Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips . . . A Whole Grain Snack with #GiantFlavor Made with Real Vegetables

Green Giant Garden Ranch Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips served in place of french fries.

Like many children, our three are anti-vegetable in varying degrees.  They actually love to eat many different fruits, but are the exact opposite when it comes to vegetables.  Our 9 year old son will eat broccoli, baby spinach, and red peppers.  Our 6 year old daughter will eat broccoli and baby spinach.  Our 6 year old son will only eat baby spinach finely chopped and cooked until they've shrunk down to almost nothing.  Now you see why I welcomed the opportunity to try the new Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips.

Of course, I could not replace vegetables with the Veggie Snack Chips, but I did use these whole grain chips to replace some not-so-good-for-you sides, such as french fries and potato chips.  The Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips are available in four varieties, of which we tried the Garden Ranch Roasted Veggie Tortilla Chips (pictured above) and the Barbecue Multi Grain Sweet Potato Chips (pictured below).  I served them to our children without telling them that these chips were made with real vegetables and they turned out to be a big hit.  I should have done the same thing with my husband because he refused to try them (now you know where our children get their anti-veggie gene).  In fact, he held out for 4 days before he finally tried them and admitted that this was a snack food that he did enjoy.

Green Giant Barbecue Multi Grain Sweet Potato Chips served in place of regular potato chips.

Everyone in the family agreed that these chips had 'Giant Flavor', but we were divided on which one was our favorite.  Our two sons liked the barbecue flavored sweet potato chips the best, while our daughter, my husband, and myself preferred the ranch flavored tortilla chips.  In fact, our older son said he chose the barbecue chips as his favorite because the ranch flavor in the tortilla chips was too powerful.

To learn more about Green Giant Veggie Snack Chips, visit Green Giant on Facebook, where you can read the nutritional information for each chip variety, including which vegetables are used.  While you're there, be sure to grab the printable coupon for $0.75 off one bag of Veggie Snack Chips.


I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Easy Recipe: Fun & Creative Veggie Pasta Dish for Kids

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.


Since our children have been able to eat solid foods, my husband and I have tried to introduce (and reintroduce) a variety of vegetables to them.  As a result, they all have their favorite vegetables to eat, especially ones that they have been enjoying for as long as they can remember.  It is much more difficult to get our children to try new vegetables now that they are older.  This is most likely true with most children.  I do not want to give up on adding to the list of veggies my children are willing to eat.  I just know that, if we can get them to try them, they may discover one or two new favorites.  That is why I am happy to find so many resources out there about fun ways to serve vegetables to children.

In addition to ideas I have seen on Pinterest, the Clare Crespo Cookbook is one of the best resources I have come across so far for creative kid-pleasing ways to serve veggies to children, ideas that I would never have thought of on my own, like veggie campfires, rocket ships, and boats.  The recipe I am sharing with you today is based on Clare Crespo's "Pasta Full of Posies" recipe.  I did make a few changes, such as using more olive oil, garlic, and Parmesan cheese plus cooking the tomatoes to suit my own family's taste.  Also, if I were to make this recipe again, I would add basil, so I have adjusted the recipe accordingly below.

Recipe:  Veggie Flower Pasta

INGREDIENTS:

1 box whole wheat penne pasta

2 yellow peppers

3 Tbsp Country Crock Spread

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp dried basil

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

10 baby spinach leaves

5 or more cherry tomatoes, halved

Step 1.  Cut the peppers in half, remove the ends and the seeds, and wash them.  Then cut them into strips about 1-1/2" wide.  From there, cut out your flower petal shapes (5 petals per flower).

Step 2.  Wash the cherry tomatoes and cut them in half.

Step 3.  Boil the pasta according to package instructions.

Step 4.  Melt the Country Crock Spread in a large skillet over medium heat.  Then add the olive oil, basil, and minced garlic.  Heat the garlic 1 to 2 minutes or until the garlic becomes very aromatic.

Step 5.  Cook the pepper petals in the garlic mixture for about 5 minutes.  Then remove them from the skillet with tongs and set aside.

Step 6.  Briefly cook the tomato halves in the garlic mixture until they have softened just slightly.  Then remove them from the skillet with tongs and set aside separately from the peppers.

Step 7.  Turn off the heat.  Then add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss in the garlic mixture.

Step 8.  Let the pasta cool slightly for 2 to 3 minutes.  Then toss with the grated Parmesan.

Step 9.  Put the pasta in a large pasta bowl.  Then arrange the vegetables into flowers on top of the pasta, using the tomato halves as the centers, the peppers as the petals, and the baby spinach as the leaves.  (Any extra pieces of tomatoes and peppers can be used to serve the adults.)

I switched to using Country Crock Spread years ago, not just because it is much easier to spread on rolls, toast, and waffles, etc . . . , but also because it tastes just as good as butter to my family.  Before I knew it, I used it to both cook and bake as well.  At the time, I did not even know that Country Crock Spread has 70% less saturated fat and 30% fewer calories than butter and that it has 0g trans fat.  Of course, my children do not care about all that.  They only know that what I cook tastes good to them (even vegetables).

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!  You can find additional tips and recipes at The Crock Country Chronicle, as well as the Country Crock Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Ruby Tuesday: To Grill or Not To Grill?

I'm not sure which I prefer . . . fresh crispy brightly colored vegetables or the same veggies hot off the grill tossed in some extra virgin olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Both have their positive points. I guess we will just have to alternate between the two every other day. That sounds fair, doesn't it?

If you'd like to see more Ruby Tuesday photos, go visit Mary at Work of the Poet!

My Photos (W/E 6-5-10)

It was a busy week, which allowed for some great photo opps. Of course it helped that I kept my camera handy and could grab it when such a moment presented itself.

I hope you enjoy what I have to offer this week . . .

"Ready for Grilling"

"Watchful"

"Little Kitty, Big Hugs"

"Happy"

"So Glad One of Us Could Fall Asleep!"

"Charming"

Thank you for taking the time to view my photos this week! If you'd like to play along or see more great photos, stop by to see Lotus a.k.a. Sarcastic Mom.