Turning a snack into something that’s out of the world is super simple with just three tasty ingredients! These radish planets are sure to be a hit and are a really easy way to make some food art.

​Want some great products that teach kids to learn to love veggies?
Check out our shop for kid-safe knives, interactive placements, and veggie-themed activity boxes!

These cucumber butterflies work like a charm to help picky eaters food chain from pretzels and hummus to cucumbers and hummus!

​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.

Ingredients

• Cucumbers
• Hummus
• Bell Peppers
• Pretzels

Instructions

1. Cut the cucumber into 1-inch long chunks. Don’t peel! Use a melon baller or spoon to scoop out a hole in the cucumber.
2. Slice bell peppers into thin strips and set aside. Spoon hummus into the open cup you created in the cucumber.
3. Stick two pretzels into the hummus to create wings and put the bell pepper strips into the front as antennae.

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

Cucumber and melon make such a great flavor combination in this refreshing summer drink. For this month’s recipe, I wanted to make sure kids got a chance to practice those knife skills and chop up some cucumbers. Since the cucumber is getting blended in the end, you don’t have to worry about what size or shape kids cut the cucumber and melon pieces into. Throw the peeled, chopped cucumber into the blender with some melon, a little lemon juice, and a touch of sweetener (if you’d like) and blend it all up. Kids can experience the taste of cucumber without having to chew it, so this drink is great for little ones that might be apprehensive about the texture of cucumber. I used a Honeydew melon to keep the blended juice green, but you can use any ripe, sweet melon for this recipe.

​This recipe was developed by Heather Staller, a mom of two boys, ages 7 and 5, 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.

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 my 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!

We love making whole meals in one color! It helps get my picky eaters more interested in the foods that they are still exploring. Have your children pick 4-5 green colored foods to serve for a meal. They can even help prepare them with you! Serve them up on a color themed plate or even in a muffin tin to make it more like a sampling platter. Do the different foods taste, look, and smell different even though they are the same color? There are SO many great green foods out there. Have fun picking which ones to add to your monochromatic plate!

September is Bean Month at Veggie Buds Club and we are excited to bring you this super green recipe from Katie at Eat Pretty Darling!

If you asked me to list off 5 foods that ideally everyone would eat every day tomatoes would be on that list!
They are packed with incredible nutrition such as vitamin C which supports our immune system and increases iron absorption as well as lycopene, an antioxidant that helps reduce the risk of cancer.
You can imagine my excitement when I learned that August is TOMATO month at Veggie Buds Club! I hope this month your little ones enjoy trying tomatoes in all sorts of ways including the fun and easy bruschetta recipes below! All three recipes only have 3 ingredients so getting your children involved will be super easy! 

Mix together 1 diced peach, 8-10 diced cherry tomatoes, and 1-2 tablespoons of hemp hearts. Add to your favorite whole grain crusty bread and serve!

Mix together 1 cup of Tomberries, 10 pieces of thinly cut baby spinach, and 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese. Add to your favorite whole grain crusty bread and serve!

Grate one large tomato and spread onto your favorite whole grain crusty bread. Add a slice of cucumber and a sprinkle of shredded or grated Parmesan cheese and serve!

​Scoop up this fresh salsa with your favorite chips, serve on top of simply cooked chicken or fish, or pile on top of a green salad. Feel free to add whatever produce you have on hand: fresh herbs like cilantro or basil would be delicious. Bell or spicy peppers would also be a great addition.