When Halloween time comes around, I love trying to find ways to make our normal meals a little more festive…like with this Chicken Pot Pie with a cute edible veggie pumpkin decoration on top!
I have the hardest time getting my kids to eat veggies! Do you have the same battle with yours? It’s like pulling teeth to get them to even try a bite of vegetables, let alone eat an entire helping of them as a dinner side. I’ve done the bribing thing and even threatened to take away precious possessions or privileges, but nothing seems to work!
So this time, I slipped some Birds Eye Fresh Frozen Vegetables into a pie and made a fun pumpkin on top to entice them to partake. I have to say that it worked much better than my other ploys. 🙂
Because, seriously…do you know a kid that wouldn’t at least want to see what was inside of this adorable creation? Interest piqued. 🙂
And then, after you’ve grabbed the kids’ attention, proceed to tell them a Halloween story about a sad pumpkin who was rejected by all his friends (witch, Frankenstein, black cat, ghost…everyone) and needs to feel wanted and loved again.
The cued reaction (i.e. the one you really hope you’ll get, but can improvise if you don’t) is…”I’ll be his friend!”
“Great!”
“You can start by eating his pie.” “He would be so, so happy if you would enjoy the special pie that he made just for you.” 🙂
And then you proceed to cut into it with the kids intensely watching, still maybe slightly skeptical.
But if they don’t want to hurt Mr. Pumpkin’s feelings, they’ll agree to give it a shot. We wouldn’t want the tears to start flowing from those sad pumpkin pea eyes, now would we?
And then, with any luck, they’ll decide that they like it after bite one and thank Mr. Pumpkin for the wonderful gift of his pie. At the very least, you’ll be able to get a few forkfuls of veggies into their tummies, which is better than nothing. I call that a small success! I’m taking it one bite at a time. 🙂
My kids noted that vegetables are much better with sauce and a crust.
So here’s what you’ll need to make this Halloween Chicken Pot Pie that will hopefully get the kids to enjoy or at the very least, try eating veggies, once again.
A few cups of fresh frozen Birds Eye veggies, some chicken and pie crust, along with a couple sauce ingredients are all it takes to make a hearty, family-pleasing meal!
I know that my household needs to really work on veggie consumption, but I was baffled to learn that 9 out of 10 people in the U.S. don’t get the proper amount of vegetables, according to the State of the Plate Report. That’s crazy!
Which is why I love that Birds Eye is on a mission to help families eat more vegetables. They’re doing so by showing moms fun and simple ways that we can serve those bright, healthy veggies that everyone will enjoy!
Bird’s Eye provides more than 40 unique vegetable blends throughout the year at very affordable prices, making it so easy for us to serve up well-rounded meals at the dinner table each evening.
This year, Birds Eye has partnered with Melissa d’Arabian, celebrity chef, mom of four, and host of FoodNetwork.com’s web series The Picky Eaters Project, to make a difference and help moms with the dinnertime dilemma. If you’re like me, I’m always looking for fresh, new ways to incorporate veggies into my family’s meals, so I’m all over this!
Now let’s make a Halloween-ified Chicken Pot Pie that will wow the kids!
{CHICKEN POT PIE…HALLOWEEN STYLE}
Adapted heavily from All Recipes
(2) 9″ Pie Crusts (homemade or store-bought)
1 lb. (or about 2 cups) cooked chicken breast, shredded (be sure to keep the broth)
1/2 large onion or 1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 c. butter
1/3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. celery seed
1 3/4 c. chicken broth
1 3/4 tsp. chicken bouillon
2/3 c. milk
2 1/2 c. fresh frozen Birds Eye Vegetables
Boil chicken until cooked through. Shred chicken and set aside. Reserve 1 3/4 c. broth and whisk in chicken bouillon. Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat and add celery and onion. Cook until onions and celery are soft. Stir in flour, salt, pepper and celery seed. Slowly stir in chicken broth and milk. Simmer over medium-low heat until thick. Remove from heat.
Lightly spray your pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. Place one of your crusts in the bottom of the pan and stab it with a fork to allow the pie to breath while baking.
Toss in cooked, shredded chicken.
Top with Birds Eye Fresh Frozen Vegetables. I’d recommend stirring the veggies and sauce together. I’ll do that next time for sure, just to better spread the flavor and moisture of the sauce.
Now top with another pie crust and seal the edges. I just used a fork and pressed it on the dough, ensuring that the crust was hugging the pie plate so it didn’t shrink while baking. Then cut a few slits in the top again for breathing purposes and so the excess heat can escape. Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for about 35-40 minutes, or until the crust is browned to your liking and filling is bubbly. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving.
I recommend waiting until the pie is baked to add the pumpkin on top. Just zap a few frozen fresh Birds Eye carrot slices, a green bean piece and two peas in the microwave until warm. Then arrange in the pattern of a pumpkin on top with a cute face.
Isn’t it cute? The fresh frozen Birds Eye vegetables really are tasty! We thoroughly enjoyed getting our daily dose of veggies in this Halloween Chicken Pot Pie. I hope it’s a hit with your family too!
May this be the beginning of many veggie dinner successes to come!
Follow Birds Eye on:
TwitterHere’s Melissa D’Arabian with more great ways to add vegetables into your family’s meals.
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
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