Celery

Thanksgiving PB Apple Turkey

September 18, 2014 by Amy Hudson

Thanksgiving is coming up quickly. Holidays are such a fun time to make a creative, healthy snack for kids to celebrate the season. There are tons of amazing ideas out there for Thanksgiving food for kids, and today I’ll add one more to the mix.

Thanksgiving PB Apple Turkey

Ingredients

2 T creamy peanut butter

1 stick celery

1 small apple

1 almond

Directions

Place the peanut butter into a zip top baggie and snip a piece off of the corner of the bag. Pipe the peanut butter onto the plate as shown for the turkey’s body and legs. Slice an apple and arrange slices around the turkey’s body to look like feathers. Add some celery “grass” below the turkey by placing some cut up celery there. Finally, slice the two ends off of an almond and place into peanut butter for turkey’s eyes. Use remaining almond to slice a triangle shape and place beneath eyes to look like a beak.

Simple and fun. The best part is that the kids can dip the celery and apples into the peanut butter to eat. My girls cleaned their plate!

Alternative serving suggestions:

Almond butter in place of peanut butter

Raisins for eyes and beak

After you serve this guy to your kiddos as a snack, try this turkey for lunch. Your little turkeys will love it!

Read the preparation instructions for this lunch.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Healthy Peacock Snack

January 28, 2014 by Amy Hudson

A cute little peacock is a wonderful way to serve all sorts of colorful, healthy food by using it in his beautiful tail. Awhile back we made this version of a peacock, but I thought he was due for an upgrade! This version is even healthier than the other, as it is grain free and features veggies that are packed with vitamins and lots of great fiber.

Healthy Peacock Snack

To make this snack, all you will need will be hummus, and some beautifully colored vegetables. Simply chop up some veggies (we used carrots, cucumber, celery, and red pepper) and spoon your hummus into a plastic baggie. You will snip the end off of one corner of the plastic baggie to use as a piping bag, and you will draw the peacock’s body with it. Use the simple shape shown above. You can check out our Cucumber and Hummus Cupcake post to get more details about this step and see hummus used in another creative way!

Next, arrange your veggies as shown for the tail. Use two thin slices of a baby carrot for feet, several thin slices of red pepper for head feathers, and an almond for an eye.

I liked the idea of adding some additional protein to this snack, so I made a little ground out of almonds for our peacock friend to walk on.

Whichever version you create at home, this snack is sure to be a fun and super HEALTHY one!

Make sure you don’t forget to check out:

Cucumber and Hummus Cupcakes

Our favorite ANIMAL snacks

What is your favorite hummus flavor? Do you go for original or do you love the different versions out there?

Leave a comment below!

Frosty the Snowman and Friends

December 4, 2013 by Amy Hudson

My girls love the Frosty the Snowman movie. We have a DVD of the same version that was on TV all the way back in the 80’s when I was a kid. They love to sing the song, “Frosty the Snowman, was a jolly happy soul . . .” The other day I decided to make them a snack inspired by their favorite snowman. (Even though we’ve already made these snowman snacks last year, today’s snowman looks just like Frosty from the movie).

Frosty the Snowman

Ingredients:

3/4 to 1 cup cottage cheese

1-2 baby carrots

1 slice of banana

1 dried blueberry (I buy the large bag available at Costco)

1 fresh blueberry

2 small slices celery

1 dried cranberry

Directions:

Use a small spoon to scoop the cottage cheese onto the center of the plate. Gently spread it out to make the largest part of Frosty’s body – his tummy. Next, spoon each leg on and gently slide cottage cheese into shape if needed. Follow the same process for his arms. Cottage cheese is great, because it naturally falls into the shape of fingers at the end of an arm. You won’t have to use your fine motor skills for this step! Slice one square piece of celery, along with one thin rectangular piece, and place atop Frosty’s head. Add a dried cranberry to look like a flower. Slice a small dried blueberry in half and place onto Frosty’s head for eyes. Slice your fresh blueberry in half, then slice a crescent shape out of one of the halves, and lay that flat onto Frosty’s face for his smile.

