Home Alone or on Their Own

As our children get older, they want to choose their own meals.  Many enjoy the independence of making them on their own as well.  Help them make nutritious choices by having nutritious food easily available and interesting to eat.  Children think about eating when they are hungry, not before.  So they will usually grab the first thing that looks good and is ready-to-eat.  So you keep the foods you want them to grab in the front of the refrigerator. Most children don’t want to take the time to prepare food, so you have the food you want them to eat prepared and ready to go.   You can also post a menu” of suggestions on the front of the refrigerator, as a hungry child is very open to suggestion.  Here are 20 refreshing ideas for meals, snacks, picnics or parties.

• Fruit bowl: introduce seasonal soft skin fruits, leave a bowl of washed fruit in the refrigerator with pears, plums, cherries, peaches, seedless grapes, apricots, and nectarines.
• Buy some fresh berries and make a cobbler with (or without) your kids.
• Summer is great for melon.  It’s sweet, cold and thirst quenching.  Make a bowl of cut up melon each evening or morning.
• Make fruit kebobs, use melon chunks, grapes and pineapple squares.  Offer vanilla yogurt or blended soft tofu (with a dash of vanilla and a teaspoon of honey) as a dip.
• Freeze individual grapes, on the stem or in ice cube trays.  These are like mini-popsicles.
• Cut bananas in half, place popsicles sticks in each.  Let the kids roll them in their favorite topping: crushed nuts, chocolate sprinkles, or colored sprinkles. Freeze on wax paper and enjoy a great frozen treat.  Many children that don’t eat bananas will eat these.
• Make fresh fruit smoothies by blending berries, melon, bananas, pineapple and other skinned fruits with a little water, juice or yogurt.
• Make your own popsicles.  Buy reusable popsicle molds at a kitchen supply store.  Fill them with home-made smoothies, fresh juice or your favorite yogurt.
• Make parfaits with the kids or have some ready in the refrigerator. For a fruit parfait layer yogurt, any cut up seeded fruit and granola or ground nuts, repeat.  For best presentation prepare in a clear plastic cup or wine glass. Serve with graham crackers or vanilla wafers.
• Keep a bowl of cut up carrot and celery sticks plus snap peas, and cherry tomatoes and a variety of dips.  Kids like ranch and French dressings.  For a meal, give them the veggies with hummus or bean dip and chips.
• Wraps: pre-make some wrapped sandwiches such as refried beans and cheese, chicken salad, cream cheese and finely chopped veggies, or peanut butter and banana.
• Have sandwich fixings available.  Deli slices, bread, lettuce, mayo, mustard and ketchup.  Offer avocado or tomato slices for variety.
• The right snack mix can make a very kid friendly meal.  Combine raisins, nuts or seeds, wheat chex and a small amount of mini chocolate chips.  Serve with a glass of milk or over yogurt.
• Most kids love cheese.  Have string cheese, sliced cheese or cheese squares ready to go.  Serve with Trisquit or Ry-Krisp crackers for a whole grain addition.
• Let the kids help make lunch kabobs.  Have them place any of the following on a kebob stick: cut up cooked chicken, deli meats, cheese squares, olives, cherry tomatoes or cucumbers.  Use Italian dressing as a dip.
• Corn on the cob, grilled, boiled, or (cooked) cold is always a hit with children.  Serve outside with watermelon for a great (and messy), hands on meal or snack.
• Make a pasta salad with any one of the many shapes available, stir in cheese, cherry tomatoes, peas, olives or Italian salad dressing to the cooked and rinsed pasta.  For extra nutrition use whole wheat pasta or a combination of white and whole wheat.
• More kebobs: cook ravioli and put on skewers with olives, cucumber or zucchini slices.  Dip in tomato sauce.
• Peanut butter and berry sandwiches, with fresh berries and whole wheat bread.
• Put a scoop of egg salad or tuna salad in an ice cream cone.  Top with a cherry tomato.