Kids Cuisine

I often struggle with our weekday lunch. It is the most frustrating part of the day for me because I have a hard time getting creative and making a quick and healthy lunch that my kids will enjoy. I am also very tempted at lunchtime to scrap the whole idea of eating at home and instead go to the nearest restaurant to grab something for the kids to eat. This option rarely includes healthy choices and often results in a budget buster.

• ABC - A few weeks ago we had days where everything we ate at lunch time had to correspond to a letter of the alphabet. For example, one day was the letter “P”. On “P” day we had pepperoni personal pizzas, pineapple, and pudding. On “S” day we had salad, sandwiches, strawberry yogurt, and a few Starbursts for dessert. I get my children involved at the grocery store, helping me to pick out food that matches the corresponding letters for the week.
• Picnic Lunch - Indoors or out, changing the venue of your lunch from the kitchen table to a blanket spread out really gets the kids excited. Our picnic lunches are always special!
• Shapes - Turn a boring old sandwich into something fun simply by using a large cookie cutter and cutting the sandwhich into a fun shape. We did hearts and I plan on doing shamrocks for St Patrick’s Day. My picky 3 year old, who usually picks her sandwiches apart, ate the entire thing and loved every bit of it!
• Backwards Day - My kids always get a kick out of having breakfast for lunch or dinner. They think it is so silly that Mommy forgot what time of day it was and made them the wrong thing at lunchtime!
• Kabobs - Buy some dull skewers and have a “Kabob” lunch. We’ve done this with different fruits, veggies, lunch meats, and even chicken nuggets. There is something about having lunch on a stick that makes my kids really interested in what they are eating.
• Restaurant - This is the favorite for my children. I hand them a pretend menu and they get to choose what they want for lunch off the menu. I am their server and when their food is ready I bring them their meal. I refill drinks, clear the table and always remind them to tip their waitress. Kids love pretend play and they also love acting like “big” kids at a real restaurant.

I am finally realizing that lunch time doesn’t have to be boring and doesn’t have to be a struggle. All of the above ideas take very little time and the response from my children has been so exciting. It takes such little things to please them and to make a day memorable. If you have any special lunch time tricks, please e-mail them to me at thedoyles at everestkc dot net. I would love to do a future write up with your ideas included.