Have you heard about moms in Japan who are taking classes to learn how to create tiny animal shapes out of various foods in their kid’s meals? The point of this edible origami is to delight the children, thereby enticing them to eat healthier. (See some lovely examples of rabbits made of apple slices and other designs here). This got me thinking: Are there more creative ways I can prepare my daughter’s food? I sought out the experts for some suggestions.
Make Their Own
Many experts agree that when kids are able to make their own food decisions and tailor meals to their liking, they are much more likely to eat. To this end, registered dietitian and culinary nutritionist Rachel Begun suggests setting up healthy buffet-style bars whenever possible. Some of her favorites include taco, yogurt parfait and stuffed baked potato bars.
Geneviere Anderson, host of PBS cooking series Gen’s Guiltless Gourmet, recommends getting your kids involved with basic meal prep as much as you can. “Have a kid-friendly section of your kitchen where they can help peel or prep or stir,” Anderson says. “When you are serving and eating the meal, point out what part everyone played and what a great job they did.”
Anderson also emphasizes that kids do have a more sensitive palate than we grown-ups do. She advises us to be mindful of serving bitter vegetables like brussels sprouts to our young kids and to favor sweeter vegetables like carrots, peas and squash instead.
(Easy) Shapes and Creatures
You may not have the time or the delicate hand to create a rabbit out of an apple slice, but try these fun (and feasible) suggestions from Candi Wingate of nanny service Nannies 4 Hire:
• Use large cookie cutters to create sandwiches in fun shapes.
• Create a friendly spider using a slice of cucumber and eight pepper strips for legs.
• Stick grapes or cherry tomatoes together with dabs of cream cheese?for a silly caterpillar.
• Create a rainbow plate with red peppers, orange carrots, yellow peppers, green cucumbers, blueberries and purple grapes.
The BellyFULL Kit ($39.99) from The HopeFULL Company was created to help introduce whole foods to kids in a way that is fun yet effective. The set contains a silicone Popsicle mold, 100 birch wood spoon sticks, a kid’s chef hat and 20 healthy, gluten-free recipes with a “Kids Can” section encouraging children and their parents to make the BellyFULLs together. Recipes include delicious but nutritious ingredients like beets, sweet potatoes, ginger, vanilla yogurt, peanut butter and strawberries. Kids will love making—and eating—these yummy pops.
It can be difficult to consistently serve nutritious foods on the go. If time is tight, toss a bag of Crispy Green ($40.84 for a 36-pack) freeze-dried fruits into your child’s lunch sack. Crispy Green fruits are made using a process in which water is removed from fresh fruit in a freezing vacuum. The result? Tasty, crunchy and additive-free fruits that your kids will love. Fruit options include apple, mango, banana, cantaloupe and pineapple.