Our preschool doesn't allow baked goodies, so for the Easter celebration "snack" I signed up for the veggies and ranch dip.

Now, I have seen carrots cut into flowers, but I am racking my brain for other cute things I can do with preschool-friendly veggies. I can't bring myself to just plop a bag of carrots on the table and run, I must do something clever! LOL.

It is remarkably difficult to find good ideas on the internet. I saw one idea for celery wagons, and that was about it.

The limitation is: raw veggies, and no peanut butter (sometimes used to glue on raisins, etc.) I am thinking carrots, cucumbers, celery, broccoli, cauliflower and cherry tomatoes...those are usually the ones kids like, right?

What on earth else can I make out of these vegetables? I was thinking of tinting the dip pale pink or green or blue but other than that, I'm stumped.

look up garde mange work. They have lots of ideas that are kid friendly. I'm busy working on cakes right now but if you don't have any ideas pm me on Monday and I'll help you out.

Thanks for the tip! Some of that stuff is pretty amazing! I stumbled across this while looking up garde manger, this is more along the lines of what I want to do- how cute is this?? I wonder if kids will eat olives??

They can always just pluck off the heads if they don't like olives.

I was thinking of the sheep just a few minutes ago and came to post it to you, but you already found it.
You could do a cucumber shark and then just slice it up late....the boys would love it.

It definitely has to be "ready to serve" so the shark wouldn't work, but I *heart* that idea! I have to drop off the tray in the AM, and their snack time is 1 hour later. For the sheep I would have to figure how to stick everything together. I don't think they'll want me to use toothpicks (same reason we try to avoid them on cakes) and they won't be refrigerated before snacktime so cream cheese is out too.

I am probably over thinking this lol. Doing cute sandwiches was MUCH easier (have cookie cutter, will travel!)

This made sound a little "too simple" but you could use a slicer with ridges and make carrot chips (who doesn't like chips!), make curled ribbons out of cucumbers (chilled in ice water to keep their shape), keep the broccoli as "trees", use the cauliflower as the easter bunny's cottontails and get "grape" tomatoes instead of cherry and they would resemble red jelly beans.

This made sound a little "too simple" but you could use a slicer with ridges and make carrot chips (who doesn't like chips!), make curled ribbons out of cucumbers (chilled in ice water to keep their shape), keep the broccoli as "trees", use the cauliflower as the easter bunny's cottontails and get "grape" tomatoes instead of cherry and they would resemble red jelly beans.

Thanks! That's a cute idea too, even just the simplicity of putting the veggies in an easter basket rather than on a tray. I may just do that if I am too lazy to make the sheep. LOL. They look so complicated! I mean if I knew for sure they'd get eaten, but I hate to make something fancy if the kids are going to take one look at it and dive into the chicken nuggets instead LOL. Not being able to refrigerate is a bit of a hurdle. Harumpf. I wish I could just bake something LOL.

Sorry..I don't have any ideas, but could you use cream cheese as the glue instead of peanut butter?

Check out youtube for some videos on making edible arrangements. You might find an idea there.

The only thing i could think of was "ants on a log" you know celery with peanut butter and raisins, but you said no P.B. so ijust wanted to say that my 2 and 4 yr old love black olives... a lot!! They do not however like raw celery or raw broccoli, but maybe they are weird. They love tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, black olives, and maybe you could throw in some pickles(is it a fruit or veggie)?? wht kid doesnt love pickles cut into wedges?? My daughter had a book where they made "kookie faces" they just took a plate and arranged different veggies to look like a face, but you said it has to be ready to serve... Im loving those sheep!

I found this website, maybe it will be helpful http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/cafe/

http:// lunchinabox. net

This blog is from a Mom who makes adorable bento box lunches. She has great ideas and often cuts vegetables into interesting shapes and makes animals from them.

Thanks everyone! Now my head is swimming! (But that is a good thing )

I ended up just using my rounded flower cutter to cut flowers out of the cucumbers. I slit them at the bottom and inserted a carrot sliver, and then I cut a hole in a slice of celery to make "leaves" (my 5-yo daughter's suggestion!) They turned out okay - not as cute as those dang sheep but cute enough to make the kids wanna eat em. I tried something funky with the leftover celery+carrots but those weren't interesting enough to eat so they all came back to me at the end of the day lol.

Now for some CUUUUUUUUUTE lunches for your kids - further to the bento suggestion above. Wouldja just LOOK at the pics on this flickr pool?? CUTE! http://www.flickr.com/photos/30571828@N04/3386809991/in/pool-kideats and http://www.flickr.com/photos/30578157@N07/3408797291/in/pool-kideats