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Monochromatic Meal: GREEN!

6/1/2020

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June is Lettuce Month at Veggie Buds Club and we are excited to bring you this yummy kid-approved recipe from Katie at Eat Pretty Darling!
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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.

Monochromatic Meal: GREEN!

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!

Green Food Ideas

  • Lettuce
  • Avocado
  • Cucumber
  • Green Grapes
  • Green Peppers
  • Kiwi
  • Broccoli
  • Spinach
  • Green Onion
  • Asparagus
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Peas
  • Green Beans
  • Lima Beans
  • Edamame
  • Pears
  • Limes
  • Celery
  • Zucchini
  • Green Apples
  • Cabbage
  • Kale
  • Okra
  • Green Olives
  • Matcha
  • Fresh Herbs

Want your kids to eat more veggies?

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!
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Chive & Cheddar Drop Biscuits

4/3/2020

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Drop biscuits are so simple to make and a great recipe for your child to help you with. Have your child use safety scissors to snip the chives (adult assistance may be required) and let them get messy during step #3 when they mix the batter with their hands! Finally, they can top each biscuit with the shredded cheese.
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Chive & Cheddar Drop Biscuits

Ingredients
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • 1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
  • 3/4 cup whole milk or milk of choice
  • 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or grease the baking sheet.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and chopped chives.
  3. Add the cold butter to the dry ingredients and use your fingers to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles a coarse meal.
  4. Add the milk and stir with a fork until the mixture just comes together into a fairly sticky dough.
  5. Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to drop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheet.
  6. Sprinkle some shredded cheddar cheese on the top of each biscuit.
  7. Bake biscuits until golden brown, about 18-20 minutes.

Want your kids to eat more veggies?

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!
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Waldorf Salad with Yogurt Dressing

3/23/2020

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Enjoy this crunchy and sweet Waldorf Salad that's on the lighter side because of the creamy yogurt dressing! This recipe is a great introduction to celery and salad to children if they're apprehensive about both. Be sure to have them assist you with chopping the celery and apples using a kid-safe knife or butter knife and have them mix up the sweet dressing!
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Waldorf Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Ingredients
  • 3 medium Honey Crisp apples, chopped
  • 2 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped
  • 1/4 cup dried cherries, chopped if large
  • 1/4 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl toss apples, celery, pecans/walnuts, and dry cherries together. Set aside.
  2. In another bowl, mix the yogurt with lemon juice, honey, and salt.
  3. Pour the dressing over the salad, and stir until coated. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until chilled.
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​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!
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Cheesy Cauliflower Egg Muffins

2/18/2020

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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!
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Cheesy Cauliflower Egg Muffins

Ingredients
  • 1 head of cauliflower (or 4 cups/4 ounces of prepared riced cauliflower)
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick oil.
  3. Roughly chop the cauliflower and add to a food processor. Pulse until fine and crumbly.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs together. Add the riced cauliflower, cheese, salt and pepper.
  5. Spoon the eggs into the muffin pan and bake for 15-20 minutes, until set.
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Mini Veggie Pizzas with Broccoli Crusts

12/2/2019

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You’ve probably heard of cauliflower pizza crust, but did you know you can make your own veggie pizza crust with just a few ingredients? Little chefs will love to help make this kid-favorite featuring broccoli as the star ingredient. Make sure to save the little “sprinkles” of broccoli that fall onto the cutting board as you cut the broccoli into florets. They are perfect for adding a little broccoli goodness to the top of the pizzas or any other dish. I made the crusts mini rounds in this recipe, but feel free to form the broccoli mixture into any flat shape that you’d like (baking time may vary).
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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.

