- Elevating mac & cheese, a favorite food for kids of all ages, Veggie Confetti Mac & Cheese features a variety of textures, flavors and colors to delight the eyes and palate while providing key nutrients like vitamins A and C, calcium and iron.
- Parfaits of all kinds are more popular than ever at school lunches and breakfasts. This Fruit Rainbow Parfait delivers a balanced meal of muscle-building protein from dairy and complex carbohydrates for energy from the granola and fresh fruits.
- Tactile children not only enjoy eating with their hands; they also like complementary textures of smooth and crunchy, as well as contrasting temperatures of hot and cold. DIY Steak Fajitas deliver on both counts while contributing to a “sixth sense”: the emotional one of “ownership” that results from assembling the dish.
- Kids love foods in bowls! Grilled Chicken Salad Bowl with Crunchy “Worms” is a healthy salad and noodle bowl in one, as well as a delight to the ears and mouth thanks to crispy chow-mein noodles, carrot ribbons, vibrant bell pepper and a sweet-and-sour soy dressing.
Eric Stein, MS, RD, CCE, is an instructor in the Kendall College School of Culinary Arts, Chicago.
Photo: Stein’s Grilled-Chicken Salad Bowl with Crunchy “Worms.” Courtesy of Kendall College/Eric Futran