kid-friendly crudite: personal veggie cups with dip

THANK YOU, PINTEREST. I loved this idea the moment I saw it. They did it for a party, I did it for dinner. Which meant my kids ate a bunch of vegetables for dinner. And they did it with smiles.

The whole thing is very simple. We used the kids’ regular drinking glasses, which are these awesome little 3.2 ounce juice glasses from Williams Sonoma (World Market has them too). That right there made things fun. What? We’re putting food in our glasses? That’s ca-razy! 

Then came the “dip”. My favorite is Greek yogurt with a bit of garlic powder, salt, pepper and a splash of lemon juice. But you could use regular dip or even salad dressing–or some combination. Add an inch to the bottom of the glass then fill with raw vegetables.

Here’s the important part: include one thing they already like (if such a thing exists, and if it doesn’t, hang in there because this will change eventually). Then add a second flavor that’s either new or been previously refused or spit-out or caused tears at the table…you get the idea. As you may know by now, our rule is simple: everyone has to try everything but if you don’t like it, you can just say “no thank you” after your first bite. We used cucumbers (beloved) and *”crunchy red peppers”, which have been hit or miss in the past. Phoebe ate all of hers and asked for seconds. Estelle sucked the dip off of everything and nibbled on the veggies. That’s fine. One bite = a win.

*When I’m not sure if they’re going to be excited about something, I try to casually up-sell the item with enthusiasm. So peppers are never just peppers within earshot of the little guys. It’s Crunchy Red Peppers every time.