Quick, healthy and fun foods for young children - Part III

I remember being told not to play with my food and dang if it didn’t inspire me! Here are some ideas that encourage food play and along with that get kids to actually enjoy eating healthy foods they otherwise might not try.

Make fun shapes out of food and be sure to have them washed and pre-cut so they are ready to be eaten. If they are just as easy to grab as a box of crackers you are more likely to serve them to your child. Many of these ideas also become arts and crafts activities for your child that help develop his imagination and love of food. You’ll see what I mean when you read through them.

To make carrot or zucchini matchsticks peel and slice vertically through at 1/4″ intervals. Stack the “planks” and slice again thinly to form matchsticks. Trim them to be about 3″ long. If you place the carrot strips in ice water they will form half circles.

Make two dimensional food shapes from which you can create many items, like sailboats, trains or cars. Slice peeled carrots, radishes or cucumbers into thin rounds to make circles. Slice peeled carrots thinly to make “planks”. From the planks you can cut triangles, squares or rectangles. Use sliced cheese and cookie cutters to make a variety of other shapes. Arrange the shapes on a plate or clean plastic placemat to create edible pictures.

Make a car out of food. Use cucumber or peeled carrot rounds for wheels. Attach two cucumber wheels using a carrot matchstick as an axle. Cut a thin carrot plank to lie across the top as a chassis. Use the cheese blocks to build a car. Make a radish mouse to drive it by using three cleaned radishes, one small, medium and large. Leave the “tail” on the large one. Insert a toothpick into the end of the large radish opposite the tail. Leave part of the toothpick sticking out. Attach the small radish to the end of the toothpick. That will become the head. Cut two rounds from the medium radish. Make two small slits in the “head” and insert the rounds as ears. Make two round shaved areas for the eyes so that the white inside shows through. Poke several small holes into which you will insert chives or very small carrots strips for whiskers. Only give an item containing a toothpick to a child mature enough to not eat it.

Carrot or cucumber rounds with the centers cut out make fun looking glasses.

Make a celery man by cutting a cleaned stalk of celery into 3″ strips. While holding one end, make as many close, straight cuts as possible lengthwise through 1/3 of the other end. Now turn the celery stalk and make one vertical cut up the center lengthwise through 1/3 of the end you were first holding. Place the celery in ice water until the cut pieces curl. Dry it off and fill the center with peanut butter, cottage cheese or quark mixed with ranch dressing mix. The curly end becomes the hair and the other end becomes the legs. Use raisins, small carrot or apple pieces to decorate the face or add buttons down the body.

Make a cucumber chain by scoring the outside of a clean cucumber and then slicing it into rounds. Use a small round cookie cutter to remove the center of the round. Cut a thin slit through one side of the round. Link the slices together to form a chain.

Allow your child to spread his own peanut or other nut butter on crackers, celery or apple slices. Quark mixed with ranch or green goddess dressing or quark mixed with a splash of worscestershire and grated cheddar also make nice spreads.

Use a piece of elastic thread (available at fabric and craft stores) and let your older child make a necklace or bracelet using healthy o’s cereal. Tie the ends together in a square knot to fasten. Be sure the necklace or bracelet is large enough to easily slip over the head and hand. Let them nibble at will. For a smaller child let them string o’s onto a clean pipe cleaner. Mini marshmallows at either end keep them from slipping off. This is also a great dexterity activity.

Food play can be part of a healthy diet - use it to your advantage!