Bake What Your Mama Gave Ya

We could shower you with carnations, coupons for free hugs, mimosas, and jewelry. Or, we could give you something so much better – time! Every day, your time is spent stressing about the little things, especially at dinnertime. How do you work around preferences and allergies, but still provide your family with the best possible nutrition? CAULIPOWER's founder was up against the same challenges, so she did something about it, and it was too good to keep to herself.

So, here's to food in 2018 – the way it should be! Bringing the whole family back together over one plate that tastes good, provides vital nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, and yes, even helps manage diets. If you've been meaning to make healthier choices for yourself, but get stuck eating the less nutritious stuff you know your kids won't complain about, cauliflower-based foods are a great way to go lower on calories, fat, sodium, and sugar without making yourself an entirely different meal from the rest of your family.

This Mother's Day, take a moment for yourself. Grab your favorite CAULIPOWER pizza and a glass of wine and lock yourself in the bathroom for a nice, long soak. And then tomorrow, you're sure to be back at all the superhero stuff you do on a daily basis, so here are some ideas to help make it quicker, easier, more nutritious, and just a little bit fun:

1. Let Them Do The Work.

Set up a work station for your tiny chefs, and let their creativity run wild. They won't even realize they're cooking their own dinner, and keeping it fun will make it that much easier to get them involved as they get older. @dasrozo puts out bowls of her kids' favorite toppings for an interactive pizza party. Food really does taste better when you make it yourself!

If you're short on time, make one of our ready-to-cook flavors and give your little one "sprinkle powers," like @cookathomemom does – letting them add the finishing touches with basil leaves, grated parmesan, or chili flakes (if they're already into the spicy stuff!). This option is much less messy, too!

2. Push Their Palates.

This is a fun way to get older kids involved in cooking and nutrition. Go beyond the expected cheese and pepperoni and try something a little different. A white pizza is a great place to start because it opens up an entirely new pizza category and is a great base for foods they might already enjoy, like @kimscravings' spinach and artichoke dip inspired Skinny Garlic Spinach White Pizza on our plain cauliflower crust. Grab the full recipe on her blog.

If you've got a Jonathan-Gold-in-training at home, maybe you can get even more adventurous. Fennel is a very distinct flavor that not everyone loves, but when they love it, they loooooooove it. Check out @sproutedkitchen's Kale and Shaved Fennel Salad Pizza.

3. Get Colorfully Kid-Friendly.

We've all dealt with picky eaters, and we've all tricked them into eating healthier. But tricks aren't always for kids – it's just a band-aid that will get them to eat better for a little while. The real trick is getting them to actually enjoy vegetables as adults. @noshandnourish goes full rainbow with a tasty and versatile carrot top pesto that she uses as the "sauce" on our ready-to-use pizza crust. Just sprinkle a little cheese, and you're showcasing the sweet, delicious carrots, rather than hiding them. You can even pair them with more brightly colored carrots, chopped tomatoes, and a love note! A perfectly nutritious bag lunch that will make them smile doesn't have to take hours to prepare.

Developing healthy habits isn't easy, but these little tips are a great place to start. Here's to a CAULIPOWERful Mother's Day and beyond!