Successful Easy Meals for Kids using Veggie Burger

I know you have been there -- it is lunch time, and you aren't sure what to make the kids. This was one of my shinning mommy moments. So I thought I would share my great find, so my success can be your next success. The reasons this lunch was successful are it was fast, easy, I had the ingredients, it contained the elusive veggies, and ooooh did I mention -- they loved it. Now all of us have made a pizza on an English muffin before. The shinning mommy moment isn't the pizza; it is the addition of the veggies. Because of the texture of the veggies, the kids have no idea they are eating them.
Dr. Praeger's California veggie burger is the key to the story of my success.

Veggie Pizza

Ingredients
 • English muffin/ or bite sized pitas/ or a tortilla (switch it up - they are tots -they will think it is a different meal they love every time you make it)
• Pizza sauce
• Dr Praeger's California veggie burger
• Olive oil
• Mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Heat some olive oil in a small pan and warm California burger. As you are cooking the burger, break it up into a veggie paste consistency. Toast English muffin lightly because you are going to continue cooking it once other ingredients are on it, and you don't want it to burn. Kids usually don't like anything that has burned spots. Once English muffin is lightly cooked, add some pizza sauce, spread a layer of veggie mixture, and top with cheese. Heat pizzas in a toaster oven or your regular oven until cheese is melted. I hope your kids enjoy it as much as mine did. If you want to use the bite size pitas there is no need to warm them ahead of topping them.  If you want to use the tortilla, cook your pizza in a 400 degree oven for 8 to 9 minutes in order to get the tortilla a bit crispy.

I would also suggest using Dr Praeger's California burger in other ways. Get creative; this is an easy way to add veggie to many different meals. Another success I had with these veggie burgers is making a veggie tortilla wrap.

Veggie Tortilla Wrap

Ingredients:
• Tortilla
• Olive oil (you would be hard pressed to find recipes I put together without this golden liquid from heaven -- well, that is just what I call it)
•Dr. Praeger's California burger
• Cheese of your choice
• You could even use ham or turkey or any deli meat you like (if you want to add meat)

Directions:
Heat olive oil and California burger in a pan. While heating veggie burger break it up into a veggie paste consistency. Warm tortilla. Once veggie mixture is ready, it is time to put the wrap together. Take tortilla add cheese, meat if you want, add veggie mixture --- then roll the tortilla into an easy to eat kiddie wrap. It is yummy, warm, healthy, and filled with tasty veggies (with a texture that hides from the kids).

Lastly, I would say I have also been successful adding that same crushed up veggie burger to pastina (any kind of small pasta). I make the pastina. Once boiled and drained, I add a bit of butter, a dribble of olive oil, some Parmesan cheese, and the crushed up veggie burger. This adds some veggies to a simple buttered noodles and cheese lunch or dinner.

And the kids enjoy all of these variations to the veggie burger. It is very versatile -- I am sure you can come up with other ways of incorporating this easy to use veggie burger into dished you already make that need a little veggie addition. Oddly enough, I have never served my kids this veggie burger as a burger --- go figure. Now go out there and get creative with this veggie burger. Here is my veggie pizza cut in half and decorated to look like a monster.  Have fun with your kids food.