Super Simple Veggie Bugs
Critters, bugs, creepy crawlers, whatever you call them, kids seem to love them. June 17th is Eat Your Veggies Day. Why not use bugs to woo kids into smart snacking? With a few veggies, some Kix cereal, and a black food pen (available at the craft store), simply arrange veggies a little differently and you have bugs to fill their plates this summer.
You don’t necessarily have to stick with these exact veggies. Use any that have similar shapes. Instead of a dragonfly, you may use pepper pieces to make butterfly wings. You can use olives for the ladybug’s head. How about a broccoli beetle? Or a snap pea stick bug? Let the kids come up with some. They may know their bugs better.
To make the ladybug:
Wash room temperature cherry or grape tomatoes and let dry completely. Use the tip of a black food marker to draw small dots. The tomato surface may resist the marker, so just make small dots. Arrange with a raisin or olive head.
To make the snail:
Slice a piece of celery about 3 inches long. Shave a bit off the back of the celery stick with a knife so it sits flat. Fill the celery with cream cheese, hummus, guacamole, or any other favorite. Prop a cucumber slice and two pieces of chives or two carrot slivers in the cream cheese or hummus. Make Kix “eyes” by drawing a dot with the black food marker on two pieces of cereal. Place on the front of the snail.
To make the dragonfly:
Arrange 5 or 6 peas for the body. Top with two Kix “eyes” (see above). For the wings, cut pieces of carrot or peppers and arrange around the body.
Meaghan Mountford, author of Sugarlicious: 50 Cute and Clever Treats for Every Occasion, has been creating crafty sweets for 15 years. She is especially fond of decorating cookies, marshmallows and putting sweets on sticks. See more on her blog, the decorated cookie.