they freeze well so they're a perfect on-the-go breakfast or snack for your kiddos.
Green French Toast Sticks: Enjoy this delicious kid-friendly way to "sneak" in some spinach from Happy Kids Kitchen! Little chefs will know that greens are in this fun breakfast, but they sure won't be able to taste them.
Outrageous Orange Granola: This granola from Eat Pretty Darling is packed with pumpkin, sweet potato, and carrots- so much orange veggie goodness!
Sweet Spinach Muffins: These kid-favorite muffins from Super Healthy Kids are 100% whole wheat, refined-sugar-free, and packed with fresh spinach!
Banana Spinach Pancake Pizza: This pancake pizza from The Natural Nurturer is a perfectly delicious way to serve up veggies for breakfast! Sweetened entirely with fruit and loaded with spinach.

Tropical Carrot Smoothie: ​Happy Kids Kitchen has developed a tropical vacation in a glass! Kids will love measuring and adding ingredients to the blender, helping to chop the carrot, and pressing the buttons on the blender.
Spinach Superhero Smoothie: This recipe from Motherhood and Meals is called "superhero smoothie" because just as superheroes in stories fight crime, the spinach in this smoothie helps fight off illness!
​Ants on a Log Smoothie: Adding celery to a smoothie with the addition of peanut butter in a tasty protein-and-veggie packed breakfast! Recipe from Motherhood and Meals.
Vitamin C Immune Boosting Smoothie: This smoothie from The Natural Nurturer is made with strawberry, banana, red bell pepper and is the perfect way to start your day!
Cauliflower Strawberry Banana Smoothie: Just 4 ingredients! Enjoy this simple and delicious smoothie from Live Eat Learn.

October is Pumpkin Month at Veggie Buds Club and we are excited to bring you this unique and healthy recipe from Katie at Eat Pretty Darling! You can find more recipes and tons of fun pumpkin activities in our Pumpkin eBook, check it out here.

Orange you glad it’s pumpkin season? We knew we needed to make our #eatprettycoloroftheweek orange for this month’s veggie, pumpkin! We gathered our favorite orange veggies to pair with it, sweet potato and carrots. Did you know you can add veggies to granola!? Yes, this granola is packed with a veggie punch and it tastes delicious! Our orange foods makes this the perfect topping for yogurt, great to eat with milk, or just by the spoonful.

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
  
• 1/3 cup sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
  
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  
• 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
  
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
  
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
  
• 1/4 cup pumpkin purée
  
• 2 tablespoons finely shredded carrot
  
• 1/4 cup cooked sweet potato

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, whisk the coconut oil, maple syrup and pumpkin purée together on low heat.
   
2. Mix together the oats, seeds, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Quickly pour the saucepan mixture on top of the oats once it is warmed. Mix with a wooden spoon.
   
3. Spread out the mixture on two large baking sheets. Bake for 25-35 minutes, stirring halfway. Once the mix is golden brown it is ready to be removed from the oven.
   
4. Once it has cooled completely, transfer to an airtight container. It will keep for around 2 weeks.

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!

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.

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.

​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.

​Carrots are my oldest son’s favorite veggie! He loves how they crunch when he takes a bite. If your kiddos are still learning to like them, try making them into a fun flower shape! If you have a flower shaped mini cookie cutter, you could use that too. But all it takes is a few simple cuts and you will have a lovely bouquet.

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 pea fun with our "Give Peas a Chance!" Veggie Buds Club box. Your child(ren) are guaranteed to love (...or at least try!) peas after this fun box, learn more and purchase here.

Turning food into art can make a once feared food a little more approachable. It doesn’t mean that your kids will automatically eat it all and love it, but they might actually touch it or even try it. The more we can expose our kids to new foods, the more comfortable they can get with them.
My pickiest eater loves hummus and carrots but still doesn’t want to try peas. Having him help me transform the peas into boats made him giddy and he was begging to eat them before we were even done! He took a bite and said the peas were yummy with hummus, but decided he still was learning to like the boat. I’m glad that he can now picture the Sugar Snap Peas as boats and associate it with a fun experience every time they are on his plate again!