10 Ways to Make Mealtimes More Fun

Many children are fussy eaters. And fussy eating is normal behaviour, but that doesn’t make it any easier to handle. Most of the time, it’s not actually about the food but more about your child’s growing want for independence, but having fun with food can make a difference to your child’s eating habits.

Pleasant, low-stress meal times is the key to healthy eating. So is being realistic. Ask that your child try all food on the plate, but don’t get angry if all is not eaten. Even just one mouthful of each is worthy of praise. Praise should be the primary focus.

Instead of complaining about their fussiness, find ways to make food more fun and praise every effort to try something new.

10 Ideas for Making Food More Fun

French bread pizzas

Getting your children to interact with their food is a great way to teach them that food can be fun. Set up a toppings bar, hand your child the jar of sauce, and slice up some chunks of french stick bread. These can easily be frozen and make excellent snacks for after school or before soccer practice.

Toppings to try include: cheese, tomato, capsicum, pepperoni, ham, pineapple, pumpkin, spinach, feta, onions and olives.

By getting your child involved in the process, they get to choose what they want as toppings and so are much more likely to enjoy their food.

Spaghetti squash

Autumn and winter in Australia is the perfect time to try spaghetti squash, sometimes referred to as vegetable spaghetti. Once the squash has been microwaved for 10-12 minutes, it can be scraped out with a fork to create spaghetti-like strands, which can then be combined with a little tomato sauce, ricotta, egg, cheese, oregano, basil and transferred to a ramekin. Have your child do the scraping (it’s fun!), mix with ingredients and then bake for 30 minutes.

Baked zucchini fries

Crisp, tender and delicious, your kids will never guess that these oven-roasted chips are healthy! In a bowl, combine grated parmesan, garlic powder, and some dried thyme, oregano and basil, and chop zucchini into chips. Place on a prepared baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and then sprinkle with parmesan mix. Bake in the oven until crisp and golden.

Salad in a jar

The trick to getting kids to eat more salad is to get them to build their own. Using a mason jar, present them with lots of colourful ingredients such as avocado, peas, sweetcorn, lettuce, strawberries, shredded ham and carrot, and let them layer to create a beautifully colourful lunch. Drizzle with dressing of your choice, give it a shake and you’re done.

Use shapes

Cookie cutters allow for fun and exciting shapes, by cutting up foods such as watermelon, sandwiches and omelettes. You can even use them to stack portions of pasta or potato salad.

Healthy bites

Food that can be rolled into balls make for a fun activity for kids, and bite-size portions make for easy eating. Try combining 2 cups of rolled oats with sultanas, cranberries, ½ cup of applesauce and a teaspoon of orange peel, and get rolling. Bake for ten minutes until golden, and you’re done!

Smoothie Ice Pops

Ice creams are often a favourite treat for kids, but they can be loaded with sugars and other bad flavourings. Try freezing a healthy alternative by blending vanilla yoghurt, skim milk and berries, and placing them in paper cups with an paddlepop stick in the middle.

Pictures

Creating art with different ingredients can be a fun way to eat something that otherwise might be boring. Make a sailboat out of a cheese sandwich with a blueberry sea and capsicum birds, or create a tropical scene of palm trees using bananas, kiwi fruit, cherries, pineapple and mandarin segments. You could even make a Very Hungry Caterpillar using mini pizzas!

Breakfast toast cups

A great way to start the day is to flatten some bread, cut into discs and divide into muffin tin holes. Kids can then fill cups with ingredients like spinach, cheese, tomato, capsicum and bacon. Topped with an egg, they bake up beautifully in the oven and make a delicious breakfast that’s fun to eat.

Help yourself foods

Have on hand some nutrient-rich and trusty items that work well for funny food creations, and let your child get to work making whatever takes their fancy. Unlike adults, kids don’t think too much about flavour combinations, so let them have fun with their food and choose whatever they like. As long as it’s healthy, who cares? Foods kids can help themselves to include: oats, yoghurt, carrots, kiwi fruit, berries, bananas, grapes, dates, sultanas, avocados, cherry tomatoes, almonds, bread, celery, corn thins, capsicum and hard boiled egg.

And for the occasional treat, here’s a bonus one…

Doughnut fruit sticks

Combine a loved treat with a healthy snack by creating fun skewers you can dip in yummy chocolate sauce. This makes a really delicious treat or occasional food, and works perfectly at brunch or a party. Simply alternate doughnut balls with strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, provide a small bowl of chocolate sauce and, for an extra something special, add a bowl of shredded coconut.