Kids Love Green Veggies!

We are excited to bring you a new monthly series from Katie Blauser, the brains behind 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. May's veggie is BEANS so we can't wait to focus on GREEN veggies this month!

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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.

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Color of the Week - GREEN

​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.

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Green Food Ideas

There are more out there, but here’s a list to get started! 

• Green beans
• Green onion
• Avocado
• Basil
• Chives
• Kiwi
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Lime
• Spinach
• Green pepper
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Artichoke
• Brussels Sprouts
• Kale
• Peas
• Green apple
• Zucchini

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Green Bean Sticks with Green Dip

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

 Directions

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