Making Veggies Fun to Eat

[Parenting NH Administrator]

In looking for ways to get their kids to eat more vegetables, parents may be overlooking a key element - fun.

When Pinnacle Foods' Birds Eye Brand partnered with Nickelodeon's hit live-action series "iCarly" to launch the "iCarly iCook with Birds Eye" initiative, they asked kids to share ideas for a fun, silly veggie dish, and the response was a resounding success, revealing that kids have their own idea about what makes veggies both enticing and exciting. Generating 16 thousand wacky, out-of-this world recipe ideas from kids sparked enthusiasm about veggies among kids.

The number one finding that sparked the most veggie-creativity was mixing and matching different vegetables and ingredients, with the majority of entries including a medley of colorful vegetable blends. A second finding showed that more than half of the submissions included bite-sized ingredients that are easy to enjoy and allow kids to eat with their hands. Who said getting your hands dirty was a bad thing?

The kitchens at Birds Eye, led by Executive Chef Michael Christiansen, took cues from kids to create a special collection of kid-inspired recipes, including this recipe for Yakimaniac Veggie Martians, which uses Birds Eye Steamfresh products. And it's a perfect example of a kid-friendly way to serve vegetables. From assembly to devouring - kids can have fun creating their own custom extraterrestrial side dish or snack.

For more kid-friendly recipes, serving ideas, tips and tools, visit www.birdseye.com/kids.

Yakimaniac Veggie Martians

Ingredients

• 1 bag (12 ounces) Birds Eye® Steamfresh® Broccoli Florets or Cuts, cooked according to package directions, divided
• 1 bag (12 ounces) Birds Eye® Steamfresh® Mixed Vegetables, cooked according to package directions, divided
• 1 package (16.3 ounces) refrigerated white or whole wheat biscuits (8 biscuits)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup plain Greek style yogurt
• 3 ounces low-fat cream cheese, softened
• Green glitter icing gel
• Thin pretzel sticks

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In medium bowl, combine 1 cup broccoli florets and 2 cups mixed vegetables with Swiss cheese, yogurt and cream cheese, blending well.
3. Separate biscuits in half into 16 pieces; roll or press each half into 4-inch rounds. On ungreased baking sheet arrange 8 rounds. Evenly top each with rounded 1/4 cup vegetable mixture, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with remaining biscuit rounds. Press edges to seal. Brush each with glitter gel.
4. Bake 15 to 17 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
5. Decorate each "Martian" with reserved vegetables and serve with remaining vegetables.

Serves
Makes 8 Servings

Preparation Time:
15 minutes

Cook Time:
15 minutes

SOURCE:
Birds Eye