This post is sponsored by Country Crock. I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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Whew! What a week! I feel like I have been non-stop this week with quite a few things going on and a ball of emotion/stress on top of it all. Don’t worry – things are great! Just busy.
Although not too busy for some great workouts and food. I will share the workout side of things on Monday with a Move It Monday post. Finally, huh? Stay tuned for that one. I will have some good workouts to share. Promise I will try to make up for lost time on the workout front. 
What I can…and plan…to talk about today is the food side of things. We have had some delicious meals this week, which is sort of crazy considering the last thing I usually want to do when super busy is cook. You all know me. I hate cooking. I double hate grocery shopping. I triple HATE meal planning.
Why? Well, it’s all sort of stressful to me. I try to come up with meal options that will:
- have an overall balance of whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats
- include a fair amount of produce
- taste good
- not get too repetitive (for dinners at the very least)
- cook up fast
- please everyone (aka be something the kids won’t chew up, spit out on the floor, and leave me to clean because, yes, that has happened many a time)
I have a wad of tomato in my mouth I am about to spit right back out at you. *evil cackle*
This past week wasn’t near as bad. I received a special offer to prepare some vegetables from a recipe in a cookbook geared to kid vegetable consumption. And not the blend it and hide it in pizza bit. I’m not so into that game. I’ll blend up spinach in a smoothie and finely chop up veggies for pasta or veggie filled “sloppy joes”, but the kids know the veggies are in there. I want them to know that vegetables can taste good.
And that they can be lots of fun.
The Clare Crespo Cookbook (free download!) has so many inventive ideas for vegetables and kids. I’m talking sweet potato volcanoes, vegetable stoplights, rocket ships, and campfires.
I went with an option I just knew Makenzie would love. Butterflies!
Colorful and made with fresh squash, zucchini, and baby carrots.
The recipe was super simple and Makenzie loved it!
Butterflies are yummy, mom!
I loved all the ideas and can’t wait to try out more. At the very least, I will have some of the spread on hand to help give things a subtle, delicious flavor when served the plain ole style. Country Crock has 70% less saturated fat and 30% fewer calories than butter, zero grams trans fat, and is RD approved. Plus, a wee little bit can go a long way.
Are you looking for quick and simple tips and recipes to make serving veggies more fun? Download the free Clare Crespo Cookbook here for fun and whimsical recipes your family is sure to love! Then, also be sure to check out the Crock Country Chronicle site forother recipes and articles with tips! You can also find Country Crock on Facebook and on Twitter. Now, eat up those veggies!
What was your favorite vegetable as a kid? And what about now?
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
i love the idea of making different shapes like butterflies. so cute!
Makenzie is too adorable for words! I was the fussiest kid growing up….considering potatoes are the only ‘veggie’ I ate, I guess that was my fave
!
As a kid, my favorite veggie was always corn, cooked on the cob but cut off so that chunks of the kernels stayed together!
Now my favorite veggies change on a weekly basis but lately I’ve been loving eggplant and zucchini!
Too cute! My mom used to use cookie cutters to make our sandwiches fun shapes. She cut out a bunny and then use jelly beans for the eyes. Still couldn’t get us to eat veggies though!
Lovin’ the butterfly shapes! And Makenzie is such a cutie
Happy Friday!
Hopefully this will help me to get my kids to eat their carrots. Thanks for sharing!
I grew up on Country Crock- the original! The butterflies are adorable, I love all of the different idea of objects and shapes you can play around with.
love the butterfly idea – very cute! my favorite vegetable as a kid was probably green beans. i still love them, but thankfully my love for a variety of different veggies has grown.
She’s such a cutie. I was that odd kid that loved my veggies. Spinach was probably my favorite.
Aww the butterflies are so cute! I think my favorite veggies as a kid were green peas and carrots!
That is such an adorable idea! I can’t believe they have spit out food on the floor haha
As a kid – brussel sprouts – I think they were the only vegetable I like. Strange child
Now – I still have a special places for those little cabbage heads, but I can’t pick a favorite! Depends on the mood and season. Anything orange is a safe bet though – squashes, carrots, sweet potatoes
I have a little niece of three who loves her veggies thank god. No mashing or hiding, she munches through them before you even get a chance to cook them. Getting them involved in food prep is a great way for them to be more excited about the pending meal! As a kid I hated all vegetables…well no that’s a lie, sweetcorn and mushy peas were acceptable, though i was made eat what was given to me! I now love all vegetables, can’t imagine life without them!
Squash, kale, celeriac, cauliflower….all roasted are my favs!
I was most certainly not the veggie fan as a kid! Maybe brussells sprouts? or cooked cauliflower? Those I could tolerate
How cute, simple and creative! Love the little butterflies! (And your little girl is even more adorable.
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I think it’s great to teach them veggies can be good rather than just hiding them! We always had veggies with dinner and I was the weirdo kid who loved them! My little brother still won’t eat any… he’s almost 21.
I’ve always been a pretty big fan of carrots, but I’ve noticed that since I started college especially my tastes have grown to be much more receptive to all kinds of vegetables. I’ll actually eat tomatoes now (not plain, but I’ll eat them on/in something), I loooovvveee peppers and cucumbers, and I’ve come to appreciate zucchini, too. Actually, I think my favorite vegetable as a kid was corn. I’m still a huge corn fan. I will literally eat frozen corn straight out of the bag. I’m a weirdo haha.
Meal planning and grocery shopping is my least favorite too. We are just so busy! I feel your pain.
I can not express how thankful I am that I found your blog and how grateful I am that I can come back anytime to re-read older blog posts. I have been having trouble lately with binge eating (again) and I new you had an awesome post called Overcoming Binge Eating. The first time I read this post I broke down and cried, that particular post really spoke to me and helped me turn my life around and today I really needed to read it again. I am so glad that I did visit today because it has given me the strength I have been craving in order to get myself back together and back on track.
Thank you so much Tina, you are a wonderful role model for many, many people – I absolutely love your blog as I have learned so much from it.
I grew up a veggie lover! Well, I grew up loving any kind of food. I was not a picky eater. Now, I’m a horribly picky eater. But not picky when it comes to veggies! I LOVE them! As a kid, I probably loved potatoes or green beans the best. Now its hard to pick a favorite, but its probably brocolli, green beans, and sweet potatoes.
I can’t express how excited I am to try those recipes. I myself am not a big vegetable fan, but who doesn’t love butterflies. They look adorable and delicious, and your daughter in the photo is just TOO cute! I’m right there with you on hating cooking, food shopping, and meal planning so thank you so much for the fun ideas.
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