We’ve been working very hard to broaden our girls’ vegetable-eating repertoire. I find that when the kids are involved in the choosing, picking, or prepping, they are even more willing to taste with an open mind.

Here are three of our favorite veggie recipes, all with our girls’ stamp of approval. These recipes have kid-friendly steps in the prep, too – from whisking to tearing to tossing with our hands. Go veggies!

Broccoli Slaw

My girls have never been big fans of traditional cabbage coleslaw, but they love broccoli slaw. I buy organic broccoli slaw in a bag, which is just shredded broccoli stems and carrots.

The girls love to whisk the dressing ingredients and toss the dressing with the slaw. Two forks are great tossing tools!

Dressing:

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise or plain Greek yogurt
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• pinch of salt and pepper, or to taste

Whisk the dressing together and toss with the broccoli slaw. Chill overnight or for a few hours. We eat this as a side dish, and also as a topping on veggie burgers. So yummy!

Sometimes we get fancy with some add-ins, like julienned apple slices, cranberries, sliced almonds, or sunflower seeds.

Roasted Green Beans

In a large bowl, drizzle a little olive oil on 1 pound of green beans. Use your hands to toss and coat the beans with oil. Spread on a pan and sprinkle with salt.

Bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes, turning once during cooking.

We eat these with our fingers like fries – tasty!

Kale Chips

We’re growing extra kale in our garden this year, just so we can make many batches of these chips. The whole family loves them – crispy, salty, green goodness!

• 1 large bunch of organic kale
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (optional)
• salt to taste

Preheat oven to 300°.

Wash the kale leaves and dry thoroughly – get your kids working the salad spinner. Tear the leaves into pieces, discarding the thick center stem.

In a large bowl, combine the kale, olive oil, and lemon juice and toss to mix well. We use our hands for this, and make sure the oil gets all over the kale.

Spread the kale in a single layer on a cookie sheet or two. Sprinkle with salt.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, till the kale gets crispy and dark, but not burnt. Add a little more salt, if necessary, and enjoy!

Veggie recipes we want to try:

Parsnip Chips :: Mel’s Healthy Kitchen – We’ve never tried parsnips. Sounds like grocery store scavenger hunt!

Sauteed Shredded Zucchini :: Annie’s Eats – Kids can help wrap the shredded zucchini in a towel and squeeze out the water.

Sweet Potato Hummus :: My New Roots – I love sweet potatoes, and dips are always a good vehicle for raw veggies.

What kinds of vegetable dishes do your kids like? I would love it if you would share your family friendly veggie recipes or techniques!

My girls are not the most adventurous eaters, but they do enjoy smelling all the different spices when I’m cooking. Earlier this summer, we spent a fun afternoon mixing up some special homemade seasoning blends for my dad.

I printed two recipes for the girls to read and follow. This was pretty much a hands-off activity for me – I did have to grind a few spices in the coffee grinder. The girls were in charge of reading the spice labels, measuring the correct amount, and stirring. They loved it all!

We packaged our seasoning mixes in glass jars and included laminated recipe cards so my dad can remake the mixes when he runs out.

Here are the seasoning mix recipes we used – they are both delicious!

• Italian Seasoning :: Angela’s Kitchen
• Low-Sodium Seasoning Blend :: AllRecipes.com (similar to seasoned salt)

We’re looking forward to making more seasoning blends for ourselves and to give as gifts.

Do you make your own seasoning blends? If you have a favorite recipe, please share!

Toast seems to be the breakfast of choice for the girls lately – usually with cinnamon sugar or strawberry jam. I’ve been looking for some ways to jazz-up our toast breakfast and thought I’d share my finds with you.

Enjoy!

Waffle Iron French Toast :: Cooking with my Kid

Rainbow Stuffed French Toast :: i am mommy

Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast Sticks :: Rachael Ray

Simple Sprinkly Sandwich :: Little Nummies

Sunshine Egg :: Super Healthy Kids

French Toast Kebabs :: Martha Stewart

We also like these yummy toppings from time to time:

• cream cheese + fruit
• nutella
• peanut butter + nutella
• cheese (melted under the broiler)
• mashed avocado (actually, I’m the only one who likes this!)
• Laughing Cow spreadable cheese
• honey

What’s your favorite way to eat toast? Do your kids like breakfast variety or the same thing every morning?