The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute categorized fresh celery as a "GO" food - encouraging families to eat at almost any time with a recommended serving size of two medium stalks. But in order to get our young family members on board, we sometimes have to get creative.
Let’s face it. The celery treat “ants on a log” is about exciting as, well … ants on a log. To celebrate National Celery Month, we tried a few upgrades to the traditional treat to get kids interested in this stalky vegetable.
One tip for all of the recipes below is to first run a peeler over the curved outer edge of your celery. This will provide the stalk with a flat side and prevent your treats from rocking back and forth.
Super Stop Lights
Ingredients & supplies: celery, cream cheese, bell peppers (red, yellow, green), a knife, and an apple corer.
Cut your celery into three-inch stalks and spread cream cheese onto the concave side.
Use your apple corer to carve circles out of the bell peppers – one of each color.
Arrange the circles on the celery to resemble a stop light.
Lady Bugs
Ingredients & supplies: celery, smooth peanut butter, an apple, six mini chocolate chips, a raisin and a knife.
Cut your celery into a three-inch stalk and spread smooth peanut butter onto the concave side.
Cut the apple and press two slices into the peanut butter – curved sides facing outward. Leave them slightly apart to resemble lady bug wings.
Give the wings some ladybug spots by using the peanut butter to stick mini chocolate chips onto the apple.
Add a raisin for the head.
Raisin Racers
Ingredients & supplies: celery, cream cheese, raisins, round mini crackers, and a knife.
Cut your celery into three-inch stalks and spread cream cheese onto the concave side.
Give your race car some wheels by using cream cheese to stick the round mini cracks onto the sides of the celery stock – two on each side.
Cut one of the crackers in half and place it flat side down on the cream cheese, across the celery stalk. This will simulate the race car steering wheel.
Add some drivers and passengers to your race cars by placing raisins onto the cream cheese.
Ready, set, go!
