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I know I’m not alone when I say that cooking for our kids can be a bit stressful. Some of us may have picky eaters, or a kid that loves helping make food, but the mess and stress of it can be scary. It can seem overwhelming at first, but springtime is here and it’s a time of growth, so this post is here to help you and your child enjoy cooking together! We’ll share some oh-so-delicious recipes that are not only spring themed, but also safe, simple, low mess, and, of course, incredibly adorable. Let’s dive in!
1. Colorful Deviled Eggs
Source: Balancing Motherhood
Ingredients
- 12 eggs large
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Food coloring : Red, Blue, Purple, Green, and Orange
Instructions:
- Boil water on high heat and place eggs in boiling water. Make sure the eggs are covered by 2 inches of water.
- Add a teaspoon of vinegar to the water and let boil for for 3 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and cover the pot and let sit for at least 10 minutes, but not more than 15 minutes.
- Make a cool bath for your eggs with cold water and some ice cubes, to quickly cool them down.
- Once eggs are cooled down, remove them from their cool bath and start peeling them.
- Now for the fun part, the coloring! Get a couple of cups or whatever you want to use to put your peeled eggs in and fill them 2/3 the way with water. Add in 1 teaspoon vinegar and 3-4 drops of food coloring to each glass. Stir. The longer you have your eggs in the coloring water dye, the stronger the color will be.
- Once you have the right amount of color to your eggs, cut each egg in half lengthwise and scoop out the yolks, placing the yolks in a bowl. Smash the egg yolks with a fork until they are crumbly and in small pieces.
- Mix together mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, paprika and mix until smooth and creamy.
- Use a piping bag or a spoon to place yolk mixture into each egg center and that’s it! Enjoy this egg-celent colorful side dish!
2. Fruit Pizza/Fruit Tarts
This is a personal favorite for our family and know yours will love it too!
Ingredients
- Assortment of fruit: strawberries, blueberries, tangerine, kiwi, pineapple, and red grapes
- One batch of sugar cookie dough
- 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/3 cup of sugar
- 1/2 cup apple jelly
Instructions:
- Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 12-inch pizza pan with cooking spray.
- While oven is preheating, start cutting up your fruit into small pieces (usually into slices or halves)
- Once oven is heated, break up cookie dough in pan; press dough evenly in bottom of pan to within 1/2 inch of edge. Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely on cooling rack, about 30 minutes.
- In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Spread mixture over cooled crust.
- Arrange fruit over cream cheese. We love arranging them like a rainbow, so pretty!
- Stir jelly until smooth; spoon or brush over fruit. Refrigerate until chilled, for 30-60 minutes. Enjoy!
3. Fruit (Veggie Non-Tasting) Smoothie
My kids love helping out with one!
Ingredients
- 1 cup spinach
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 cup watermelon
- ½ cup coconut water, or you can use milk as well
Instructions:
- Mix ingredients together in blender, and blend on low-medium speed; serve and enjoy! The are so many other delicious healthy smoothie recipes out there!
- You really cannot go wrong with this, my kids absolutely love smoothie days and even though I gave the recipe we use, you can also add any other yummy ingredients you want, like blueberries, kale, orange, or a kids’ protein powder.
4. Blueberry Banana Muffins
Source: Twin Mom Refreshed
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt (I use pink Himalayan)
- 2 overripe bananas
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup melted butter (or melted coconut oil)
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup plain greek yogurt (use whole milk yogurt or regular if you don’t have greek)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1.5 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 375F and spray a muffin tin or use liners
- Mash bananas in a large bowl
- Whisk eggs, melted butter, maple syrup, yogurt, and vanilla to the bananas. Mix well.
- Add and mix together baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Then mix in flour, don’t over mix it either!
- Next mix in blueberries and fill muffin tin 3/4 with batter.
- Bake 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean, and enjoy!
5. Funfetti Granola Bars
Source: Babyfoode
Ingredients:
- Instant or old-fashioned oats
- Rice cereal
- Peanut butter
- Honey
- Coconut oil
- Vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips and sprinkles
Instructions:
- Line your muffin tin with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bowl, add in the oats and crispy rice cereal.
- In a microwave-safe bowl add in the peanut butter, coconut oil and honey. Heat for 1 minute, stir and then heat for an additional 45 seconds. Add in the vanilla extract. Let sit for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour microwave mixture on top of oats and stir.
- Add in your chocolate chips and sprinkles. My kids thought this was the best part!
- Spoon the granola mixture evenly into cupcake liners and press firmly.
- Lastly, place them into your fridge for an hour to cool down and sure enough they will be ready to be kid-approved!
6. Pesto Rainbow Pizza
Be ready for such an easy lunch or dinner idea!
Ingredients
- Pizza dough or whole wheat tortillas
- Pesto sauce
- Mozzarella cheese
- Red, orange, yellow bell peppers
Instructions:
- Preheat your oven to whatever your pizza packaging says or to 350 degrees
- Cut your bell peppers into small cubes.
- Now it’s time to create your masterpiece. Add the pesto sauce to your pizza dough or tortilla, spread evenly.
- 4. Next let’s create the actual rainbow. Before placing bell peppers, cover the sauce portions of pizza with a nice helping of cheese. Then in rainbow order, create your rainbow design with pepper cubes. I’ve even seen people add other veggies to create the full rainbow look or even add mozzarella or cauliflower pieces at the ends of the rainbow to look like little clouds on your pizza. So cute!
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, let cool and enjoy! Isn’t it funny how kids are more inclined to eat when things look cute and fun?! I can’t blame them!
7. Peanut Butter Rainbow Apple Slices
Ingredients
- Apples (our favorite kind is Granny Smith)
- Peanut butter or almond butter
- M&Ms
Instructions:
- Cut apples into circular slices.
- Spread your choice of nut butter unto your apple slices.
- Add your M&Ms (or for a healthier option, use raisins). That’s it, these were definitely something simple and that everyone loved!
Thank you for joining us as we share these easy and kid-friendly recipes that your kids can help you make! We hope you enjoy celebrating this season of spring! My kids and I loved the memories we made while making these recipes, and now, just like me, you officially have a little chef in the house! Be sure to share what fun, simple, and easy recipes your kids love helping you with below!
Happy spring cooking!
