Pizza lovers rejoice! Pumpkin purée, cheese, and pizza dough combine to make a delicious and super kid-friendly way to enjoy pumpkin. You can make your own pizza dough with more pumpkin purée mixed right in or use store-bought pizza dough for a quicker option. Either way, it’s a great recipe to get kids into the kitchen and explore this orange veggie.

Happy Kids Kitchen developed this recipe for Veggie Buds Club.

These Pepper Pumpkins are a festive and simple jack-o-lantern inspired snack!
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​Eat Pretty Darling developed this adorable snack for Veggie Buds Club.

Sometimes kids will surprise you and take a bite of a veggie that's not cut in a "normal" shape such as a bell pepper strip or carrot "coin". Don't be surprised if your kiddo decides to take a big bite out of the bell pepper jack-o-lantern like they'd take a bite of an apple!

​Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.

​Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.

Orange you glad it’s pumpkin season?? We gathered our favorite orange veggies to pair with pumpkin: 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.

This recipe was developed by Eat Pretty Darling for Veggie Buds Club.

Ask your kids how many orange veggies and fruits can they think of? Take turns! They say an orange veggie/fruit, then you say an orange veggie/fruit, and so on. Making veggies "fun" and part of a game will make them less "scary" at meal time.

Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.

Need a quick, easy, and delicious snack that celebrates pumpkin? Try this sweet, refreshing smoothie that tastes just like pumpkin pie! This recipe also includes some optional frozen cauliflower for an extra veggie-boost. If you want to make the smoothie even more festive for Halloween, instructions on how to create easy Jack-O-Lantern cups are below.

​This recipe was developed by Happy Kids Kitchen for Veggie Buds Club.​

Kids will love to help by measuring the ingredients, adding them to the blender, and working those blender buttons!

How to Make Jack-O-Lantern Cups
You can make Jack-O-Lantern cups two ways:

1. If using a plastic cup, draw a jack-o-lantern face directly onto the cup with a black marker. Sharpie permanent markers seems to work best.
2. If using a glass jar or cup, cut triangle “eyes” and a mouth shape out of black construction paper. Use tape or a glue stick to attach the paper to the glass (the paper easily peels off and glue washes off).

Check out our shop for products that teach kids to learn to love veggies! This includes veggie activity boxes, kid-safe knives, interactive placemats, and more.

With the leaves beginning to change and fall in the air, it’s the perfect time for pumpkins! We gathered some orange foods at the grocery store to make a family favorite for this week’s #eatprettycoloroftheweek. We had a lot of fun exploring the cheese department this week. There are so many varieties of cheese and they have such different tastes and textures. We settled on cheddar cheese, smoked gouda, butternut squash pasta, and of course pumpkin! Throwing these ingredients together makes a delicious mac & cheese that both my picky eaters and I devoured. The pumpkin isn’t too noticeable but it helps make it the creamiest texture.

Whether you use homemade pumpkin purée or pumpkin from a can, these wholesome baked donuts are the most delicious way to celebrate this month's veggie! Don't worry if you don't have a donut pan. You can bake up the same batter in a mini muffin pan and call them donut holes! Your little chef is going to love measuring, mixing, and scooping the batter. The pumpkin spice-sugar coating to top off the donuts is optional but really makes them a special sweet treat.

Makes 6 large donuts, 12 mini donuts, or 12-14 mini muffins
Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (or gluten-free flour blend)*
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice (or ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground ginger, pinch of ground nutmeg and cloves)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin purée (from a can or homemade)
• 2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar (or 1/3 cup brown sugar)
• 1/2 cup milk (any kind)

Topping

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil or butter, melted
• 1/4 cup maple sugar, granulated sugar, or coconut sugar 
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease a donut pan or mini muffin tin.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and pumpkin pie spice.
3. In a second bowl, whisk the remaining ingredients (besides the topping). Add the wet ingredient to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix with a spatula or wooden spoon until just combined.
4. If making donuts, scoop batter into a small zip-top bag. Twist the top then cut the tip off of one corner of the bag. Squeeze the batter into your donut pan, filling them each about 3/4 of the way. If making donut “holes,” scoop batter into muffin tin using a spoon or small ice cream scoop. 
5. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the donut or mini muffin comes out clean, about 10 to 12 minutes for large donuts and 8 to 10 minutes for mini donuts or muffins.
6. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes then transfer donuts to a cooling rack. Mix sugar and extra pumpkin pie spice in a small, shallow bowl. When donuts are cool enough to handle, use a pastry brush to coat the tops of the donuts with a thin layer of oil. Dip into spiced sugar mixture.
7. The sugar coated donuts are best enjoyed the same day they are made. Plain donuts can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2 days or in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.

 *I used Bob’s Red Mill white whole wheat flour, oat flour, and gluten-free flour mix with success.

​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!

October's featured veggie is PUMPKIN at Veggie Buds Club, and we are very excited to bring you a recipe from Stephanie Middleberg's new cookbook, "The Big Book of Organic Toddler Food" for this week's post!

These no-bake pumpkin balls are tasty, and they freeze well so they're perfect on-the-go snacks your toddler (and probably everyone else in your family) will enjoy. I also find with energy bites that you can really add anything to them. Check what's in your pantry - these would be excellent with shredded coconut, dried fruit, or cacao powder added in. Use gluten-free oats to keep them gluten- and allergen-free.

Serves 10 to 12
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
• 1/2 cup sun butter
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• Pinch sea salt

Instructions

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, sun butter, pumpkin puree, flaxseed, honey, pumpkin pie spice, and salt, mixing well.
3. Form the mixture into 1-tablespoon balls and place on the prepared tray. Serve immediately, or transfer to an airtight container and store, refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

Substitution Tip: For vegan, you can replace the honey with 3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup. You may need to add up to 1/4 cup more of the oats to adjust the texture of the balls.

Baked goods, pancakes, waffles, pies, and muffins are all delicious ways to incorporate pumpkin, but for something a little different we are taking the warm, fall flavors of pumpkin over to the savory side with this easy pasta dish. The result is a nutrition-packed, flavorful, creamy dish the whole family will enjoy. Plus, it's made in one pot and ready in less than 20 minutes!

This tasty recipe was developed by Happy Kids Kitchen for Veggie Buds Club.

There are so many wonderful children's books that feature pumpkin! Read a children's book before you eat to get your kids excited about eating some Pumpkin Pasta. A few of our favorite pumpkin books include: "Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie" by Jill Esbaum, "Pumpkin Pumpkin" by Jeanne Titherington, and "Apples & Pumpkins" by Anne Rockwell.

Dairy free?
Substitute coconut yogurt or dairy-free cream cheese for the yogurt. Add in a sprinkle of nutritional yeast to get a little cheesy flavor or just omit the cheese entirely.

Want some extra veggies?
Add in some finely chopped cauliflower or kale with the pasta or throw in a couple handfuls of baby spinach at the end.
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Want to make ahead?
Cook as directed above then pour into a greased 9-inch baking dish. Top with an extra sprinkle of cheese and/or ground pecans and breadcrumbs. Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until warmed through, about 30 minutes. Then broil the top to make brown and crunchy.

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!