7 Foods for Picky Eaters
Parents are worried about their little picky eaters all day. If your kid is too choosy about the food he eats then he is a picky eater. Such a kid might only like to eat three or four selected food items. This can be harmful for the little one. The human body needs vitamins, minerals, iron, protein, fats, carbohydrates and many more things to develop properly. Some kids like to have fries every single day for lunch. Fried food can provide fat but it doesn’t have the nutrients that are necessary for children’s mental and physical growth. Being a picky eater’s guardian can be tough but the following foods can help such parents to deal with their kids. Use some of these recipes to make healthy food more interesting for your picky eaters.
1. Make mini yogurt parfaits at home
Don’t go for the parfaits that are available at food joints. The store-bought parfaits can actually be unhealthy. They are too sweet, too big and not to forget, too pricey. So, it is a good idea to prepare a fresh fruit and yogurt parfait at home. This will help you to cut down on the sugar and the cost. You can use small plastic cups with lids. Such cups will help you to control spills. Now let’s find out how you can make a yogurt and fruit parfait. Take a tall glass and put one third cup vanilla yogurt into it. Take defrosted strawberries, juice and fresh berries. Now, create alternate layers of fruits and granola with yogurt to fill the glass up to the top. You must serve this parfait immediately. This will help you to keep the granola crunchy. Make sure you introduce this new creation to your picky eater in an exciting way. For instance you can tell him that you have a surprise for him and then you can cover his eyes. Put the parfait on the table, that’s in front of him and ask him to open his eyes.
2. Prepare Taco wraps for your picky eater
Picky eaters usually love to play with their food. So, let them do it! Make some fat-free tortillas and fill them with lots of colorful and healthy ingredients. You can use chopped chicken, tomatoes and shredded lettuce. You can saute the ingredients a bit in extra virgin olive oil and add salt and black pepper for taste. You can make crepe rolls as well, using the same vegetables. Mix a little wheat flour, two eggs and olive oil in a bowl. Mix the ingredients and make the mixture a little watery. Put this mixture on a hot pan having warm olive oil or butter. Cook both the sides of your crepe and stuff some vegetables into it.
3. Cut some fruits and put them into toothpick sticks
Make fruit skewers with some fresh fruits and toothpick sticks. Let your picky eaters be playful with food. If you want them to try some new fruits then cut those fruits into small pieces and put them into toothpick sticks. Eating is always more fun for kids when the food is on a stick. So, cut off the sharp tips from bamboo skewers and thread the sticks with fresh fruits like strawberries, grapes, berries, etc. Make sure that the fruit pieces are bite-size. Kids can choke on whole grapes and bigger fruit pieces. You can also make savory skewers with cooked ziti, diced cooked chicken, cheddar cheese cubes, etc.
4. Make Oat bran muffins for picky eaters having sweet tooth
Kids love sugar! So, you can give them sugar by making oat bran muffins. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and place a rack in the center of the oven. Take a 12 cup muffin pan and place paper liners for each cup. You can also apply a non stick vegetable spray to the pan. Now take a large bowl and put flour, oat bran, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ground cinnamon and orange zest into it. Stir and keep it aside. Take another bowl and whisk together lightly beaten egg, honey, vanilla extract, oil and milk. Add this mixture to the first bowl and stir just until moistened. Also, gently stir in the raisins, and your batter will be quite thin. Pour the batter into muffin cups and bake for about 16 to 20 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center of a muffin and if it comes out clean, your muffins are ready. Let your muffins cool slightly and serve them fresh.
