This post is sponsored by Olly
We are finally turning a corner with Mazen and his relationship with vegetables. Our newest addition: zucchini! Like most kids, Mazen loves pizza, especially pepperoni, so I turned zucchini into a platform for pizza topping delivery.
But the real secret here was getting him involved. What they say about getting kids to participate in the grocery shopping and cooking processes is so true! Whether it’s helping me to pick lettuce from the garden or sprinkling pizza toppings, the more involved he is, the more likely he will be to eat the dish.
You know what else he loves!? Picking out his gummy vitamins! We LOVE Olly in our house after the blog introduction last year. He gets the Olly Kids Multi Vitamin each day, and you can imagine his excitement when I shared the four new Olly Kids Vitamin Boosts with him. He gets to pick one extra gummy out each day, and we rotate through the bunch.
The new types include:
-Super Brainy // Omega 3s DHA and EPA plus choline
-Growing Bones // Calcium and vitamin D
-Happy Tummy // Probiotic, prebiotic, peppermint
-Mighty Immunity // Wellmune (beta-glucans), acerola cherry (vitamin C), elderberry, zinc
Read more about them all here!
And to enter to win a year’s supply of your choice of two OLLY Kids Wellness Boosts, surf here!
So while you’re finishing chewing your gummy, I’ll tell you more about these pizza bites! We made them two ways – rounds for him, boats for me!
For the coins, I sliced them thick enough that they would hold the pepperoni and cheese without falling apart. For the boats, I scooped out the seeds from the middle to create a trough.
Mazen loved being in charge of the ingredients!
First the sauce:
Then Italian seasoning:
Then pepperoni:
And finally, cheese!
We baked them for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees, until the cheese was melty and the zucchini soft.
Zucchini Pizza Bites
Ingredients
- 2 zucchini
- 1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup tomato or pizza sauce
- 1 package pepperoni
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Slice zucchini into coins or lengthwise as boats
- Spread on sauce
- Sprinkle Italian seasoning
- Top with pepperoni
- Top with cheese
- Bake for 15 minutes, until cheese is melted and zucchini are soft
Thanks to Olly for sponsoring this post!
I love that you let Mazen take over and you posted unedited pics of HIS dish. Splatters, herb clumps and all! LOL Great job, Mazen!
🙂
I love that you take the extra time and effort to get Mazen involved in the cooking. He looks like he really enjoys it! I don’t have any children of my own yet, but I believe that getting them involved in the foods they eat early on, will help promote healthy lifestyle! Good for you and thank you for sharing!
My daughter LOVES zucchini! I look forward to making these with her when she’s older.
Great idea of getting Mazen interested through pizza! I know that’s the way to interest me! 🙂
Hi Kath,
I’m a little confused. What’s the correlation between the vitamins and the meal you made with Mazen? Just that it’s something he can choose…? Anyway, just wondering as it confused me a little bit. 🙂
Giving kids choices makes them feel like they are in control and they are more agreeable to try (healthy) things!
What kind of pepperoni did/do you use, any favorites? Looks delish!
Just a kind I bought at Whole Foods. I’m not sure of the brand, but it’s just something basic
I’m not sure I understand this product. Why do I need a boost to my vitamin? Is the vitamin by itself not enough? Why doesn’t the manufacturer just include it all in one pill?
The idea is that you can customize them to your needs.
I think it is very cool that there are different kinds of Olly vitamins to address a child’s diverse health needs. I always hated taking the traditional “pill” form of a vitamin when I was younger, and I know that my future son will enjoy the gummy version! Here’s hoping that I win the giveaway…
Those zucchini pizzas look delish!1!!!
I’d love to find out your thinking, as a registered dietitian, why you have decided to give Mazen a multivitamin. Your meals always look so healthy and varied, I’m surprised you feel that he needs any supplements to his real food diet! I was always under the impression that people who consume a varied diet generally don’t need any extra vitamins and minerals.
I think it’s a good insurance to make sure one is getting all the necessary nutrients. Mazen does not eat all that well all of the time, and even as a healthy eating adult it’s hard to get everything from food. My guess is that i get about 80% of what I need from food (which is great thinking that some people might only get 10%!)
I wish I could get these vitamins in Canada, my son would love them! Your 10% comment has me freaked out, is that really possible to eat three meals a day and only have 10% of your nutritional needs met? Now I’m totally paranoid, haha, can you give me a bit more info about this? I’d love to do some follow-up reading to make sure I’m covering my bases.
I’m thinking about those who might eat a donut for breakfast, a burger and fries from fast food for lunch, soda all day, etc. Not your typical blog reader 🙂
My son loves zuchinni in its many cooked forms: sautéed with onions, baked with olive oil, spices and Parmesan cheese, with sauce and cheese, and of course zuchinni bread. He just discovered it last summer and I can’t wait for zuchinni season here in Pa.
Those pizza bites look yummy! Might even get me to eat more vegetables! 😉