Walled Lake dad Elliot Webb is already instilling a taste for healthy foods in his 9-month-old daughter, Christina.
“I make her foods myself,” says the executive chef of Rusty Bucket Restaurant & Tavern in Bingham Farms. Webb has a similar nutritious mission with children who visit his restaurant.
The Ohio-based chain – which has four locations in Michigan, including two that opened in 2015 – recently revamped its kids’ menu to give families amped-up healthy options. Now, fried chicken fingers, fish and fries share space with grilled chicken tenders, fish and veggie sides.
Getting kids to opt for the lighter fare can be a challenge, admits Webb, but he offers a few tips. “With kids, it can be a negotiation. You might say, ‘If you try the grilled chicken this time, you can have something else next time.’ Or maybe you swap a sweet dessert, like a cookie, with applesauce.”
Webb has observed when kids try the healthier stuff, they tend to order it again. “Once they give it a try, they like it,” says Webb. This veggie pizza recipe he shared is a prime gateway – in time for National Nutrition Month.
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 oz. pizza dough
- 1 oz. pizza sauce
- 1 1/2 oz. whole milk mozzarella
- 1/4 oz. spinach
- 1/4 oz. red onion
- 1/4 oz. roasted tomatoes
- 1/4 oz. mushrooms
- 1/4 oz. banana peppers
- 1/4 oz. red and green bell peppers
- Equipment
- Pizza screen/pan
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425 F.
- Roll dough through a pizza sheeter or with a rolling pin.
- Place dough on a pizza screen and spread sauce all the way to the edges, leaving a 1/8″ ring around the very outside.
- Sprinkle on mozzarella, spinach, red onion, roasted tomatoes, mushrooms, banana peppers and bell peppers.
- Cook pizza for 15 minutes. Cut into four slices. Yields one serving.
More about Rusty Bucket Restaurant & Tavern
This family chain recently added two new Michigan spots and lighter kids fare as part of the National Restaurant Association Kids LiveWell Program.
- Bingham Farms: 30450 Telegraph Road, 248-594-2730
- Bloomfield: 42874 Woodward Ave., 248-239-3663
- Northville: 15400 Sheldon Road, 734-254-9699
- Northville Park Place: 18785 Traditions Drive, 248-349-1399
- Hours: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-midnight Friday-Saturday and 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday (Note: Bingham closes one hour earlier Monday-Saturday)