Mini Veggie Pizzas with Broccoli Crusts

Makes 14 to 16 3-inch pizzas
Ingredients
  • 4 cups broccoli florets
  • 2 large eggs*
  • 1 1/4 cups grated mozzarella cheese (or dairy-free alternative) divided
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup marinara or pizza sauce
  • Toppings, such as olives, chopped bell peppers, or tomatoes
*To make the pizza crusts egg-free, substitute 2 tablespoons of flax meal mixed with 5 tablespoons of water.
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Add broccoli to a pot with a cup of water. Bring up to a simmer then lower heat and cover with a lid. Steam broccoli until fork tender but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Drain broccoli then spread out on a clean kitchen towel and allow to cool.
  3. Once broccoli is cooled, pat with the towel to make sure it is completely dry. Place broccoli in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add eggs, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, and salt.
  4. Pulse ingredients in the food processor until everything is well combined and broccoli is finely chopped. Scrape down the sides of the food processor then pulse 2 to 3 more times.
  5. Remove food processor blade and set aside. Scoop one tablespoon of the broccoli mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and form into an even, flat round. Do this free-from or use a round cookie cutter as a guide. Repeat using all of the broccoli mixture.
  6. Bake crusts until golden brown around the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Top crusts with sauce, cheese, and any other desired toppings. Return to oven until cheese is melted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Enjoy warm.
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!
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Sweet Potato Crust Quiche

11/7/2019

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It officially feels like winter here in Minnesota and this chilly weather has me craving seasonal comfort food. We always like to pack extra veggies into meals here at Veggie Buds Club so I hope you enjoy this tasty spin on quiche! I chose to fill my quiche with wild rice, fresh spinach, bacon, and goat cheese but quiche is such a versatile meal, feel free to omit or add a wide variety of veggies, meat, and cheese.
I made the quiche start to finish with my 4 year old son and he tried the ingredients as we went along (grated sweet potato! spinach! bacon! wild rice! even goat cheese, not a fan but he tried it!).
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Get your kids involved. They can peel and grate the sweet potatoes with adult assistance, squish the grated sweet potato into the pie pan, crack the eggs, and mix up the filling!

Sweet Potato Quiche with Wild Rice, Bacon, Spinach, and Goat Cheese

Ingredients
  • 2 medium sweet potatoes
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1/2 cup cooked wild rice
  • 1/2 cup cooked bacon crumbles
  • 2 cups fresh spinach
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles
  • 10 eggs
  • Salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9-inch pie pan using cooking spray or butter.
  2. Peel sweet potatoes and then shred them using the wide option on a box grater. You want to yield approximately 4 cups of grated sweet potato.
  3. Place grated sweet potatoes between paper towels and wring out excess moisture over the sink.
  4. In a medium bowl, mix the grated sweet potato, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
  5. Press the grated sweet potato mixture into the pie pan to create the crust.
  6. Bake the sweet potato crust in the oven for about 30 minutes, until lightly browned and crisp. Check on the crust half-way to ensure that the edges are not burning, if they are place aluminum foil on top for the rest of the bake time.
  7. Meanwhile, make your filling. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl and add the cooked wild rice, cooked bacon, fresh spinach, goat cheese, and a pinch of salt.
  8. Remove the crust from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
  9. Add the filling to the crust and place back in the oven. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the egg is cooked through.
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Want your kids to eat more veggies?

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!
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Monochromatic Meal

9/26/2019

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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!
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Let’s face it, we don’t all have access to farm stands and gardens year round to source our fresh produce each week. Most of us have to count on the grocery store to fill our bellies, but there’s still a fun way to get the kids involved!

Each week me and my sons head out to the grocery store with a color to find! We stick to the produce section and try to pick 4-5 items that fit our color. Sometimes it’s the color on the outside, sometimes it’s the color on the inside. Let your kids pick the items out. Getting kids involved every step of the way can help your picky eater become a little more adventurous!

Now go explore your grocery store and try a monochromatic meal! Make a meal consisting of only your color of the week. Here we picked green to feature the veggie of the month, beans, and paired it with two of our favorite green foods, green grapes and cucumbers. A meal made of one color makes it more fun!

Green Food Ideas

  • Beans
  • Celery
  • Grapes
  • Peppers
  • Herbs
  • Lime
  • Kiwi
  • Honeydew
  • Zucchini
  • Cucumber
  • Lettuce
  • Green onion
  • Apples
  • Kale
  • Broccoli
  • Sprouts
  • Avocado
  • Spinach
  • Okra
  • Asparagus
  • Cabbage
  • Artichoke
  • Pears
  • Peas
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Collard greens

Want your kids to eat more veggies?

