Don’t forget your fresh vegetables when you go to the store to do your Christmas dinner grocery shopping! In the midst of all the cans (cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, cream of celery- it never ends!), bread, and sweet foods we buy to stock up for Christmas Day, a fresh vegetable tray can be a good change of pace. And this is a veggie tray your little chef will love to help out with! (Just make sure to keep an eye on the tooth picks!)
what you’ll need:

– 3-4 heads of broccoli for the base of your tree

– a handful of cherry tomatoes

– squash or bell peppers, diced

– styrofoam cone, or blocks of styrofoam

– 1 long wooden skewer

– toothpicks

1. If using styrofoam blocks, cut them into the shape of a pyramid.

2. Stick a wooden skewer down the middle to hold everything in place.

3. Trim the heads of broccoli and stick a toothpick in the center of individual florets, as shown, and stick them into the Styrofoam. I found it was easiest to start form the bottom.

4. After the “tree is done” stick toothpicks into the tree where you want your big “ornaments”(tomatoes) to go. 5. The stick the tomatoes onto the toothpick.

6. Do the same with the squash.

7. I thought it would be a nice touch to add a vegetable star on the top of the tree. (Much easier said than done!) I managed to get a decent looking one with a little trimming.

This can be set in the refrigerator until ready for serving and set with some carrots and cheese cubes for a complete appetizer tray!

Merry Christmas,

Indulge In Nutrition!