02/15

Healthy Snacks: How to Liven Up Toddler Lunches

I’m really lucky that my sweet Brooksie is generally a great eater.  Yes, we have the occasional terrible two style “NO YUM-YUMS!!” tantrums when he is overly tired or being a grumpy pants, but truly I’m blessed with a great eater.

I try to keep the good food vibes a rolling by offering lots of vibrant fruits and veggies and do my best to add a little fun in his lunch, too!  I think part of why Brooks is open to trying new things is that I’m constantly offering him new things to try. I literally try to “feed” his curiosity!!

I posted a few fun and healthy lunch ideas at the start of the school year so if you didn’t catch it earlier, you should definitely check it out.  It’s bento box chic, if I do say so myself.  I also posted about some great containers for your kids’s lunches, along with a video (thank you, AOL) where I make my fav green multi-purpose cleaner.

If you are looking for a great lunch box for your little, then definitely check out Planet Box.  This lunch box goes beyond simple food carrier and helps you ditch all the additional packaging, sandwich bags, etc.  As far as what goes in your child’s lunchbox, I have a super cool new company, called Thrive Market to tell you ALL about next week!

Brooks loves having pieces of cut up fruit and vegetables in his lunch.  I kicked it up a notch by simply placing his favorite fruits and veggies on skewers.  It couldn’t be simpler (and quite a crowd pleaser). When preparing, make sure to use a scissors and cut off the sharp ends of each of the skewers.  Brooks loved it!  He felt he got a little surprise in his lunch.

Speaking of surprises, I picked up a few treats the last time I was at the party store that are perfect for giving lunches a little oomph.   My boy is knee deep in his love of Transformers and Superheroes.  Optimus Prime and Spiderman can do NO wrong!  These inexpensive plates, napkins and stickers are absolutely perfect for that pop of fun for Brooks’ lunches.  Last week we were having a “NO YUM-YUMS” moment, and the offer of dining on a plate with pictures of his superhero friends completely flipped the script and my little guy was all smiles at the dinner table.  I don’t think of it as bribery, (not that I’m above that sometimes!!) but more along the lines of positive reinforcement.  Who wouldn’t want to share a meal with Iron Man, Captain America and the Hulk?

Brooks loves when I make the peanut butter & banana roll-up.  Perfect toddler hand-sized protein loaded snacking.  He is also a big fan of the Udi’s granola bars.  They come in so many yummy flavors. All in all, I like to keep it simple.  I wish I had the time for the Origami Hello Kitty bento box like I pinned on my Pinterest board but we busy #SuperMommas do what we can.

What are YOUR favorite things to make for your kids for lunch or snacks?  Tell me everything!!!