photo courtesy of: saskschools.ca

Food ideas for kids are aplenty.  Want to make sure those ideas are working for your children and not against them? 
Many folks have asked me for some fun kids food ideas. Pretty much the food options should be the same as for adults; tasty, healthy and fun!  Stress on the tasty and healthy.  The fun comes in how it is served; the snack basket!


I stay at home most of the time with my 4 year old and I can tell you, she eats often.  
I had a neighbor who would get very frustrated with his children because they were always asking for snacks.  He wouldn't let them eat snacks because he thought they would "ruin their dinner"!  The problem?  He was supplying snack from his cabinets that were stocked with "fruit" snacks that are really sugar snacks, chips, pretzels, candy, granola bars, etc.  In other words, junk food. The children wouldn't eat dinner because they were full of junk that doesn't digest and eliminate well.  Those types of foods are also full of sugar, fat and salt overstimulating the taste buds and little bodies.  All that sugar and salt made way fro picky eating at the dinner table as well.  What little vegetables that were offered were refused, ignored or safely tucked away beneath the napkins and tablecloth! 


I believe it is ok for my daughter to graze and snack because I offer her healthy and fun kids food!  What fun food ideas for kids do I offer up?  I make a snack basket!  Having small portions of many food options gives her a chance to pick and choose and keeps me from the kitchen shackles, washing, cutting, cleaning up, etc.  YAY for the snack basket! 


I keep it on the table starting after breakfast until 1 hour before lunch and then after lunch until about an hour or so before dinner.  It holds many items but in very small portions.  I use small glass ramekins and put in each one a handful of something delicious and healthy.  Today's basket contained; fresh pineapple chunks, celery sticks, pumpkin seeds, pecans and romaine lettuce shreds. (It may sound strange to some, but my daughter loves lettuce :)  When she comes into the dining room and sees the basket she smiles so wide, gives a little shriek of excitement and does a dance.  


I also believe she eats less than if I did not have the basket out; I am not sure why!
Fun kids food makes great adult snacks, too!  Make yourself a snack basket for home or work this week and see how it changes up your eating habits!  When you have healthy snack available, say bye-bye to the break room vending machine and hello to healthy goodness!