Monday, August 26, 2013

The "Perfect" Kid's Salad


When I was preparing lunches for children I wanted to offer a salad for school lunch. I found that my idea of what makes a great salad is much different than a child's idea of a great salad. After a few attempts of making what I thought was a great kids salad I decided it was time to bring in the experts. My "experts" were kids. I asked them what veggies they liked and took lots of notes! I then visited a grocery store salad bar with some children. I had the kids create their version of the "perfect salad." The picture above is a re-creation of one child's perfect salad.

The salad includes:
  • Chic peas
  • Black Beans
  • Edamame
  • Red Kidney Beans
  • Peas
  • Corn
  • Shredded Cheddar
  • Diced Turkey Bacon
OK so it may not have an exactly perfect mix of vitamins and minerals but it is a good source of protein and has some nice color. More color equals more variety of nutrients!
One way to vary your child's lunch to include more fruits and veggies is to go to the local supermarket that has a salad bar...usually they are pay by the pound. Give  your child a container and have them build their "perfect salad".
If they enjoy the salad it could be easy to duplicate at home.
 
Note:
The container above was purchased from Amazon.com. I love the idea of Benito Boxes but typically do not like the price! Here is a lower cost alternative. These come as a four pack and end up  costing less than $3.50 per container. Here is a link to the product on Amazon.com.


 

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