Slice a baby carrot in half lengthwise. Lay one above the other next to Frosty to look like his broomstick. Slice one banana wheel. Carefully take your knife and slice thin sections from the wheel. Place onto plate to be the bottom of the broom. To make Frosty’s pipe, slice a baby carrot in half lengthwise, then slice one of those halves again (lengthwise), so you have a flat rectangular piece of carrot to work with. Slice a pipe shape, aiming to get a thin rectangular piece with a squared piece at the end. Place the pipe right into Frosty’s smile, and he is complete and ready to delight your little ones!

Frosty’s Wife

After I made Frosty for my oldest, I decided to make him a little friend. She was easier and faster to make than even him. Meet Mrs. Frosty.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup cottage cheese

2 fresh blueberries

1 red grape

1 dried blueberry

1 small section of celery

1 dried cranberry

1 baby carrot

Directions:

Use a spoon to scoop and carefully shape three cottage cheese circles onto the plate for Mrs. Snowman’s body. Next, thinly slice a section of celery and place onto plate for her arms. Slice a dried blueberry in half and place onto her head for eyes. Slice a dried cranberry in half width-wise and place beneath eyes for Mrs. Snowman’s mouth. Add two fresh blueberry buttons and a red grape bow. To make the bow, slice a red grape in half lengthwise, then slice a triangle out of each half and add a remaining sliver of grape for tie of hair bow. Complete her with a tiny sliver of a baby carrot (proportional to her face), and you are done!

Enjoy!

More Snowman Fun!

If you enjoyed these snowmen, check out our other snowman creations, (our snowman milk chugs are super easy and fun), along with the rest of our Winter and Christmas snacks!

(Linking up HERE)

Learning about Cells

May 14, 2013 by Amy Hudson

I remember learning about cells when I was in 7th grade. For extra credit, I made a cell cake. My mom helped me decorate a round cake and create all of the cell components on top using different colored icing and piping instruments.

The cake turned out so well that my teacher decided to place it in a display case in a prominent area of the school. I laugh thinking back at that because the cake sat in there for so long that it started to decompose, and we were never able to eat any of that delicious cell cake!

Aside from earning me those extra credit points, that cake helped me to remember and love learning about the cell.

Today’s snack is a healthy version of that same experience, and it could be done in a science classroom as a test on the parts of a cell, or at home as part of a home school curriculum. You could also make it for your younger kids just to teach them about the cell and how it all works, like we did!

As I was creating this snack for my 5 year-old, I pulled up this great site which gives clear explanations of each part of the cell, along with easy-to-understand drawings and diagrams. I modeled today’s plate after this diagram on the site:

Click photo to be taken to source

Cells have lots of different components, and can be made using just about anything you have on hand in the kitchen. Since we were going for a healthy snack today, here is the list of ingredients we used:

Ingredients

celery (1 stalk)

turkey breast (2 slices)

yellow pepper

strawberry (1 small slice)

orange (1 slice)

carrots (2)

green grapes (1)

yogurt (1 tablespoon)

hot dog slices (3 thin slices)

string cheese (2-3 small slices)

Create your cell by arranging each element on the plate as shown.

The carrots are sliced in half so that they lay flat on the plate.

To create the shape of the centrioles (green grapes), slice a green grape into wheels, then slice tiny triangles out of the edges.

The ribosomes (yogurt) are made using the following technique (which we absolutely love!):

The finished product:

How to use this snack / activity

Challenge your (older) student to create a cell at home for a snack using some of the ingredients pictured here. Your student can see if he can name each part of the cell and what its function is when he is done.

Teach your younger children about the human body using this snack. You could draw the different parts on index cards, and write the function of the part on the back. Your children can pick up one card at a time to learn what that part of the cell does. They can even eat that part as you explain what its job is.

