Green Treehouse

My kids are picky eaters, at least right now. They haven’t always been this way. Their food preferences wax and wane–what they love today might just become the food they despise tomorrow. There’s no rhyme or reason behind their preferences. At least not that I’ve yet figured out.  Sometimes I wonder if the snack plate or cup in which I serve the food has anything to do with it.

Coming up with snack ideas for picky eaters–healthy ones–isn’t always easy. Trust me, I know.  To make snack time more enjoyable (for parents and kids), I’ve put together a list of 10 simple snacks.

Go ahead, print out this list and tape it to the inside of a kitchen cupboard for use as a quick and easy snack planning reference.

1.  ‘Ol fashioned ants on a log. Celery with peanut butter*, add raisins on the top for ants (optional).  *Be sure your child is old enough for peanut butter–ask your pediatrician for guidance.

2. Pitas & hummus. Cut up small pieces of pita and let your little one enjoying dipping the pieces into hummus.

3. Apple slices (or small chunks) and cheddar cheese. Cabot Cheese is a favorite in my household.

4. Fruit salad. Combine assorted fruit in a bowl, like cut apples, pineapple, strawberries, and blueberries, and chill before serving. You can even mix in mini marshmallows or yogurt for a kid friendly touch.

5. Chocolate dipped strawberries. Melt a few milk chocolate chips in the microwave, and dip strawberries into the chocolate. Let cool and serve.

6. English muffin pizzas. Let your kids pick their favorite toppings.

7. Pinwheels. Roll up deli meat, cheese, and kid-friendly condiments (like mayo). Slice into bite-sized pinwheels.

8. Pretzels. Sure, you can buy pretzels, but you can also make them with your child–a fun, relatively quick activity with an edible end product!

9. Ice cream cone cupcakes. Prepare a cake mix, fill ice cream cones as you would if you were making cupcakes, bake until done (about 20-25 minutes).

10. Bagel pieces and cream cheese. Spread cream cheese on a bagel. Cut into bite-sized pieces. For variety, lightly spread a favorite jelly on top of the cream cheese.

If you have a simple kid friendly snack idea that you want to share, please leave a comment and tell me all about it–the more ideas for my picky eaters, the better!