Do you have a picky eater who refuses to try new foods? If so, you are not alone. Many parents wonder how to get a picky eater to eat healthy foods. It can be frustrating, but I encourage you to hang in there and just keep offering healthy foods but don’t force them. Sometimes it takes multiple exposures to a food for a child to accept it. I have found that children are often willing to try something that they help make or that is presented in a fun manner.
If you would like to try some food fun with your children, here are some fun recipes to try out. You can get them involved with making the “creatures” and encouraging them to try their new creations. This is also a great opportunity to teach proper hand washing as you and your children wash your hands with soap and water before creating fun food together in the kitchen. They can also learn the importance of washing produce before eating it as you wash the fruits and vegetables for these fun recipes.
Ingredients for making caterpillars, butterflies, and snails:
Apple, orange, or strawberries, sliced into thin slices (about 1/8 inch thick)
Blueberries
Grapes
Twist pretzels
Celery sticks
Candy eyes or raisins
Cream cheese spread or nut butter
Directions:
For each of the creatures, you will need celery sticks cut into varying sizes between 2 and 4 inches long. Spread cream cheese or your choice of nut butter inside each celery stick. A piping bag or resealable plastic bag with one corner cut off works well for getting the spread inside the celery.
Caterpillars:
Attach two candy eyes or raisins to a grape using cream cheese or nut butter as glue. Gently press grape into the filled celery stick to make a head. Gently press 3-5 blueberries in behind the grape to make a body.
Snails:
Press two candy eyes or raisins onto the end of a filled celery stick. Press an apple, strawberry or orange slice onto the stick behind the eyes to make the snails shell (use strawberries for smaller sticks and apples or oranges for larger sticks).
Butterflies:
Press two candy eyes or raisins on the end of a filled celery stick. Press two pretzels onto the celery stick behind the eyes to make the butterfly wings.
Getting kids in the kitchen is one positive way to help them learn to try and accept new foods so give it a try and see what happens!
Recipes taken from the Partnership for Food Safety Education
