So Easter’s coming up and I’m sitting there thinking “Dang, rabbits are cute but feeding a bunch of them ain’t cheap.” Decided to tackle cheap bunny-themed snacks for our backyard thing this year. Grabbed my sticky note pad and started scribbling ideas that wouldn’t wreck my wallet.
The Grocery Hunt Begins
Hit the store with one mission: find stuff under $3. Wandered past the fancy cheese section like “Nope, not today.” Ended up in produce grabbing bags of baby carrots ($1.99!), a couple cucumbers ($1.50 each), and seedless grapes ($2.50 a bag). Over in bakery, snagged the cheapest mini bagels ($2 for a bag of 12) and a can of whipped cream cheese ($1.89). Felt like a scavenger hunt champion pushing that cart.
First Attempt: Carrot Flower Cups (Sort Of)
Got home and thought “How hard can veggie cups be?” Sliced cucumbers into thick coins. Tried scooping tiny wells with a measuring spoon – big mistake. Half turned into mush. Grabbed a melon baller instead and carefully scraped little dips. Much better! Filled them with cream cheese blobs and stuck a baby carrot standing straight up. Looked kinda like weird green podiums at first. My kid walked by and said “Cool mushrooms, Mom.” Not the vibe. Tore some parsley leaves off my dying plant and tucked them around the base. Instantly looked less like fungus. Win!
Operation Grape Bunnies
Now for the grapes. Skewered three purple grapes onto toothpicks for each body. The head kept wobbling. Spotted the whipped cream cheese can. BAM! Tiny dot for a tail? Genius. Two even tinier dots for eyes with a sprinkle piece? Double genius. My hands smelled like fake cheese for hours, but man, those little dudes were adorable. And stupid cheap.
Bagel Bunny Faces – The Smash Hit
The mini bagels were the MVP. Split them open. Smeared on the whipped cream cheese like crazy – thick enough to hold stuff. Two thin apple slices pushed in for ears. Grabbed dried blueberries for eyes and a sideways slice of baby carrot for the nose. Looked shockingly bunny-like! Kid helped and got glitter everywhere, but whatever. Realized too late I bought raisin bagels. Oops. Still worked!
Cloud Bread Disaster Turned Delight
Wanted fluffy bunny bread. Found cloud bread recipe online – eggs and cream of tartar? Whipped egg whites forever, folded in yogurt. Spooned blobs on a sheet. Cooked them. Came out flatter than my old bike tire. Looked sad. Desperation move: whipped out my rabbit cookie cutter. Layered two flat clouds with cream cheese inside. Instant transformation! Bonus: tin foil strips made better ears than my stupid cutter.
Last Minute Sandwich Shuffle
Had leftover cream cheese and cucumber slices. Sandwiched cucumber rounds with cream cheese, used same rabbit cutter. Filling squished out everywhere. Annoying. Patted the cucumber slices dry next time – total game changer. Kid decorated with carrot nose shreds.
Final spread looked legit! Carrot podiums held up surprisingly well outside for two hours. Grape bunnies vanished first. Cloud bread fluffies stayed cute even deflated. Bagel faces rocked. Learned three big things:
- Whipped cream cheese is magic glue
- Dry your cucumbers BEFORE sandwiching
- Kids will eat anything vaguely shaped like an animal
Grand total damage: under $20 for enough snacks to feed like 10 people. Beat that, expensive Easter basket! Now excuse me while I vacuum glitter out of the couch cushions.