^^^ Monster Mash Peas, Coconut Crusted Tofu (recipe coming soon) with Peanut Butter Dip, and sweet potato tater tots
Here’s a simple tip for you to help prepare balanced meals for your kids—use divided plates! It seems so simple, but it really helps me to remember to give David a good variety of foods at each meal. It’s so easy to serve up a bowl of pasta without any side dishes, resulting in a pretty unbalanced meal. To help keep my meals in check I use divided plates, making sure to put different types—and colors—of food in each section!
^^^ Apples with Peanut Butter Dip, pretzels, and green peas with olives
^^^ Valentine’s Pancakes, orange slices, and blueberries
^^^ PB&J, brown rice chips, organic strawberries, dried mangoes and dried apricots
And you’ll notice that the foods don’t always “go together.” I’ve teased my mom for years about serving up side dishes of bananas with spaghetti to my siblings and me when we were kids. Maybe she was on to something though—I know David will eat just about any fruit I put in front of him, and they are packed with good nutrients. When I put them along side of a new dish I know that at least he will leave the table full of something good for him, even if it isn’t my new fancy main dish! Bonus points when he tries a new food too!
^^^ Quickie picnic on the way to camping last weekend—snap pea chips, grapes, a snack bar, and a small part of a cookie from Whole Foods
^^^ Not the healthiest, but a fun election night All American sampler—vegan mac and cheese, veggie hot dogs, and apple pie
^^^ Look at all of those colors—Turtle Foods tempeh strips, mashed potatoes, Monster Mash peas, and Bunny Juice
^^^ PB&J and kiwi slices cut into hearts with a cookie cutter, and almond milk yogurt with frozen berries mixed in
^^^ Gardein veggie nuggets, Ravioli with Peanut Butter Dip, salad of avocado and yellow grape tomatoes with macadamia nuts
If you follow me on Instagram you’ll probably recognize some of these meals! What do you serve your kids? How do you make sure to give them well balanced meals?
I use BPA free plates that I found at Target, made by Zak. For picnics I use Ziploc divided lunch boxes that are leak proof—you can even put liquids like applesauce or yogurt in one section without it spilling into the next!
I love to hear from you! Please leave a comment on my facebook wall or send me an email at sarah@frieddandelions.com.