As a child, I was quite the picky eater. And now as a mom, I have been “blessed” with THREE picky eaters! Luckily, I have a special weapon that has become a fun family tradition since my own mother began to utilize it when she grew tired of battling the constant complaints, bargaining, begging, and wasting of food that often comes with having a picky eater. We call it the Snack Lunch!
A Snack Lunch basically consists of whatever small, finger foods that you have available, divided into various little compartments. The key is in the presentation! Make it healthy by focusing on filling each section with different food groups, concentrating on your proteins, fruits, and vegetables, but of course, always reserve one or two sections for some special sweets and treats!
All you need is an ice cube tray and an assortment of foods. It’s easy to tailor a Snack Lunch to your child’s specific likes and dislikes, special diets, and food restrictions. And best of all, kids find the choices and variety of shapes and colors to be an exciting adventure!
A Snack Lunch offers plenty of choices, so this is also the perfect opportunity to introduce your kids to new foods! My secret is that I always try to sneak in at least one new food to try. It doesn’t always work, but sometimes I’m successful!
Here are just a few of our favorite Snack Lunch ingredients:
- Salami, pepperoni, or any deli meat rolled up
- Cheeses
- Hard-boiled egg slices
- Raw carrots, peppers, broccoli, and celery
- Cut up pineapple, watermelon, and cantaloupe
- Grapes, blueberries, and raspberries
- Apple slices
- Crackers, chips, pretzels, and popcorn
- Dry cereal
- Cookies, M&Ms, small chocolates, and mini marshmallows
As a final fun twist, make the Snack Lunch a game! As an extra incentive, offer a small reward for each section the kids polish off! The key is to make lunch fun again!
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