Mom always taught us not to play with our food, but in this case, we think she’d approve. Whether you’re looking for fun ways to get your picky toddler to try new healthy foods or you just want to explore your creative side, we’ve got some fun ideas for turning healthy food into art.
Here are some great projects you can make or simply use them as inspiration to create something all your own. The ingredients are simple…just fruits, vegetables, yogurt cheese, eggs and bread. If you’re gluten free, choose gluten-free breads, crackers or get creative with your shapes.
Don’t miss our 2nd post of more fun foods.
Layered Cheese Heart-Shaped Sandwiches
Here is another simple idea, perfect for a kid’s party or even for an appetizer platter at an adult get-together. Use cookie cutters do a heart shape, flower or whatever you’d like. Try a variety of cheese in different colors and a variety of breads too in layers to add color and texture. Cut out fruit shapes with a variety of cookie cutters for garnish.
Kiwi Turtles
Turn your kiwi fruit and grapes into something absolutely adorable. All you need is
- Green grapes
- Kiwi
- Black food coloring and a toothpick
To put these together, peel the kiwi and slice it into ½ inch thick slices. Place them on a plate. Then, cut the grapes to form the legs and tails. Do the same for the head and draw on a face, using a food coloring covered toothpick.
These make a cute surprise for a lunch box or snacks for a school party.
Flower Pepper Eggs
Not only do these flowers made from colored peppers and eggs look pretty, they’re delicious too. They’re a perfect way to dress up a brunch or weekend breakfast.
To make these, slice a colored pepper in ½ inch thick rings. Place the rings on a preheated frying pan over medium heat. Unless your peppers are very large, one egg will probably be too large for the pepper, so you can drain off a bit of egg white before placing it inside the pepper ring. If the egg overflows, not to worry, it’s easy to cut the excess off when you remove the eggs from the pan.
Cook over medium heat and cover your pan until the yolk is at desired doneness. Season with salt and pepper. Remove with a spatula and place on a plate. Use parsley leaves and stems to form your flower stems.
Funny Tortilla Faces
This is a great idea from The Decorated Cookie and gets the kids involved and trying new foods.
All you do is get some small tortillas and give the kids a variety of foods to work with. Some ideas include:
- Alfalfa sprouts
- Parsley
- Cheese slices
- Carrot slices
- Cucumber slices
- Cherry tomatoes
- Olive slices
- Snap peas
- Celery slices
- Grapes
- Beans
- Corn kernels
And anything else you have on hand. There is no right or wrong. Just present the ingredients to the kids and they’ll do the rest.
Watermelon Lobster
Let’s go under the sea with this lobster and ocean scene. The lobster body is made from a variety of cuts of watermelon with cloves for eyes. The ocean scene is made up of the following:
- Gorilla Munch Cereal for the “rocks” on the bottom
- Celery cut in thin slices to look like aquatic plants
- Olive slices to look like bubbles in the water
