Fun & Easy Food Plating for Kids

Fun & Easy Food Plating for Kids:

A #ParentingNerd Feeding Fun Tip

By Shining Mom

 

There is this little thing that makes the little guy in the house run in excitement to the dining table: his cutely-plated meal! Eating has become a little more exciting for the little Macalinao (he’s 4 years old) every time I do some cute plating with his food!

I’ve discovered this fun way to serve nutritious and visually appealing meals/snacks just recently. Being a parenting nerd, I always look for better ways to serve my kid’s food. And since my kid enjoys his “funny plate” very much, I’ve decided to do it more often. It’s not as time-consuming as I thought; I just add about 5-7 minutes to my regular serving time and the boy gets to enjoy a cute plate of food!

Here are photos of our humble creations. I’ve also included the quick ways to do them. =)

Sail Away

The boy has a huge fascination for sailboats. He loves drawing and enjoys creating paper sailboats to float on a basin of water. Because of this, I tried to make a sailboat-inspired snack. Luckily, I came across Ida Frosk’s post on Instagram, which sparked the idea for this sailboat plating. I did a little twist and here’s my simple version!

  

Ingredients:

(Amount depends on you)

Fresh fruits (grapes, strawberries, or anything you wish!)

Carrots


Bread


Cheese


Strawberry

Jam

Directions:
Slice the bread into the shape of a ship and then arrange them as shown in the picture. Next, lay your cheese on the bottom part and cut it following the shape of the bread. Cut a strip of carrot for the pole and some bird-shaped designs. Then, slice grapes in half so that they will lay flat on the plate and then arrange them just below the ship (or arrange them in any manner you wish to design your plate!). Just a little tip: You may vary the spread and the fruits depending on your kid’s favorite.

Apple Pancake

The little one in the house loves pancakes, too! Next is this Apple Pancake creation in gingerbread-man shape garnished with kiwi and apples and some grape balloons!

Ingredients:
Butter

1 small egg
1⁄2 cup milk
1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour

1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder

1 spoon sugar

4 spoons Gerber Applesauce

Fresh fruits (apples, grapes, kiwi, and bananas)

Directions:
Beat egg slightly in a bowl; combine butter, milk, sugar, all-purpose flour, baking powder, and applesauce. Next, heat a lightly-oiled pan, place the stainless ring and then pour the batter into the ring, and cook both sides. Finally, plate it with fruits!

Power Plates

Since this recipe is highly nutritious, the little boy and I funnily called it “Power Plates”. For this recipe, I used the boy’s favorite fruits: kiwi, bananas, mango, and grapes. For the bowl of cereal, I used Cerelac’s Multigrain Garden Vegetables. A little trivia: Did you know that Cerelac contains 43% protein, 38% iron, 28% calories, and 41% vitamin A? Yes, moms, each serving is high in Calories, Vitamin A, Protein, and Iron! With a simple bowl of Cerelac, we are confident that our kids get balanced nutrition. And with plating like this, we know they get to have fun eating it, too! =)

Directions:
Prepare a small bowl of Cerelac cereal by adding 50 grams of Cerelac to 120ml lukewarm water. Slice mangoes and kiwi fruits and arrange them to form a flower on the bowl. Next, on a separate plate, lay a sliced banana to serve as the trunk of the tree and then arrange the sliced kiwi fruits to form the leaves. Lastly, top the “leaves” with grapes to serve as the tree fruits. =)

Funny Sun Fruit Plate

Named by the little boy as “Funny Sun”, this fruit plate was truly a hit! Right after a few clicks of the camera, the plate was clean! heheee. The little guy was my assistant in preparing this snack, and adding that funny sun face was his idea! Cute, isn’t it? =)

Ingredients:

(Amount depends on you)

Fresh fruits (watermelon, grapes, kiwi, and orange)

Directions:
Cut the orange and place a slice in the middle of the plate. Next, slice big strips of watermelon for the rays of the sun. Finally, arrange the watermelon to appear as sunrays, then decorate the plate with fruits such as grapes and kiwi! Tip: You may also introduce new fruits and veggies to the little ones!

So there. We’re really enjoying food plating these days. As a parenting nerd, it always pays to find simple new ways like this one that will benefit my kid.

Do you do creative food plating too? It’s a great way to make your picky eater eat a nutritious dish! If you haven’t tried this yet, try it yourself! You may also have your kid join you in this great bonding activity and you’ll surely have loads of fun together! As you do this, mind to share some of your ideas and tips for all of us #ParentingNerds to see? =)

Keep checking this blog for more #ParentingNerd tips! Let’s all have a wonderful, wonderful day ahead, moms! =)


#ParentingNerd Starter Tip:

Your kids will be amazed when they see you serve up nutritious meals in fascinating plates! Try out these ideas for yourselves:

Don’t forget to share your experiences in the comments section below!

DISCLAIMER:

Infants six months onwards should be given fresh, indigenous, and natural foods, in combination with continued breastfeeding. This product is not suitable as a breast milk substitute.

CERELAC and GERBER are solid food for kids aged 6 months onwards.

Opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not express the views or opinions of Nestlé Philippines, Inc.