beach cups recipe

thanks for your kind comments, ladies!  for those of you interested, here is the recipe for the beach cups (though i feel kinda silly typing out an ‘official recipe’ since this was super easy…). 

3 (6-serving sized) boxes of vanilla pudding mix (i used the instant, just add milk kind)
milk
blue food coloring
1 box Nilla wafers
gummy bears, fish, sharks
Yogos roller snacks
umbrella toothpicks
7 oz clear plastic cups

1.  make the pudding according to box directions (basically just add milk and beat with wire whisk for 2 minutes).
2.  add blue food coloring a few drops at a time until desired color is reached (it did take an eyebrow-raising amount of food coloring to get it more blue than green since the pudding itself is yellow- but i figured the kids would only eat a couple bites of the pudding anyway).
3.  put the pudding in the fridge to set until you’re ready to assemble the cups.  meanwhile, place Nilla wafers in a large ziploc-type bag and crush to smithereens.  very therapeutic.  i used a rolling pin to smash them.
4.  cut Yogo roller snacks into strips big enough to resemble a beach towel that two gummy bears can sit on.
5.  now you’re ready to assemble the cups!  place about 1/4 cup of the pudding in each cup, slip a couple fish/shark gummies in the pudding, then top with a couple spoonfuls of the crushed wafers on one side.  place a Yogo roller snack on top of the crushed wafers, and place gummy bears on top (i dipped the bears’ bottoms in water to make them stick a little better).  finish with an opened umbrella (i cut off the toothpick points to make them a little safer for preschoolers).

enjoy!

note:  this recipe yields about 20 cups and some to spare.