If you’ve ever gone to a restaurant or special event with a buffet, you know how much fun it can be to build your own plate of food! Follow these helpful tips for creating your own fruit and veggie buffet bar. This family activity includes loads of fun, flavor, and nutrition! Grab an adult to help you, and let’s get started. 

1. Have a mix of both raw and cooked options. Serving both raw and cooked fruits and veggies gives you more options when it comes to taste and texture. Need ideas to mix things up? Try baking a pear, broiling a grapefruit, or serving broccoli florets raw with hummus.

2. Make everything bite size. Not only is serving everything in bite size pieces fun, it also makes it easier for everyone to sample a little of everything. Not to mention, this spares you some dirty dishes later on!

3. Add at least a couple of unfamiliar options. Definitely include some of your longstanding favorite fruits and veggies, but this buffet is a great time to try some new ones, too. Aim to include at least one new fruit and one new veggie for everyone to try! You never know, the new option might become your favorite!

4. Include some fun dips and sauces for your fruits and veggies. There’s something about dipping foods into sauces that makes eating extra fun! Include a sweet dip and a savory dip to have something for everyone. Looking for ideas? Try out these ideas for your fruit. For your veggie dip, combine plain Greek yogurt with herbs and spices, like garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, and basil!

5. Make it easy for everyone to customize their plate. The beauty of a food bar is that everyone gets to create a slightly different plate. Make sure you have plenty of selections set up in separate containers for easy choosing.

6. Get Creative with drink options. Want to make your food bar extra special? Include a blended fruit and veggie juice as a beverage option. Buy one premade, or make your own! If you choose to buy one from the store, just make sure it doesn’t have any added sugar or artificial flavors. If you make your own, we have some tasty combinations you might want to try:

• spinach, cucumber, apple, lemon
• apples, carrots, parsley
• carrots, oranges, ginger
• carrots, lemon, apple, ginger

Are you making a fruit and veggie bar with your friends or family? Show us on our Facebook page!