I know how hard it is to get kids to eat their veggies… I mean some people have no problem with this, but I would say a lot of people do!
I am a firm believer in encouraging kids to eat healthy, whenever possible. This is why I buy cucumbers buy the truckload, it is a healthy food my kids eat willingly. But sometimes I have to get tricky, and “hide” the veggies and good for them foods in foods that don’t appear to be that healthy.
My kids are used to green smoothies, and never complain, but I don’t think I could get them to eat a stuffed pepper to save my life. Salads are hit or miss. And side vegetables are always a gamble. They eat them. But not always willingly.
My oldest loves quinoa (not a veggie), but that is because I told him the pro basketball players always eat quinoa because it is so good for them (lies, total lies). Anything Lebron would do, he will do! Too bad Lebron doesn’t do homework…sigh!
So you see, I feel you. I think my kids eat better than most because I am always “testing” my recipes on them. But they are still kids, and often have an aversion to the healthy, especially if there is anything “unhealthy”, sugar loaded, or generally bad for you to be had.
And so I offer you this totally awesome pizza recipe.
Let’s break it down:
Crust
The crust is whole wheat (sorry not gluten free). It is from Sally’s Baking Addiction. It is perfect, and so rather than try to improve on it or make my own, I send you to her, because it really is awesome. She has great instructions for making it, and it turned out beautifully for me.
Sauce
The pizza sauce is where I “hide” my veggies, and trick my kids into healthy goodness. I basically take whatever veggies I have on hand, and boil them down so they are mush, then blend them, and mix them with tomatoes, some seasonings, and thickener, and use it as my pizza sauce. As long as I make it with the kids out of the kitchen, they never know, and never complain! And I sit back smiling as they eat pizza for dinner and I know they are getting tons of good nutrients and vitamins in a package they will enjoy.
Toppings
I top it with whatever they will eat. I rarely try to sneak extra veggies into the toppings as they rebel, and/or pick them off. So instead they get ham and pineapple! It is a win-win. They get pizza with their favorite toppings, I get to serve my kids a whole bunch of vegetables without complaint. If you want to add more veggies, do it under the cheese so they don’t see it!
One thing to note is that this sauce recipe makes more than you will need for two 12 inch pizzas. So, you can store some in a jar in your fridge for next time, or mix it with your favorite spaghetti sauce, and serve it over pasta for a second, kid friendly, totally healthy meal!
Day 20: Extra Veggies and Kid Friendly, Healthy Pizza
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 recipe for Whole Wheat Crust from Sally's Baking Addiction
Pizza Sauce
- 2 carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 sweet mini peppers chopped
- 1 cup broccoli florets chopped small
- 1/2 white onion
- 1 Tbs minced garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp mushroom bullion
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 to matoes chopped
- 1 can tomato sauce 8 ounces
- 1/2 cup red kidney beans rinsed and drained
- 3/4 cup favorite spaghetti sauce or extra tomatoes this helps it get that red color kids expect
- 1 tsp oregano dry
- 1 tsp parsley dry
Toppings
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- Toppings of choice: Ham pineapple, mushrooms, peppers, pepperoni, etc.
Instructions
- Make pizza dough according to directions. or use premade crust of choice
- Chop up all your veggies really small. (If your kids are suspicious, leave the peppers out, they have the strongest flavor)
- Put water, bullion, and all veggies in a pot, and bring to a boil, then turn down to a medium heat and cook until veggies are almost mush. Takes about 15 minutes
- Put everything, broth included (that is where the nutrients are), into a blender.
- Blend until smooth
- Add in beans, tomato sauce, seasonings, and spaghetti sauce, and blend until smooth
- Put in a Pizza Sauce Jar to trick your kids!
- Top pizza crust with 1 cup of sauce
- Top with cheese and favorite pizza toppings. I like to add a thin layer of cheese, the toppings, and then more cheese. This helps it stick together, and results in needing a slightly longer time to get the cheese melty, which gives the crust a chance to bake up perfectly.
- Bake in a preheated oven at 475 for 15-17 minutes
- Serve hot
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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Tips:
- Use mild veggies and skip the peppers if your child is suspicious!
- Make this sauce when the kids are not in the kitchen.
- Make it in bigger batches, and store in an airtight container in fridge for up to 2 weeks to use in future recipes for faster healthy meals for kids!
- Start the dough early, it takes a while to rise, or buy pre-made pizza dough
Now for the challenge, it is day 20, and today’s challenge goes perfectly with today’s recipe.
Day 20 Mini-Challenge: Add an extra serving of vegetables
There is no other food group as perfectly matched to the needs of the human body as vegetables. It is critical to get vegetables every day. Preferably with every meal.
Vegetables have low calories. you can eat a lot and not have to worry about weight gain, as long as you aren’t dipping, frying, or coating them.
They are nutrient dense. The phytonutrients in veggies, that give them color and flavor, fight disease, and strengthen the body.
Vegetables are rich in fiber, which helps the digestive tract!
In other words, you can’t go wrong eating veggies, so add some to your meals today!
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