Science teachers could use this as an assessment activity. Provide foods such as those pictured here, and assign students to create a plate of the animal cell, and be prepared to explain what each part is and its function.

Use resources like this to dig deeper and learn even more together with your child!

More Science Related Snacks

Solar System

Volcano

Under the Sea ecosystem

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack? Learn more about this blog here.

Tangled

March 11, 2013 by Amy Hudson

My kids love Disney’s Tangled. If you’ve seen our Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Lion King, Monster’s Inc, “Up” and Peter Pan snacks, you can tell that we are big Disney fans. Tangled is no exception.

To create Rapunzel, I sliced 12-14 red grapes in half lengthwise. I arranged them on the plate to look like her dress. Making the dress first helps to scale the head, feet, and arms. Next, cut a slice of white cheese (I used mozzarella) into shape for a neck, feet, arms and head. I wasn’t ambitious enough to create hands with tiny little fingers using cheese, so I hid her arms behind her hair. For her lips I used a tiny slice of a grape, two tiny currants for eyes, and a small slice of cheese for her nose.

Next, boil a small handful of thin spaghetti noodles until cooked. You can make a quick cheese sauce for it if desired, or just use a little olive oil or butter and place it right onto the plate.

Finish the scene with some celery grass and a couple orange tulips made from carrots.

I loved the scene in the movie where Rapunzel feels the grass and the earth for the first time. This lunch was pattered after that.

Enjoy!

Don’t forget to check out our other Disney snacks: Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse, Lion King, Monster’s Inc, “Up” and Peter Pan

(Sharing HERE)

Did you enjoy today’s snack? Learn more about this blog here.

Easter Morning

February 25, 2013 by Amy Hudson

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is, in my eyes, one of the singe most important events of all time. On Easter, we celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, conquering sin and death, and paving the way for all who believe in him to have forgiveness and everlasting life.

After Jesus’ death, his body was placed in a garden tomb by a couple of his disciples. Three days later, Mary Magdelene went to the tomb to anoint the body with spices and oil, and saw the stone rolled away from the tomb entrance. As they entered the tomb, they saw an angel who said to them, “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” (Mark 16:6 NIV).

Resurrection day proved that Jesus was who he said he was. The son of the most high God, able to defeat even death, so that we who believe may live! Amen!

This Easter snack will help you to teach the story of Jesus’ resurrection to your children. Read the story from Mark 16 or John 20, (or read it from the Children’s Bible – here’s the one we use), and then make this snack together.

To make this snack, start with the tomb. Slice an apple near the core on one side so you have a nice large chunk of apple. Then slice that in half so that there is one round “stone” piece and another that looks like an empty tomb. Easy! Next, thinly slice a baby carrot and place the strips around the tomb to look like beams of light. Add some celery grass underneath the tomb. (After all, the tomb was in a garden)!

Next, slice a hard boiled egg in half to use as the angel’s body. Carefully pop out the yolk of one of the halves and place it on top as the angel’s head. Slice two small traingles off of the half of boiled egg you didn’t use for the body, and place those next to the body as arms (well, sleeves). Add some pretzels as wings, and use a small almond for his smile and tiny brown sprinkles for his two eyes. I normally use raisins for eyes, but this guy’s face was too small for that!

You now have a delicious, nutritious, and educational bible story for lunch. Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this Easter snack, check out our other biblical snacks like Jesus’ birth, Jesus on the cross, Jonah in the big fish, and more.

Downhill Skier

January 21, 2013 by Amy Hudson

Do you love skiing? Have you taken a family trip to Colorado to hit the slopes this year? Even if you haven’t gotten to go in person, celebrate the fun of winter sports with this cute little lunch.

Cottage chesse is a favorite in our home. Any lunch with cottage cheese as one of the elements is sure to be gobbled up quickly!

