Some weeks we like to have a little fun and instead of picking a color, we pick all of the colors! Rainbow is a color in our book. We grabbed one item in each color to go with our green kale in this month’s Veggie Buds Club box. My son picked some of his favorites for each color. Blueberries for blue, carrots for orange, yellow bell pepper for yellow, tomatoes for red, and purple cabbage for purple.
Salads may not be the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of kid food, but making it full of color and having them help pick the ingredients makes it a little more exciting. The fun thing about this recipe is you could use almost any fruits or veggies that fit the colors, as long as you try to make a rainbow! Have your kids be a part of it from start to finish.

Ingredients

• 3 cups kale, stem removed and finely chopped
• 1 medium yellow pepper
• 1 cup shredded carrots
• 1 cup diced tomatoes
• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
• 1 cup blueberries

Dressing

• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Place kale in a large bowl. Mix all dressing ingredients in a small jar. Shake it well to combine.
2. Drizzle dressing on top and gently massage dressing into kale (this is a fun part for the kids!). Add in remaining ingredients and toss to coat the vegetables in the dressing.
3. Cover and place in the fridge to let the kale become a little more tender.

Blending kale into a simple, creamy dip is a great way to get kids involved in cooking with this leafy green! The kale is first cooked with garlic to infuse the dip with lots of flavor and make the kale easily blend into the white beans. Make sure you have your little one push the button on the food processor and watch the bean dip turn a beautiful shade of green! Serve the dip with crackers and fresh veggies, or spread it on bread for a delicious sandwich filling.

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

Your little chef can get hands-on experience by preparing the kale for this recipe: wash and dry the kale leaves, remove the kale stems, and rip or cut the kale into small pieces. This positive interaction with kale will encourage them to try the dip!

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.

Sweet potato pancakes are such a yummy way to celebrate the veggie of the month! There are so many different and beautiful varieties of sweet potatoes in markets these days. We especially love the purple ones but you can use any kind of sweet potato you have for this recipe. These pancakes are a great way to add some extra nutrients into your morning. Pack them up for a healthy snack or they are also delicious spread with nut/seed butter and tucked into a lunch box. Kids will love to help peel and chop the sweet potato, and measure and mix all of the ingredients. Applesauce makes a great lower-sugar dip for the pancakes, but traditional maple syrup is delicious as well. 

Makes 15-18 medium sized pancakes
Ingredients

• 1 medium (orange or purple) sweet potato
• 1 egg (or flax egg)
• 1 cup milk (any kind)
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
• 1 cup flour (whole wheat or gluten-free blend)

Instructions

1. Have your child help you peel the sweet potato. You can do this by standing behind your child and holding the peeler together, making sure little fingers are out of the way. Cut the potato in a medium sized dice. If your child wants to help cut the potato, give them a larger diced piece and have him cut the piece smaller. 
2. Add 2 heaping cups of diced potato into a small pot and cover with water. Simmer until potato is fork tender and easily mashed. Drain and set aside to cool until cold enough to handle. (This can be done in advance and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.)
3. Add cooked potato to a large bowl. Using a potato masher or fork, take turns mashing the potato as well as you can. Have your child help crack the egg into a separate small bowl, in case you need to remove any shell. Add egg, milk, oil, and maple syrup to the bowl and carefully mix with a whisk until all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
4. Add baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and ginger (if using), then mix to incorporate. Finally, add the flour. Stir until the flour is just mixed in. It is alright if some lumps remain.
5. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Lightly grease the pan with oil or butter. Use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to make as many pancakes that will fit in your pan. Cook until bubbles start to form around the edges of the pancake, 2 to 3 minutes, then flip and cook another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side. Serve pancakes with maple syrup or applesauce for dipping.

Refrigerate pancakes for up to 5 days or freeze and reheat in the toaster for a quick weekday breakfast.

Ingredients

• 6 plum (Roma) tomatoes* (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees then line a sheet pan with parchment or aluminum foil.
2. Trim stem end off tomatoes then slice into ¼ inch thick rounds. Tomatoes are difficult for little ones to cut, so have your child get involved by placing tomato slices side-by-side on the sheet pan.
3. Your child can help pick the tiny leaves off of the thyme stems and scatter them over the tomatoes. Make sure you both smell the fresh thyme and talk about what it makes you think of.
4. Gently smash the garlic cloves to make them easier to peel. Cut each garlic clove into thin slices then have your child scatter them over the tomatoes. Together, drizzle the oil over the tomatoes then sprinkle on a big pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Show your child how to hold his hand up high to “shower” the salt all over the tomatoes like rain.
5. Place pan in the oven and bake until the garlic is brown in spots and the tomatoes have shrunk in size, 20 to 25 minutes.

*You can also use small tomatoes such as grape or cherry tomatoes in this recipe. No need to cut smaller tomatoes, and they may take less time to roast, about 15 to 20 minutes.

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!

