On Our Plates

Emma & Aidan : lunches

I've seen lots of these cute posts for little toddlers' plates, in which moms discuss the details of expanding their little ones' food horizons. We're well past the toddler days here in our house, and let me tell ya, the food game hasn't ended yet. 

Yes, toddlers are picky eaters, but I'm not sure it gets much easier as they get older. I tried my damnedest to introduce my toddlers to a variety of foods when they were little, but as they have grown, they have in many ways become more rigid in what they will and will not eat. 

You see, at 12 years old, they now have opinions about what foods they like and don't like. It doesn't matter if they've never tried those foods before, or if they used to love them when they were little. I remember my cute little twins sitting next to each other happily munching on avocado slices in their booster seats at the table. But will either of them touch an avocado now? Nope.

So we do what we can. Some days I'm giddy over a healthy lunch I managed to pull off. Some days their lunch plates look like a mish-mash of the most random nibbles from our pantry and fridge. (See lunch #3.)

Exhibit #1: 

ham & cheese sandwich | kettle corn | salad with olives, beets, and shredded cheddar cheese for Emma | kiwi & blueberries for Aidan

Exhibit #2: 

strawberry banana smoothie | spaghetti & parmesan crusted chicken (both leftover from dinners earlier in the week)

Exhibit #3: 

Hebrew National hotdog | apple slices | sugar snap peas | colby jack cheese slices

What about you? Do you have go-to lunches for your kids?

I'd love to hear!

Footnote: In case you were wondering, my girls are homeschooled, so school lunch is home lunch for us. We're in a transition with who does the actual lunch-making. The girls often make their own lunches - smoothies, sandwiches, and such, but I still help on many days.