make a veggie turkey: kid-happy, thanksgiving dinner-ready

It’s no secret that I have kids who usually love to be in the kitchen–whether it’s trying a new food or helping with a new recipe, my kiddos are usually game.

So when I asked for some help in ‘upping the fun factor’ of our assigned dish for an early family Thanksgiving last weekend, my kids were up for the challenge.

Well, two kiddos were. . .

Vegetables and dip? Sure we can bring it.

But how could we make it more. . . fun?  Could we rock out a veggie turkey? A vegetable tray times 10?  Forget about the ole boring plate and dip bowl, with all the vegetables circled neatly around it.

We were going to get creative.  I was going to harness the imaginations of my three kids and come up with a rockin, kid-happy, party-ready veggie turkey tray like never seen before.

Here’s the skinny. . .

Make a Veggie Turkey– Kid-Happy, Thanksgiving Dinner-Ready:

First, entertain your kids with some super fun facts about turkeys!

Cora has been a kitchen helper lately.

Owen’s usually trying desperately to play soccer with the big boys across the street, and Maddy comes and goes.

Yes. Don’t judge us. Fresh veggies and a store-bought pumpkin pie. We can only do so much.

One day she’s all about throwing on her apron and helping, and other days, well. . . she’s got other more important things to attend to.  I get it.  She’s almost ten.

Anyway, this time, Maddy, Cora, and I put our heads together to come up with a rockin Thanksgiving dinner veggie turkey that I think we’ll add to our traditions list each year.

We grabbed a cute, affordable, Thanksgiving tray and a ton of veggies.

It was simple and fun.  Like painting but with food.

Here’s what we did to make our Thanksgiving Veggie Turkey:

• totally affordable plastic Thanksgiving tray (you can score two trays for less than $20 if you head to Amazon now!)
• turkey body: we used a quarter of a yellow pepper
• turkey eyes: we cut slits in the pepper and shoved in mini cucumber wedges
• turkey beak: triangle of orange pepper
• turkey waddle: (is that what it’s even called??) red pepper
• turkey feet: orange pepper
• turkey feathers: carrot sticks, yellow and orange peppers, tiny cucumbers, grape tomatoes
• turkey feet: orange peppers
• grass: broccoli
• flowers: peppers and tomatoes

After Maddy left the scene, Cora took over.

She was all about creating patterns in the turkey feathers with the veggies.  I was totally game and really just wanted to support what she was doing.

She was thinking creatively and using her brain.

She was having a blast.

Finished turkey sitting on grass with flowers all around him.  Obviously.

And our finished turkey? Tons of fresh vegetables and a very proud Cora.

Dip? On the side. Separate plate. Our turkey was way too big!

Want a few more awesome ideas for Thanksgiving? Here are a handful of my family’s faves:

• This gluten-free pumpkin mousse that my pal Colleen makes is a must-have every holiday.
• Staci’s perfect Thanksgiving turkey recipe really is perfect in every which way.
• Have you ever tried maple-bacon cupcakes? My friend, Vera, makes ones that are a wonderful addition to Thanksgiving get-togethers
• If you are lucky enough to venture out to the Big Apple for Thanksgiving, then you definitely want to see Brianne’s tips for seeing the Thanksgiving Parade in NYC along with her suggestions for best restaurants to visit in New York City in the fall.

Want to stay on top of all of our rockin Thanksgiving ideas for kids and families? Follow our pinterest board:

Super-simple and yes, there are probably a million ways to create a veggie turkey–which is why this was so much fun. There was really no wrong way.

Have you made one before? We’d love to see photos! Please share!

And have a super-happy Thanksgiving!

Check out a few other posts that may help you develop strong and healthy habits for your family:

• wait time
• my day, your day
• frozen peas
• kids who rock the kitchen
• kids who rock the laundry
• rest time
• gem jars
• arm circles
• noticing kids
• homework routine

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