If your little one loves pasta, this is the perfect cauliflower recipe to make together! Simply blend cooked cauliflower (fresh or frozen) with milk and a few flavorings and you've got a creamy sauce that's full of veggies and easy to pair with any cooked pasta. It's also easy to add any other veggies or cooked proteins you might have on hand. This recipe calls for a pound of pasta, but you can half the recipe if you want to make less.

Ingredients

• 1 pound (16 ounces) of your favorite small-shaped pasta, such as elbows or shells
• 16 ounces frozen cauliflower or 5 cups fresh cauliflower florets
• 1/2 cup milk (any kind)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese*, plus more for topping

*For a dairy-free option, use 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast instead
Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, drain, and set aside. Add cauliflower to the pot and cover with water. Simmer until cauliflower is very tender. Drain off any excess water and place cauliflower into a blender.
2. Add remaining ingredients to the blender and blend until very smooth. Place cooked pasta back into the pot and pour cauliflower sauce over the top. Mix well then taste for seasoning. Add more salt and pepper as needed.
3. Serve pasta warm with additional Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

​Check out our shop for interactive and fun products that teach kids that veggies are fun and tasty! In our shop you can find kid-safe knives, interactive placements, veggie-themed activity boxes, and more!

This is a cute craft that celebrates cauliflower! Cauliflower comes in a rainbow of colors including white, purple, and orange. You can create your own rainbow of cauliflower plants using simple craft supplies that you most likely have at home already: coffee filters, green construction paper, brads (or pipe cleaners), safety scissors, and washable markers. And best of all- no glue;)

Materials

• 9 coffee filters
• Green construction paper
• 3 brads (or pipe cleaners cut in half)
• Safety scissors
• Purple washable marker
• Orange washable marker

Instructions

1. Use safety scissors to cut around the circumference of 3 of the coffee filters to create a medium circle and 3 of the coffee filters to create a small circle (now you have 3 sets of large, medium, and small circles).
2. Leave the first set white, color the second set purple, and color the third set orange.
3. Run the purple and orange coffee filters under water, squeeze them out, and lay flat to dry.
4. Cut out cauliflower leaves from the green construction paper (following the shape seen in our example photo) and snip a small hole in the middle of each leaf.
5. Once coffee filters are dry, stack them in 3 piles with the largest filter on the bottom and the smallest on top.
6. Poke the brad (or pipe cleaner) through the middle of each coffee filter stack and then poke through the hole created in the leaf. Secure brad (or twist pipe cleaner to secure).
7. Scrunch the coffee filters and you made colorful cauliflower plants!

Add an extra veggie boost to your breakfast routine with these egg muffins! They are a great make-ahead meal, simply warm up when it's time to eat. Also, if you omit the salt and pepper they are suitable for baby-led weaning finger food.

Learn more about Veggie Buds Club and check out our kids' cooking tools such as our preferred kid-safe knives here!

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.

Chocolate and cauliflower? Yes, please! Frozen cauliflower makes smoothies thick and creamy but you don’t taste it at all. Make sure to have kids add the cauliflower to the blender along with the other ingredients so they know the veggie is in there. The taste and texture of steamed and frozen whole florets is best but you can also use frozen riced cauliflower in this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 heaping cup frozen cauliflower florets* (or 1 cup frozen riced cauliflower) 
• 1 frozen banana
• 2 pitted dates (or 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup)
• 2 tablespoons almond butter (or any nut/seed butter)
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds, optional
• 3 tablespoons raw cacao (or unsweetened cocoa powder)
• 1 cup milk (any kind)
• Handful of ice cubes
• Mini chocolate chips and/or chocolate sprinkles for toppings

Instructions

1. Add all ingredients except for toppings to a blender. Blend, stopping once or twice to make sure no chunks remain. Add in additional ice to make thicker or more milk to thin out the drink. Pour into glasses then sprinkle with any desired toppings. Enjoy!​​ Have any milkshake leftover? Freeze in popsicle molds to enjoy later as a frozen treat.

*To make frozen cauliflower florets, first cut a head of cauliflower into medium sized pieces. Steam cauliflower until tender, drain, and set aside to cool. Once cool, freeze in a singer layer until solid then store in a container or plastic bag in the freezer.

We are happy to bring you another fun recipe from Noelle of Motherhood and Meals. This one features cauliflower as we're celebrating all things cauliflower at Veggie Buds Club this month!

Ingredients

• 1 head of cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons avocado or grapeseed oil

Instructions

1. Chop cauliflower into small pieces. This is a great step to have your children help with if you have a kid-friendly knife and extra time… it can take a while. We really like the Foost Knives which is what Rhett is using here.
2. In a large bowl mix together the oil, spices, and nutritional yeast. Add the cauliflower in and toss in the oil mixture until all the cauliflower is coated.
3. Pour all the cauliflower out onto a baking stone. Sprinkle with a little more spice if you wish and bake at 400 for 30 minutes or until cauliflower is crisp. Serve warm or cold and enjoy the show!

Note: This is also a wonderful snack for a school lunch or after school and can easily be served as part of a supper meal too!

​While making this popcorn you can use it as a teaching moment with your children. You can talk to them about the letter P for POPCORN, the color WHITE, and how the cauliflower starts out CRUNCHY and ends up SOFT. And if your child is an apprehensive eater then they may be more interested in trying this new food after they have prepared it as opposed to just seeing it on their plate. There is never a shortage of fun learning to be had when Kids are in the Kitchen!

Kids will love to get involved with this Shake 'n' Bake Cauliflower recipe! They can break the cauliflower into pieces, crack eggs, measure the ingredients, and shake, shake, shake those cauliflower florets in the yummy breadcrumb mixture. Serve the crunchy veggies as a side dish or snack with your favorite dip.

We created this fun FREE printable for you to do at home with your kids! Memory is a classic game that's appropriate for a wide-range of ages. Use fewer matching cards for younger kids and increase the amount of matching cards for your older children. Why not make veggies the star by playing a "Veggie Memory Game"?! 
You can check out more great tools and kits that teach kids to learn to love veggies in our shop!

Make this activity more robust by first reading a book featuring veggies, here are some of our suggestions:
"Eating the Alphabet" by Lois Ehlert
"Growing Vegetable Soup" by Lois Ehlert
"We're Going to the Farmers' Market" by Stefan Page

Simply print both sheets out at home, cut out the cards (bonus if you can laminate them), and play!