INGREDIENTS

• 1 ripe banana
  
• 1 cup old fashioned oats
  
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips
  
• Handful of spinach

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a blender, combine banana and spinach. Puree until smooth. It will become like a liquid.
   
2. Add in oats and chocolate chips and mix until combined. Scoop the mixture onto a lined baking sheet. I like to make them into balls and flatten the tops a bit once they are on the sheet.
   
3. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Makes 6-8 cookies.

One of the best ways to make a picky eater more comfortable around a food is to have them play with it! There’s no pressure to eat it but it gets them to engage with the food in a new way and you never know, they might even try a bite.​ This "Pea Shapes" recipe is a super simple and engaging way for your children to play with peas!

​This recipe was developed by Katie Blauser: mama of three 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

• 1 (16 ounce) bag frozen peas
• 1 avocado
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cook peas according to package directions (microwave or stove top). Drain peas of any water and pat dry.
2. Scoop avocado into a food processor or blender. Add peas, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp of garlic powder, salt, and olive oil.
3. Blend until very smooth, about 1 minute, stopping and scraping down the sides a few times. Taste and add more garlic powder and/or salt as needed.
4. Serve with veggies and crackers. Store hummus in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days. To make trees, toast a slice of bread, cut out a shape with a large cookie cutter, then spread on some pea hummus. Use a yellow veggie like a pepper or carrot to make a star at the top.

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 the orange veggie of the month.

October is a great month to celebrate pumpkins and we hope you make this tasty and easy jack-o-lantern inspired snack with your children! How cute are these Pepper Pumpkins from Eat Pretty Darling?!

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

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.

This salsa is made in a food processor, so you don’t have to worry about chopping tomatoes all day. Add a few other ingredients and you’ve got a delicious snack to eat with chips or anything you’d like. It’s great on tacos or to serve with quesadillas too. Kids can help cut the tomatoes into rough chunks, add the ingredients to the food processor, and pulse until everything is roughly chopped. Homemade chips are really fun for kids to make at home too, but you can serve this salsa with store-bought chips as well. (Please be aware that tortilla chips can be a choking hazard or are hard to chew for toddlers and kids under 4).

This month we're celebrating tomatoes at Veggie Buds Club! If you'd like access to tons of kid-friendly tomato recipes, tomato crafts, tomato games, tomato growing projects, and more you can purchase our "Totally Tasty Tomatoes!" eBook or Box here.

INGREDIENTS
Salsa

• 4 large tomatoes
• 2 scallions or 1/4 of a small onion, trimmed and sliced
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or parsley
• Juice from 1/2 a lime
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)

Tortillas

• 6 small corn or flour tortillas
• Oil
• Salt

These chewy granola bars are perfect for breakfast or for an on-the-go snack! They are similar in texture and flavor to commercially available Lara Bars but are even tastier as they're home-made and more eco-friendly as they don't require any packaging: a win-win!
You can find more kid-friendly carrot recipes and activities that are guaranteed to make carrots tasty for your kiddos in our Facebook Group, request to join here.

Celebrate carrot month by making this sweet, creamy dip filled with carrots! Kids can help peel and chop the carrots then measure and add all the ingredients to the food processor or blender. You can choose a few different dippers to see which combo you like best. Fruit, pretzels, or even veggies like celery and carrots sticks are delicious in the dip.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 to 3 large carrots
  
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or non-dairy alternative
  
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
  
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice, optional
  
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
  
• Dippers such as sliced apples, carrot sticks, celery, pretzels, and graham crackers

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Peel carrots then cut into a small dice. Measure 1 1/2 cups diced carrot and add to a small pot. Cover carrots with water and simmer on the stove top until very soft, about 8 minutes.
   
2. Drain carrots really well and place on a paper or kitchen towel to dry. Set aside to cool or place in the refrigerator to speed up the process.
   
3. Once carrots are cool, add carrots and remaining ingredients to a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice to make sure everything is well incorporated. Scoop dip into a bowl and sprinkle a little extra cinnamon on top, if desired. Serve chilled.