Thanks for joining us today for our watermelon pizza post which is our August feature for Kids’ Kitchen. School has already started back, but we’re trying to squeeze in every last bit of summer we can get. Watermelons are typically in season May through August in our part of the country. Therefore, this is the last of the watermelon posts you will see from us for a while.
Lately, I’ve seen some intriguing watermelon pizzas floating around. The August theme for Kids’ Kitchen, which is a blogger collaboration, is “school snacks.” Since my kids are supplied snacks at their day care/preschool, our version is more of an after-school snack instead.
The watermelon pizza is super simple. Once you have your rings of watermelon cut to act as the crust of the pizza, you can keep the rings wrapped in the foil in the refrigerator for a couple of days. Then, after school, all kids have to do is dress the watermelon with toppings.
Watermelon Pizza – Our Version of Fruit Pizza
Today’s watermelon pizza has some simple toppings of blueberries, feta cheese, and basil. Now, I did consider making a balsamic dressing, but I realized my picky toddlers were likely not going to eat that.
This is the first cooking with kids post that has featured Little One as an actual sous chef. I honestly had planned to involve SB, but she was preoccupied and working quietly on her own (hallelujah!) with some puzzles. And LO just so happened to be following my every move in hopes of some dropped blueberries. This kid LOVES blueberries! So LO was granted her first job of sous chef for the day.
LO had fun shaking the feta crumbles onto the pizza, although she got a bit whiny about her hand being messy. Wouldn’t you know, big sis put her puzzle down and came to little sister’s aid. SB sprinkled on the cheese.
Next I handed her the shredded basil to add and she managed to add them all into one big clump of green in the middle. LO got back into the action by helping to add some blueberries. However, she seemed more concerned with trying to sneak a few to her mouth. After the girls finished their work, I did what any good supervisor would do and spread the basil and the blueberries around into a more balanced arrangement.
Because I was so busy helping her with the spreading of the toppings, I didn’t manage to get any pictures until we were finished with our masterpiece. Whew! A 20-month-old needs quite a bit more assistance with the steps than a 3 year-old!
Garnishing a Watermelon Pizza
Once we were finished, I sprinkled on some salt and pepper and sliced the pizza into slices.
Okay, so this might sound totally crazy, but I kind of wished I had made the balsamic dressing after all was said and done. I looked in the pantry and didn’t have enough balsamic vinegar to make any. I went a bit experimental and put some dark maple syrup on a few slices. And it was good! It was definitely a sweet on top of sweet kind of flavor explosion, but the feta, the basil and the blueberries cut down the sweet. It wasn’t a bad experiment at all! The key is to not slather the watermelon pizza in the syrup. Instead, just add a slight little drizzle here and there.
SB gave this watermelon pizza a true toddler seal of approval.
“Mmmmm. This is so yum! So, so yum!”
And she even ate a few bites with a big grin on her face.
But then she decided she didn’t like “that stuff” on her pizza, after all. She didn’t like “anything green” or “fetat cheese” on her pizza. The girl is as fickle as the day is long.
As for me, the pizza was, indeed, so so yum. Well, I mean for a deep dish. I’m a thin crust girl, myself. (Am I the only one who wishes for emojis on blog posts?)
Watermelon Pizza – Cooking with Kids
Ingredients
- 1 small watermelon
- 1/2 cup feta cheese crumbles
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- Handful of shredded basil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Balsamic dressing or maple syrup for dressing optional
Instructions
- Carefully, slice the watermelon into rounds (1 to 2 inches thick) to resemble round pizza crust.
- Top one watermelon round with feta, blueberries, and basil.
- Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
- Using a pizza cutter, slice the watermelon into six "slices of pizza."
Make sure to pin this healthy watermelon pizza for later!
Be sure to stop by and visit the other Kids’ Kitchen posts in this months series:
Chocolate-Pecan Energy Bites | Sugar, Spice & Glitter
Ants on a Log Fun Food Preparation for Preschoolers | Living Montessori Now
Oat and Honey Peach Muffins | Kitchen Counter Chronicles
What toppings would you put on your watermelon pizza? Be sure to check out our spicy watermelon frozen lemonade! Also, another great healthy-ish after-school snack is our caramel apple nachos!
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