We have officially scoured the grocery for all things pink! My toddler always asks “What’s this?” when we go on our hunt and I love telling him about all the new food he is discovering. Try replying with “Want to try it?!” instead of “I don’t think you’ll like it.” Putting the thought into their minds that they probably won’t like it usually leads to them not liking it, even if they actually do. So let’s eat PINK!

Ingredients

• 1 bunch radishes
• 1/2 red onion
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard ( can use seeds as well )

  Instructions

1. Slice off the tops and bottoms of the radishes, then use a sharp knife or mandolin to slice the radishes into thin rounds (we used a crinkle cutter for a fun shape! ). Pack the rounds into a mason jar.
2. Prepare the pickling liquid: In a small saucepan, combine the red onion, vinegar, water, honey, ground mustard and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, then pour the mixture over the radishes.
3. Let the mixture cool to room temperature in the jar. Cover and refrigerate. The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks, although they are in their most fresh and crisp state for about 5 days after pickling.

We are excited to bring you a new monthly series from Katie Blauser, the creator of Eat Pretty Darling. Each month on our blog we will feature a "Color of the Week" that corresponds with Veggie Buds Club's veggie of the month. We're featuring BEANS this month so we can't wait to focus on GREEN veggies!

​Let’s face it, we don’t all have access to farm stands and gardens year round to source our fresh produce each week. It’s not always feasible to have our kids helping to grow the food we eat either. 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 we head out to to 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. It’s a great way to get the kids excited about trying new things! Let your kids pick the items out. We try to get at least one thing he likes and some other things he hasn’t tried or is still learning to like. Even if I’ve offered him something a million times, he gets more interested in trying it if he had a hand in picking it 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! A colorful bounty awaits.

Now what to do with all of your colorful food? Try to incorporate these items into your weekly meals. How about a totally green meal such as these Green Bean Sticks with Green Dip?!

Ingredients

• 1 lb fresh green beans ends removed and cut in half
• 1/2 cup fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 avocado pitted and diced
• 3 green onions, remove roots and dark green
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

  Instructions

1. Blanch green beans in lightly salted boiling water 2-3 minutes until beans are tender. Quickly plunge beans in ice water. Once cooled, drain beans and place in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Put basil, lime juice, avocado, green onions, honey, Parmesan, and garlic in a food processor. While pulsing, drizzle olive oil through top until dressing is smooth, scraping down sides if necessary. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
3. Serve the bean sticks & dip right away or place covered in the fridge until chilled.

The dip can also be used as a sauce over zucchini noodles (another all green meal!) or even spread on a piece of toast.
 
Get the kids involved in cooking!
​Here’s some ways they can help for this recipe:

• Tear up the basil leaves
• Break off the ends of the green beans
• Press the button on the food processor
• Pull the beans out of the ice bath

These green beans are crispy, crunchy, and completely addictive! This recipe was developed by Happy Kids Kitchen for Veggie Buds Club.

Get your kids in the kitchen! Kids can get their hands into all aspects of this recipe: use a kid-safe knife to trim the beans, measure and mix the ingredients for the flavorful breadcrumb coating, and take part in the “assembly line” breading of each green bean!

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey

​Instructions

1. Mix ingredients in a small bowl. 
2. Serve with green bean fries.

​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.

​When you hear the word chips, do you automatically assume they will be a “less healthy” option or a “sometimes food”??? If so, you are not alone. I have great news that this is not always true! You can actually increase your child’s interest in many kinds of vegetables by making them into “chips”. We love doing this with sweet potatoes, purple potatoes, carrots, and most of all BEETS!!!! Also children love to dip so pairing Beet Chips with a nice Beet and Berry Dip is a definite winner for everyone! 
Today I want to share this recipe with you so you can make Beet and Apple Chips and a yummy Beet and Berry Dip for your family too!

Ingredients

• 6-8 small Purple, Red, or Yellow Beets
• 3-4 apples
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or Chosen Food avocado oil spray)
• 1 cup (2% fat or more) plain Greek yogurt (or dairy free yogurt)
• 1/2 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

Instructions

1. Peel and slice beets into thin chip size pieces. You can leave them as whole circles or 1/2 circles.
2. Core and slice apples.
3. Place beet and apple slices on a baking stone and drizzle (or spray) avocado oil over them.
4. Bake at 400 for about 25-35 minutes (or longer) until they are cooked through. Baking time will vary by oven and thickness of the slices.
5. Once the beets and apples are out of the oven set about 1/2 cup aside and blend with the yogurt and berries until smooth. Pour dip into a container and serve with the chips warm or cooled down. 

While making these recipes you can use it as a teaching moment with your children. You can talk to them about the letter B for BEETS, the color PURPLE, and how the intense color of the beets takes over the white of the apples and dip. Also children may find it interesting that they are eating their beets in two forms…one CRUNCHY and one SMOOTH.  The preparation and eating of these may be on the messy side but the nourishment and enjoyment is SO worth it! 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!

You can purchase our favorite kid-safe knives and really get your kids involved in the food prep, you can find them in our shop!

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.