Food Fun Food

We are blessed that our boys eat most "normal" foods. Right now, C has a major aversion to cheese. By major aversion...I mean he may puke at the sight or smell of it. That's not much fun for the rest of us. Often, he will take his plate to another room and eat so we can enjoy our food. He will eat pizza, I think that some melted cheeses are "ok" in his book. He doesn't care for homemade mac and cheese, but will gobble up Kraft. And, get this...he does like Parmesan cheese, and that's one of the stinkiest ones around. Also, I do find myself doing something I swore I'd never do. The twins only eat PB&J sandwiches, no other kind. And, only if I...CUT THE CRUSTS OFF. I never thought I'd do such a thing, but sometimes we do what we have to to get them to eat. Anyway...To make lunches more exciting, I try to only serve sandwiches once or twice a week.

Lunch and Dinner options include...
Leftovers. (Mexican and Italian dishes are the best to reheat.)

Smoothies. (Use plain yogurt and add a bit of sugar for a healthier option. Add in whatever fresh or frozen fruit you have. I almost always have bananas in the freezer, because we never eat the ones from Costco before they go brown.)

Dippers. (Give each child several dips--peanut butter, cream cheese/dip, ranch, salsa, cheese, melted chocolate, etc.--and even more dippers--meatballs, lunch meat, pretzels, crackers, veggies, popcorn,chocolate chips, apple slices, grapes, strawberries, marshmallows, animal crackers, etc.)

Pasta Bar. (Prepare one or two types of pasta, heat up one or two sauce choices, put out bowls with cooked broccoli, peas, grated cheeses, sliced olives, peperoni, bacon bits, etc. Let each person make their own concoction.)

Baked Potato Bar. (So simple, yet so filling. Bake potatoes, heat up chili, broccoli, grate cheese, add bacon bits, sour cream...Yum Yum Yum...)

Salad Bar. (Yes, my kids will eat this! Even if I don't add a lot of toppings, they still enjoy salad. Make sure you have plenty of dressing choices, our family favorite is "Mom's Ranch," a.k.a. Hidden Valley made from the packet. Add bacon bits, cheese, croutons and explore with new veggies, you might be surprised what your kids will try.)

Also, we try to eat at our picnic table when the weather is nice. Or, we will have a "Movie Picnic" when it's raining or snowing. We spread a blanket on the floor in front of the TV and lay out a spread...sandwiches, chips, popcorn, fruit, the sky is the limit. As they absentmindedly watch the movie, they graze on what's in front of them.

One friend recently reminded me of "Muffin Tin Lunches." Simply fill a muffin tin with different food items and watch the kids gobble it up. Presentation is so important with children, if we make meal time fun and unusual for them, they might surprise us with what they consume and the attitude with which they consume it!

Eating out in a "real" restaurant is something we rarely do as a family. Why go to a sitdown restaurant and pay $5/child for what they get at McDonald's for $2.59...Nuggets and fries? Or, why even go to McDonald's and pay $15 for the family to eat what you could get at Walmart for $6, a two pound bag of tenders and one pound bag of fries? Find local joints that have specials on certain days. In our area, Taco Bell has 69 cent tacos on Sundays and Qudoba has free kids meals with adult enrees. Mondays, Ham's has 99 cent kids meals. Country Cookin' used to as well. Wednesdays one of our Mexican restaurants has $3.99 lunch specials that are large enough to feed two people (ok, so I like Mexican...). We're wating for Arby's to bring back "5 Roast Beef for $5.95" on Tuesdays. If you like Chinese, go to your favorite buffet and carryout. Our family can fill up on two carryout containers, saving about $30 from eating in.