By Rosemary Daniels
What do kids consider a healthy meal? “A turkey sandwich with plums – but not together,” says Grace, 8, from Fair Haven. Grace also offered: “My dad makes me a fruit bag.”
“Vegetable sushi!,” said Sam, an 8-year old from Little Silver.
“Peanut butter with apples,” from Gabe, 11, from Fair Haven.
These are some of the ideas the younger set at Taste & Technique classes in Fair Haven had to offer.
The older crowd offered: “A turkey wrap with avocado and tomato,” said Natalie, 11.
According to 12-year-old Margo: “It has to be something balanced with vegetables, grains, meats and fruits.”
“Shrimp ceviche with tomato, lime, avocado and cilantro,” said Rayna, 11.
“I found that children already have an awareness of what’s healthy to eat, even at a younger age,” said Carolyn Rue, owner of Taste & Techniques in Fair Haven, who recently addressed 5-years olds at the Fair Haven Public Library. “It didn’t seem like it was new information to them. It’s great to see.”
Rue has several suggestions for healthy lunches and snacks.
“You can make your own hummus,” Rue said. “It’s so easy to make, only three ingredients: chickpeas, olive oil, and lemon. You can add yogurt and a little squirt of honey or agave, to sweeten it. Then you can use celery or carrot sticks, and dip right in.”
Another popular item is salad on a stick. Rue suggests spearing pepperoni and cheese cubes, alternating with chunks of celery and cherry tomatoes, on a skewer. (Keeping in mind skewers are for age- and behavior-appropriate children only.)
Always a favorite among the lunchbox set, are cut-out sandwiches. “Since most kids dislike crusts anyway,” said Rue, “you can make their sandwiches, then use a cookie cutter to make them into interesting shapes.”
A new product called “FUN BITES”, recently seen on ABC-TV show “Shark Tank,” is proving popular. Kids or parents can cut fruit, sandwiches, pancakes or brownies into smaller shapes to make them fun to eat. They are available in sets, and make the fun bites into a picture of an animal or a flower.
Boxed lunches, available at various markets in the area, are a quick, simple and healthy solution for children’s school lunches. “Sickles Market Kids’ Boxed Lunches come packaged in a kid-friendly, colorful environmentally friendly cardboard box,” said Bob Sickles, third-generation owner and operator of Sickles Market. Boxes include sandwiches – such as deli meats, cheese or the ever-popular peanut butter and jelly, on white or whole wheat bread – juice and snack.
Sickles also offers kid-friendly nutritious snacks: produce such as cherry tomatoes, baby carrots, kumquats, grapes that come in their own nutritious wrapper; cubed cheese loaded with calcium, protein and Vitamins A and B12; protein rich peanut butter and apples loaded with essential vitamins and minerals; dried fruit with anti-oxidants and dry roasted or raw nuts.
With a kitchen stocked with healthy foods and a pinch of creativity, parents can find the perfect lunch to please the palates of preschoolers to teens.
