When my boys first started eating solid foods, it seems as though they would eat a n y t h i n g I gave them. Fruits and veggies were basically their favorite foods. I had a proud mama moment at how great that went, gave myself a good pat on the back, & then reality happened. These days, I have one seasoned picky eater & another one on deck whose doing his best to catch up. Neither like meat or any sign of vegetables.
We are blessed that we've never been diagnosed with any food allergies as so many kids are these days, but all the same, this mama rides the struggle bus everyday to find ways to get them to eat healthier.
Today, I am going to share a few fun & fresh ways (inspired by the SkinnyPop snack brand, www.skinnypop.com) to break the boring day to day school lunches & dinners at home, while inspiring fun, creative, & nutritious meals they'll look forward to each day! Cam isn't allowed to bring his lunch to school this year (preschool rules) & with our crazy lifestyle these days, he'd even be lucky to get a Capri sun & a fruit roll up😂. But I do SO look forward to the day when we are settled in one place & I can pack his lunches for school! Until then, I'll just serve him with all the love at home😉
By no means is this meant to be a realistic day of cooking for mamas (myself included!). I just wanted to sprinkle a little inspiration & seasonal twist on meals & snacks we eat throughout with gluten free & healthy options for all families. I hope you enjoy!
Creativity with Meals:
-Raid the dollar bins! These places are GOLD MINES for little accents to throw in your food to make it fun & exciting. This time of year? Spider rings to top off a rolled piece of meat. Ghost tooth picks to stick in cheese or meat balls!
-Find inspiration in their interests & then, find a way to incorporate it into their meal or snack! Do they like Spider-Man? Cut up red apple with the skin intact, peel thin pieces of cheese for the web, & then add blueberries for the eyes. They will love you forever.
-Stick a fun note or joke in the lunch box on occasion.
-And as always, Pinterest.
*If all else fails, & sometimes it does, you can always take note from the mama in A Christmas Story & slam your face into a plate of mashed potatoes and oink like a pig💁🏻 #imnotaboveit
Breakfast
I just followed the recipe on the box & added a little orange essential oil...
pancakes in the freezer for weeks! 🙌🏼 And these are one of the easiest foods to jazz up! The possibilities are endless & so much fun!
Snacks
because in my house, it's these that are the most important...
Pumpkin Spice Trail Mix: Pumpkin Spice Cheerios, SkinnyPop Popcorn, Peanuts
Ninja Turtle Apple: Cut in half (cut the core out of the back & slice where it is easy to pull apart), slice fruit roll up into strips & into a mouth, blueberries for eyes.
Orange Smoothie: 1 banana, 1/2 c. orange juice, 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1 cup ice
Lunch
Mummy Pizza: mozzarella, pizza sauce, olives, gluten free english muffins
and if I were packing a lunch for school...I think I'd do something similar to this: 💕
Supper
Jack-O-Lantern Tamale Bake: I used this recipe, but but down in the steps a bit & just carved the cornbread to make the mouth & added some extra meat filling to accentuate & cut pieces of a yellow bell pepper into triangles for the eyes & nose.
*The boys really like this even with the meat & veggies inside! I was so excited-very yummy!
Halloween Roasted Veggies: The veggies we had were sweet potatoes, white potatoes, & beets. I followed this recipe & the boys were very excited to try these because of the shapes, but I caution you...this was time consuming! (And beets just aren't for us😝...they make pretty witch hats though for those who do!)
And there you have it friends! A bunch of gluten-free, healthy kid friendly recipes for this wonderful season of fall. I'd love to hear some more recipes from you! Any favorites?
Happy Monday👻
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