People seem to fall into two Costco camps:

  • The “I love going to Costco” camp.
  • The “I dread going Costco” camp.

We fall into the former. Yes, we’re the family that goes to Costco for ‘fun’.

I love wandering the aisles, scoping out any new nutritionist-approved goodies…and purchasing 100 of them. Because, we’re getting a deal right? (teehee)

To help keep us focused in the Costco vortex, Keith and I created a joint shopping list with all of our staple items – including organic peppers, avocados, coconut flour, coconut oil and 15-20 other items. So we TRY to stick to this list (though often failing).

One item we buy a couple times a year is their Basil Pesto. We don’t have a lot of dairy at home other than the odd kefir yogurt, sheep cheese, and this parmesan-based pesto. I prefer to make our own dairy-free version or buy a brand like Sunflower Kitchen.

But sometimes you crave some ‘real’ pesto, ya know?

I first tried this Basil Pesto a year ago, and thought the ratio of greens to cheese was a little skewed – in favour of the salty cheese. It could surely handle a few more greens, so that’s what I did.

I grabbed a few handfuls of baby kale and tossed it in the blender with a few big globs of their Basil Pesto. Give it all a whirl in the Vitamix, had a taste, and my eyes lit up. I was on to something!

Admittedly, I was nervous when I mixed the girls’ pasta, chicken and veggies into my ‘super green’ version of the pesto.

Would they notice? Would they cringe? Would it all go to waste?

The verdict: no, no and no! #phew

The girls gobbled up that green pesto as well as they would have the original version. The nutritionist in me did a happy dance. And now it’s no secret that mom messes with their pesto because the girls help add greens to the blender too!

You can see how it’s done here in this one-minute video.

If you think your family needs to eat more greens, here’s one simple way to do it!

Ingredients:

  • One cup of store-bought pesto
  • One cup of fresh (or frozen) leafy greens – I’ve used spinach, kale, basil, parsley, and arugula.

Blend all and serve on top of fish, grass-fed meat, with eggs, tossed in veggies or pasta, on a salad, in rice…or eat directly off the spoon.

What if your kids don’t like pesto (or any sauces for that matter)?

Sauces like pesto can be hard for kids – it’s messy, slimy, and often has a powerful smell. So the goal is to give your child a sense of control and success as they examine the sensory aspects of the pesto (or sauce, or any refused food). The questions you ask will be important in helping them learn to like that food.

This is exactly what the Superpower Placemat does.

Superpower Foods Placemat for Kids

You’ll be shocked at all the new foods kids are eating because of it! Take a peek here and grab your today.

USE PROMO CODE “LEAFYGREENS” TO SAVE $5 FOR 24 HOURS.

If you have a killer green pesto recipe, please share it below!