To create this lunch, take a baby carrot and slice it in half lengthwise so it lies flat on the plate. Chop off one of the rounded edges from the bottom. This will be your skier’s body. Next, slice the other half of the carrot you didn’t use for the body into small sticks to serve as the arms and legs. Create the look of bended knees by cutting what would be one leg in half and laying on the plate to look like it is bent.

Take some thinly sliced celery and cut to desired length for skis. Add two small pretzel sticks for the poles.

Now, take a spoon and spread the cottage cheese onto the plate to look like it is sloping upward on one side as a mountain would.

I decided to add a fun touch in the background by using some string cheese for a chair lift. Use a small rounded edge of a carrot for a little guy, and give him one leg (that you are seeing from the side), and one ski.

Give each skier a cap to keep warm. I used turkey breast cut to shape with a little puff of cottage cheese on top.

Your kids will love this protein and fiber filled snack.

Check out some other winter snacks:

Cottage Cheese snowman, Snowman Popcorn Cups, Snowman Milk Chugs, Snowman party poppers.

(Linking up HERE)

Creative Birthday Party Food: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

January 13, 2013 by Amy Hudson

Today’s party ideas are for Amber’s upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Party.

Do YOU have a kids birthday party coming up soon? Would you like some creative kid snack ideas for your party? Please let us know on Facebook! I’d love to help you come up with some unique foods to serve! Tell me the theme, and let’s get creative together!

………………………………………………………….

One of our Facebook friends, Amber, asked for some cute food ideas for her son’s upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles birthday party. I hadn’t realized that the beloved Ninjas had made a comeback and have lately become popular for the kids!

In case you need a refresher, here they are!

(source)

Following are some ideas for this Cowabunga-mazing party!

1) Serve PIZZA

You have to have the turtles’ favorite dish as one of your main courses!

2) Donny’s drink

Super easy to make and more festive than regular drinks, these turtle beverages are sure to get a comment or two from your guests. There’s even a cute little tie in the back. The best part? You can write the kids’ names on the construction paper mask once they are handed out!

See how they are made HERE.

3) Ninja Turtle Party Apples

These guys would be adorable to either serve along with all of the party food, or even to wrap up in cellophane and send home as little favors. See how they are made HERE.

4) Leonardo’s Sword

Option 1: plain celery

Option 2: peanut butter swords

I found these tiny skewers at the dollar store. Slice celery, making some small and some long pieces. Slide a small piece horizontally down the skewer. Next, slide the long piece on vertically. They hold up and look just like a little sword!

5) Donatello’s Bo

Pretzel rods look just like Donatello’s bo.

If you wanted to jazz these up a bit, you could buy some peel-able Twizzlers and wrap some around the middle for the grip.

6) Turtle Shell cake (or Rice Krispy) pops

A friend of mine got the above cake pan on amazon and made adorable cake-sickles for her girl’s birthday. We’ve all seen the round cake pops that look like a ball, but I had never seen one like this.

For the TMNT party, make cake, rice krispy treats, brownies, or cookies in the pan and frost with buttercream frosting to look like a turtle shell. Use brown and green and make something like the following pattern:

(source)

Spread the brown frosting all over the surface first, then pipe the green frosting on in this pattern. Practice on a piece of wax paper first. You can even add some green or chocolate sprinkles over the top for some texture!

3 Creative Christmas Veggie Trays

December 13, 2012 by Amy Hudson

Today is all about creative veggie trays for the holidays. Transform your traditional relish tray with these three vegetable platters that rock!

This year, volunteer to bring the vegetable platter to Christmas dinner!

Create an awesome veggie tray that everyone will love! The kids will LOVE to help you!

Use a large round serving platter. Start with the celery, and create several zig-zaggy rows going accross.

Next, fill in the yellow peppers, saving one for the “hook” on top, then carrots, then cherry tomatoes, and you are all set!

I got the idea for this Christmas present veggie tray when I found the following little boxes at Walmart.

I bought the boxes with the inspiration for this veggie tray, but knowing I could eventually use them as gift boxes down the road.

