Make Food Fun!

Picky eating is temporary and there are many things you can do to deal with picky eating in a positive way. One way is to make food fun!

Get creative in the kitchen:

• Name a food your child helps create. Make a big deal of serving "Dawn's Salad" or "Peter's Sweet Potatoes" for dinner.
• Cut a food into fun and easy shapes with cookie cutters.
• Encourage your child to invent and help prepare new snacks or sandwiches. For example, make your own trail mixes from dry cereal and dried fruit.
• Have your child make towers out of whole-grain crackers, spell words with pretzel sticks, or make funny faces on a plate using different types of fruit.
• Jazz up the taste of vegetables with low-fat dressings or dips.  Try hummus or bean spread as a dip for veggies.

Choose smart, fun snacks and meals:

• Bagel snake: Split mini bagels in half. Cut each half into half circles. Spread the halves with toppings like tuna salad, egg salad, or peanut butter. Decorate with sliced cherry tomatoes or banana slices. Arrange the half circles to form the body of a snake. Use olives or raisins for the eyes.
• English muffin pizza: Top half an English muffin with tomato sauce, chopped veggies and low-fat mozzarella cheese. Heat until the cheese is melted.
• Smiley sandwiches: Top a slice of bread with peanut butter and use an apple slice for a smile and raisins for eyes.

 

• Frozen bananas: Put a wooden stick into a peeled banana. Cut large bananas in half first. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze. Once frozen, peel off the plastic and enjoy.
• Potato Pal: Top half a small baked potato with eyes, ears, and a smile. Try peas for eyes, a halved cherry tomato for a nose, and a low-fat cheese wedge as a smile. Be creative, you'll be surprised at how many foods can turn into eyes, noses, and smiles!
• Frozen graham cracker sandwiches: Mix mashed bananas and peanut butter, spread between graham crackers and freeze.
• Fruit smoothies: Blend fresh or frozen fruit with yogurt and milk or juice. Try 100% orange juice, low-fat yogurt, and frozen strawberries.
• Frozen juice cups: Pour 100% fruit juice into small paper cups. Freeze. To serve, peel off the paper and eat.
• Ants on a Log: Thinly spread peanut butter on narrow celery sticks. Top with a row of raisins or other diced dried fruit.

More on Developing Healthy Eating Habits