Rainbow Vegetable Dip + How to Make a Halloween Vegetable Skeleton

For a healthy classroom or party treat, create a Halloween skeleton made with crunchy vegetables, and serve it with my Rainbow Vegetable Dip.  And then watch the kids eat lots and lots of vegetables!

Why serve Halloween candy in the classroom or at a pre trick-or-treat party when the kids can munch and crunch their way through a make-your-own vegetable skeleton instead.

My skeleton started out as a boy, but then he became a she with all that spinach and bell pepper hair!

This week, I taught a nutrition class to a group of preschoolers through a program in Lexington, MA called Kids Cooking Green. Since Halloween is just a few days away and I knew the kids were super excited about dressing up (and eating candy), I searched Pinterest for some fun and healthy Halloween ideas and came up with this make-your-own vegetable skeleton activity.

For your DIY vegetable skeleton, here’s what you’ll need:

1. A small glass bowl filled with your favorite dip. (Read on for my Greek- yogurt-based Rainbow Vegetable Dip recipe.)

2. Sliced olives for the eyes and baby spinach or kale leaves for the hair.

3. Sliced cucumbers or zucchini for the spine and sliced bell peppers for the ribs.

4. Carrot and celery sticks for the arms and legs; also, edamame and sliced bell peppers.

5. Sliced mushrooms for the pelvis.

6. Halved grape or cherry tomatoes for the feet.

7. Cooked bowtie pasta for the bowtie!

8. Patience, good humor, and a fun attitude! 😉

How about some spinach hair?

“Hmmm. Let me think about this. What should I eat next? A cucumber or a carrot?”

Rainbow Vegetable Dip

 

Author: Liz

Nutrition Information

• Serves: 6

• Serving size: 3 tablespoons
• Calories: 50

• Fat: 3g
• Saturated fat: 0.5g
• Carbohydrates: 2g
• Sodium: 95mg
• Protein: 3g

Recipe type: Snack, Dips

Save Print

This dip will serve more than six kids if you're serving it to preschoolers. For this activity I had nine kids in the class, and I had plenty to go around. Traditional dips are often made with sour cream and salty seasoning packets, and they have double the calories of this better-for-you dip, which is filled with natural flavors from fresh herbs.

Ingredients

• 1 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 4 tablespoons light mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (plus more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Lemon zest, to taste
• 2 teaspoons honey mustard
• Fresh, chopped and sliced vegetables of your choice

Instructions

1. Place the yogurt, mayonnaise, dill, lemon juice, zest, and honey mustard in a medium-size bowl and stir well to combine.
2. Let everyone at the table help themselves to the dip and a variety of colorful veggies.

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Want more cooking videos? Check out my YouTube channel.

Here’s what happens when preschoolers get their hands on a bunch of veggies and are given the opportunity to create!

Hanging out with my Skeleton Crew…

Scary skeleton faces.

Happy Halloween!!!