Great veggie tray snacks for kids

The vegetables kids favor usually taste sweet. Carrot sticks are the most popular vegetables for a tray. Yellow, orange or red bell pepper strips come next. Cherry tomatoes or tomato wedges are a close third. Celery sticks are very well liked when paired with peanut butter, to add the sweet touch to the salty celery. Lettuce goes well with any kind of dip, so you can always add some.

Carrot sticks and tomato wedges taste great with ranch dressing or cheese dip. Bell peppers and mushroom pate also make a nice combination, they also go well with hummus – yellow peppers are the sweetest, then orange, then red; green bell peppers may have a slightly bitter taste and kids favor more the other colors.

Some kids like broccoli florets, even cauliflower florets, with a dip. You can blanche – cook in boiling water for 2-3 minutes - these to be sure they are clean and free of bugs but still firm to the bite.

For hesitant children, mix the veggies with small breadsticks, pita bread strips, crackers or oat cakes. They will be more likely to try. Or add some fruit. If you can add some apple wedges to the celery sticks you serve with peanut butter, they no only taste great but you are adding some essential nutrients that celery or peanut butter don’t have and your kids get a better deal.

If you don’t want to prepare your own, almost every grocery store will have prepared celery sticks with peanut butter, or carrot sticks with ranch dressing, in individual containers. So you can have a quick snack at home or to put into lunch boxes.

Norte - Blanching broccoli and cauliflower a little is a good idea.