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!
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Sweet or Savory Corn Pancakes

8/6/2019

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Are you on Team Sweet or Team Savory?!
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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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

Ingredients
  • 2 ears of fresh corn
  • 1 cup milk (any kind)
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat, all-purpose, or gluten-free flour
  • 1/4 cup cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 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
  • 1/2 cup blueberries, rough chopped if large (or any other fruit)
Savory (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons snipped chives or chopped scallion
  • 1/2 cup shredded or finely chopped vegetables such as zucchini, yellow squash, or bell pepper​​
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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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Mini Pepper Pizza Poppers

6/3/2019

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One of the best ways to get kids excited about vegetables is to pair them with kid-friendly flavors that they love. Pizza is one of those things that kids usually can’t get enough of, right? Not only are these stuffed peppers “pizza-fied,” they are mini 
which makes them even more fun! However, if you can’t find mini peppers, you can use two regular peppers (cut in half lengthwise) and follow the recipe below. Feel free to customize the pepper stuffing as you please: you can leave out the spinach or add extra chopped or shredded veggies like carrots or zucchini. Topping the “pizzas” is a great way to let your little chefs get involved and add what they’d like on top of each pepper. Also, if you want to make this dish dairy-free, feel free to use a cheese alternative or leave out the cheese entirely. It will still taste great! ​
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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.

Mini Pepper Pizza Poppers

​Ingredients
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa or rice
  • 1/2 cup marinara sauce
  • 1/2 cup baby spinach, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)
  • 10 to 12 mini sweet peppers, halved lengthwise and seeds and ribs removed
  • Additional toppings: sliced olives, pepperoni, or anything else you’d like
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet in parchment paper or aluminum foil.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix quinoa, marinara sauce, chopped spinach, and a 1/4 cup of the cheese.
  3. Stuff each pepper half with about a teaspoon or so of the quinoa mixture then place on the prepared baking pan. Once peppers are all filled, sprinkle each one with a pinch of the remaining cheese and top with any additional toppings.
  4. Bake peppers until cheese is melted and lightly browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

Want your kids to eat more veggies?

​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!
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Pea Falafel

3/13/2019

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These falafel patties are packed with peas! Your little chefs will love adding all of the ingredients to the food processor, pushing the button, and helping to make the patties with their hands. Not only are these fun to make, but you can enjoy them in so many different ways. Eat them like "nuggets" with Greek yogurt for dipping, in pita bread, or on top of lettuce leaves with any toppings you'd like. You can even make the patties a little bigger and eat them on a bun as a burger or cook the falafel mixture in a waffle iron to make Pea Falafel Waffles. Any way you cook them, falafel is the perfect way to enjoy peas!
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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.

Pea Falafel

Ingredients
  • 1 cup peas, cooked if from fresh or defrosted if frozen
  • 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup Italian parsley leaves
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cumin, optional
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons oat or whole wheat flour
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil, plus more for cooking
  • Yogurt, pita bread, tomatoes, cucumber, or desired toppings, for serving
Instructions
  1. Add peas, chickpeas, and parsley to a bowl of a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. 
  2. Add lemon juice, garlic, salt, cumin, baking powder, and 2 tablespoons of flour. Pulse all ingredients until well combined and finely chopped, stopping to scrape the sides down a couple of times as needed. Form a little of the mixture into a small patty. If the mixture is too sticky, add another tablespoon of flour and pulse again to mix in.
  3. Form the pea mixture into 16 small patties and place on a plate.
  4. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook falafel patties in batches, browning on each side then placing back on a plate to cool.
  5. Serve falafel warm with a dip or in a pita pocket topped as desired.
 
To make falafel mixture into waffles, mix in 2 additional tablespoons of flour. Heat waffle iron and grease well. Do not open waffle iron before 5 minutes of cooking. Use a butter knife to gently lift falafel from the waffle iron and transfer to a plate.
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​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!
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