Raising two boys who would grow up to become NFL royalty was no small task. But long before Jason and Travis Kelce were breaking records, their mum Donna was fighting a far more exhausting daily battle: getting them to eat their vegetables.
Now 73, Donna has finally revealed her secret — and it turns out it was less about lectures and more about culinary trickery.
Appearing as a guest partner in the 53rd Annual Pillsbury Baking Contest, Donna shared the dishes that once powered her whirlwind household. The competition, running from January 10 to 25, pits four fan-voted recipes against each other — Kettle Kickoff Corn Bars, Big Win Cookie Bars, Blitz It Meat Bites, and Tailgate Pimento Swirls — with a $50,000 grand prize and the coveted title of MVB: Most Valuable Baker up for grabs.
“I spent years in bleachers and on sidelines, so I know game-day food has to keep up with the energy,” Donna said. “It needs to be fast, filling and packed with flavor — that’s why I’ve always trusted Pillsbury.”
But the real revelation came when she admitted that the brand wasn’t just for tailgates — it was her weapon of choice for sneaking vegetables past two hyperactive kids.
“I used it in everything,” she laughed. “Hamburger pie, casseroles, anything where you mix everything together. Honestly, that was sometimes the only way I could get veggies into them.”
Donna also shared on her sons’ New Heights podcast that Jason and Travis barely sat still as children, so she’d bake crescent rolls stuffed with meat and vegetables — food they could grab and eat while charging out the door.
From hidden carrots to Super Bowl rings, Donna Kelce has been feeding her sons’ dreams — one casserole at a time. 
