lunch ideas for fussy kids?

here is one of my favorite sources for fun, quick veggie snacks and meals:

http://shmooedfood.blogspot.com/

It features recipes from the book Vegan Lunchbox, plus more that the author has created since the book was published.

Several of the recipes have become staples in my home (like the almond butter no-bake bees which I am forever adding new things to and the mashed sweet potatoes...yum!

Pasta and rice are fine but add veggies into the sauce. Also try salads or dips but advise u to cut the carrots,cucumbers etc. out with the little cooky stuff (sorry my english isn't perfect) that have animal,heart,flower shapes. Also eggs in diff. styles are good. Instead of chips serve them home-made mashed potatoes (much healthier).

I mash the vegetables and mix them with the mashed potatoes. Or I will make a spaghetti sauce that has all sorts of vegetables instead of only tomatoes.

Although I don't have kids, (yet- I'm 23 & have been a vegetarian for 13 years) I still eat like a child.. and feed my little brother what I eat. We enjoy- black bean and cheese quesadillas a lot. It's super easy- can of black beans heated, a couple tortillas (flour or can get spinach or other flavors if you're looking for new things for them to try) and cheese- cheddar- or we really like the "Mexican" cheese Kraft has- I think it's monterray jack mix shredded. I put a tiny bit of olive oil in a pan to get the tortillas crispy.. These are great- I season the beans with salt and sometimes ground cumin because they tend to be bland. For myself I'll thow in some carmelized onions, bell pepper, and some fresh cilantro.. and occasionally some freshly chopped tomato. Delicious! For you add some sour cream or guacamole.. maybe the kiddo's will ask to try yours.. (that's how my little brother first started eating them.)

Meatless Baked Ziti

Ziti noodles (can get whole wheat to be healthy)

Jar pasta sauce

Lots of mozerella cheese- and a tiny bit cheddar

-boil noodles til al dente and drain. Mix with spaghetti sauce and lots of mozerella cheese. Put in Baking dish and sprinkle lots of mozerella on top and a little bit of cheddar cheese as well. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes covered in foil. Take off the foil and Broil until lightly golden. Very tasty and kids love it. If they like this and you want to introduce more vegetables, add some peppers, onions, broccoli, carrots, zuchini, or eggplant, etc to the spaghetti sauce. I like to play around with this recipe.

PB&J is always good in fun shapes! Also grilled cheese sandwiches (with various cheese- I like havarti) in different shapes.. with tomato soup with goldfish crackers "swimming" in it.

My brother also loves baby carrot sticks.. sometimes he'll dunk them in ranch- sometimes he likes them plain.

Peanut butter on banana pieces is really good too.

We also like to make our own pizza and put our favorite toppings on it. When they help make it, they're more adventurous in trying different things. All kinds of premade dough and sauces at the grocery store.

Broccoli and cheese soup (as long as it looks mostly like cheese-not huge chunks of broccoli- he'll eat it).

Strawberries and whipped cream, fruitcocktail, grapes, yogurt with fruit inside are all good and relatively healthy desserts.

I also worked at a Church Daycare during college and the food was vegetarian only. We served bean and cheese burritos, (frozen section of grocery store) cheese enchiladas made with what tasted like cheesewiz or velveeta, cheese and spinich quiche, (surprisingly the kids- all under the age of 6, loved it!) and various sandwiches as the main dish. Vegetables included canned green beans, baby carrots, applesauce, canned refried beans and mexican rice, etc..

Hope this helps!!! Good luck with the kiddos!

My kids loved it when I made them sandwiches and cut them out with large cookie cutters, such as hearts or butterflies. They felt really special.

Since you're making them vegetarian meals, you could try veggie dogs and tater tots. All kids love tater tots.

like easy sandwiches!easy sandwichescan appetize kids you can also try pasta

try pineapple chunks with cottage cheese/ or maybe grilled pineapple slices with bagels and cream cheese good stuff,pineapple mixed with stawberrys slices covers with whip cream, friut cocktail drained with coconut sprinkles (Roasted) and ice cream..good stuff..

At that age I fed them spaghetti'os. They were REALLY picky about their food, but somehow spaghetti'os always went down. But in order to make it more nutritious, I added a few things to it.

1/4 lb. hamburger

1 slice onion, minced very fine

salt and pepper to taste

1 can spaghetti'os

Brown the hamburger in a very little oil until it is no longer pink. Saute onion well, but do not burn. Add salt and pepper and stir well. Add spaghetti'os and heat through. Serve immediately with bread and butter.

[You can do the same with hot dogs. Slice them thin. Brown, add spaghetti'os and serve immediately.]

[Try substituting mac and cheese (with lots of butter) instead of spaghetti'os. Use only 1/2 of the cheese and more milk to make it creamier.]

If you can get them to eat that, try introducing vegetables. I found this great recipe on a Pasta-Roni box. My grown-up children still call broccoli "trees."

HAM & CHEESE---SHELLS & TREES

2 tbsp. butter

1 (6.2 oz.) pkg. PASTA-RONI Shells & White Cheddar*

2 c. frozen broccoli florets, thawed and cut into bite-size pieces

2/3 cup milk

1-1/2 c. ham or cooked turkey cut into thin strips

In a large saucepan bring 2 cups of water and the butter to a boil. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to medium. Gently boil uncovered for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the broccoli. Bring back to a boil. Boil 6 to 8 minutes more or until most of the water is absorbed. Stir in milk, Special Seasonings and ham or turkey. Return to a boil. Heat 1 to 2 minutes or until pasta is tender. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4.

Variations:

---Add 1/2 cup chopped onion

---Use crumbled bacon instead of ham or turkey

---Use 1 can white tuna, drained and flaked, instead of meat.

---Use regular mac and cheese intead of the White Cheddar

They also liked this:

HAMBURGER GRAVY ON MASHED POTATOES

1 lb. hamburger

1 sm. onion, chopped

1/4 c. flour

1 1/2 c. water

1 tsp. Kitchen Bouquet browning sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

Mashed potatoes

Brown hamburger and onion. Stir in flour. Add water and cook until thickness you prefer. Add Kitchen Bouquet to color and salt and pepper to taste. Serve on mashed potatoes.

[Once you get them to eat these "recipes", you are on your way to introducing different meats and vegetables into their diet.]