While adults know full well that a book shouldn’t be judged by its cover, some children have yet to learn this valuable lesson, especially when it comes to food. Children put a lot of emphasis on food presentation and show certain preferences in when it comes to plating and meal components. It’s helpful to take note of these preferences when preparing lunches for children who are already starting to go to school. This way, you can trust that your kid will be strongly motivated to enjoy healthy home-made snacks and dishes even without your supervision.
There are a lot of creative ideas on the net that are just as fun to eat as they are to prepare. However, on a regular weekday or night, a parent can only have so much time to spare to create these cartoon-themed meals. A reliable kitchen knife and the following time-saving kitchen gadgets will surely make your work easier and more visually appealing to your kids:
Food mold sets
Most themed lunchboxes use rice and eggs as the main base of the design because these ingredients have neutral colors and can be easily molded into different shapes and sizes. However, it takes considerable skill to shape these materials into lovable characters. To save time and make meal more exciting, use an aluminum mold to create a professional-looking star-shaped sunny-side up. You can also make lunches more filling by crafting cute cartoon characters from rice and rice mold sets. Once you’re done with the basic shapes, you can work on the smaller details.
Food decor cutters
Take your snacks to another level by going beyond the usual chocolate chips and PBJs. A variety of food cutters can turn a regular sandwich into an enticing heart-shaped delight at a moment’s notice. For meals, you can use cutter sets that instantly turn vegetables into emoticon-shaped bits. Use these cute and healthy pieces to add detail to your sandwiches and bunny-shaped rice balls.
Fruit-shaping tools
Studies show that children prefer their fruits in bite-sized pieces. Take advantage of this by including fruit pieces in their lunchboxes. Fruit-shaping tools usually come in 2 parts: one end is dedicated to creating fruit balls and the other has a special blade that can be used to take out cores or to cut a decorative edge around the fruit itself.
Versatile graters
Food graters are a lifesaver when it comes to crafting healthy and colorful meals for kids. Grate vegetables such as carrots, cucumbers, and lettuce into fine pieces and use these as hair or grass for your delicious cartoon character or landscape-themed lunch.Best of all, it would only take you’re a few short minutes to prepare these edible elements for your creation.
Colorful containers
To complete the package, you also need colorful containers that will keep your creations in perfect form until lunch or snack time. You can use a big lunchbox if you want to give your edible art a landscaped look. But if your little one is a picky eater, you can also use silicone baking cups to separate the different components of his or her food.
