This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Kroger. The opinions and text are all mine.
My kids love to eat. Anything in “dip form” will get demolished in a matter of mere seconds with this crew. Moreover, I love to find ways to create things with them. ….and if I happen to sneak in some extra little nutritional boosts, well, then that’s even better.
So this week, we headed over to Kroger, and created a fun, delicious southwest dip. We even got creative and made it into a cat-faced southwest dip. ….unfortunately, I first created another installment of “How Not to Cook”. (Remember my infamous meatball debacle? Or the overly-cinnamon’ed Vitamix applesauce?)
When I was asked to create a kid-friendly activity using things I got at Kroger, it seemed like a no-brainer. I decided to go with a southwest-style dip and home made baked tortilla chips, which is an easy recipe for the kids to get involved with, AND which I could get everything I need at my neighborhood Kroger store. Y’all already know I love Kroger, not only because they have competitive prices, but because Kroger helps me to find healthy options for me and my family.
But first I had to “pull a Barbara”, and take too many liberties in what I created. I found a handful of taco dip recipes, calling for cream cheese and refried beans, along with salsa, and other garnishing. But I decided I wanted to make a healthier version, and replaced the refried beans with black beans and added corn, as well. It didn’t turn out too well, but it made for a great conversation about how we dust ourself off and try again when things don’t go as planned. This was actually perfect timing, since I’m trying to work with my 4 yo son on tackling the monkey bars at school. He’s been reluctant to try them because he’s afraid of falling. I’ve been encouraging him to try them, and that the worst that would happen is he drops to the ground and gets up and tries it again. (His feet dangle about a foot from the ground on the monkey bars at his school, fwiw.) So when my initial crack at this recipe was less than stellar, I made a big stink about getting right back in there and trying the recipe again, figuring out what I did wrong, and how I could make it better the next time.
I digress.
Here’s what how we did it. There are plenty of opportunities along the way to get the kids involved with each step, depending on their age, your comfort level, and their abilities – and perhaps your threshold for messes.
Kid-friendly Southwest Dip
- 8-oz sour cream
- 1 tbs. chia seeds
- 1 tbs. flax seed
- 2 tsp. taco seasoning mix (Did you know how easy it is to make your own??)
- 1/2 c. salsa
- 1/4 c. sliced ripe olives (+4-5 individual olives on reserve)
- 1 c. shredded Cheddar cheese (4 oz)
- 1/2 c. black beans
- 1/2 c. sweet corn
- 1 c. chopped lettuce or spinach (or let the kids use scissors to snip it in to strips)
- 2 cherry tomatoes
- tortilla chips (It’s super easy to bake your own tortilla chips!)
Mix the sour cream and taco seasoning until well-blended. Spread as bottom layer of dip in your deep dish. Next evenly spread salsa over cream cheese mix, then sprinkle chia and flax seed over the salsa. Layer the beans, then the corn. Top with shredded cheese. ….now for the fun part. Have kids create a face: use the tomatoes (cut in half) to create eyes, then place olive slice over tomato. Cut olive slices in half to create a mouth.
I ended up sticking ours in the oven with the baked tortilla chips for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese. This is completely optional.
Giveaway opportunity:
I want to give one of y’all a chance to create something with your own kiddos, so I’m offering you a chance to win a $50 Kroger giftcard. Simply comment below with your favorite Halloween activity or recipe to do with your kids. Then fill out the form below. See? Simple!
Remember, you can earn extra entries daily, so make sure to stop back in and update your form to increase your chance of winning. Good luck, y’all! 🙂
Kroger $50 Giftcard
--Barbara
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