What I did to create the present was to place all four boxes onto a larger platter, tie a nice thick ribbon around them to make them look like a present and then LINE them.

To line each box, simply open a baggie, roll the top zipper part over so it lays on the outside of the bag, and fill with the veggies. This will ensure the boxes stay dry and, the best news of all, the veggies are easy to put away once the tray is done being used!

Try this fun and popular idea with the kids this year!

For this tree, I first created the outside branches of the tree with cut celery. It is just the perfect shape and look to go on the outside.

Next, add sliced cucumber to fill in the middle of the tree. This cucumber layer can be 2-3 layers deep if you have a large crowd to serve.

Add broccoli to fill in any gaps between the cucumbers and celery, and place some nice red cherry tomatoes to look like ornaments.

To ensure the baby carrots used to make the tree’s “trunk” stand up, cut them in half so they sit flat on the tray.

Finish with a yellow pepper star, and you are all ready to dig in!

Variations:

Use deli meat for the trunk by placing thin rolls next to each other in a vertical pattern.

To feed a bigger group, use celery for the entire bottom layer, cucumbers for a second layer on top of that, etc.

To me, the very best part of making these fun trays with your kids is the fact that they are munching on veggies the whole time!

Check out more Christmas food!

(Sharing HERE)

ABC Lunch

November 12, 2012 by Amy Hudson

Is your child learning the ABC’s? How about their vowels? Today I have a lunch for you that is inspired by a story and that is perfect for teaching the ABC’s, practicing vowels, and spelling.

Slice a banana into 21 sections, and then find something else, like celery or perhaps apples or graham crackers, to use for your vowels. Next, find a plastic bag, snip off a tiny piece of the corner, and fill with several tablespoons of peanut butter.

Before piping the letters onto each space, work the peanut butter around in the bag using your fingers until it softens a bit. It will come out much easier that way.

Before eating, here are a few things you can do with your child:

a. Sing the alphabet song, of course!

b. Ask him to point to the first letter in his name.

c. Ask her to spell her name by pointing to each letter.

d. Ask him which letter makes the sound __(fill in the blank)___.

e. Point out the vowels and explain that there is a vowel in every English word. (“Y” is also used as a vowel in certain cases)

f. Sing the “I like to eat apples and bananas” song to practice your vowel sounds.

g. Use your imagination.

Now, read and play!

How Rocket Learned to Read is an adorable book about a dog who meets a little bird who happens to be teaching a class right in his favorite napping spot. Rocket and the bird meet up every day, and the bird teaches Rocket his letters, reads him stories, and inspires him to love learning. When winter comes, the bird flies south for the winter, leaving Rocket to practice his letters and wait for the bird to return. They develop a beautiful friendship, and Rocket finally learns to read.

PLAY.

Take a few moments and practice your letter sounds with those magnetic letters that most of us have on the fridge. Right now, my daughter is at the beginning stages of reading and knows her letter sounds well.

Use a simple word like “cat”, and practice moving new letters in front of the “at” and ask your child to sound out the new word. Since they will be so similar to each other, it will be fun for your child to successfully read so many words in a row.

Try the same thing with different word endings, or by moving vowels in and out of the middle of simple words.

Kids will love this tasty alphabet snack!

(Sharing HERE)

Thanksgiving PB Apple Turkey

Thanksgiving PB Apple Turkey

Ingredients

Directions

Alternative serving suggestions:

Healthy Peacock Snack

Healthy Peacock Snack

Frosty the Snowman and Friends

Frosty the Snowman

Ingredients:

Directions:

Frosty’s Wife

Ingredients:

Directions:

More Snowman Fun!

Learning about Cells

Ingredients

How to use this snack / activity

More Science Related Snacks

Tangled

Easter Morning

Downhill Skier

Creative Birthday Party Food: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

3 Creative Christmas Veggie Trays

ABC Lunch

Best of

Copyright Note

Grab our button!