1. Breakfast: Holey pancakes! Use a “just add water” pancake mix, and add slightly less water than the recipe calls for—that way the pancakes won’t run. Pile the batter high on the skillet–you’ll want them to be thicker than normal. Once they’re cooked through, remove them from heat and cut out a hole in the center, using a biscuit cutter. Reserve the “holes” for tomorrow’s breakfast! Dust the freshly made donut-looking pancakes with powdered sugar. Pour some heated syrup into a small dish, and place next to their plate. Enjoy watching them dunk their donuts!
2. Lunch: Food on a stick— Make their normal PB&J but instead of cutting it in half, cube it and skewer it. Use bamboo skewers (or toothpicks for younger ones) to serve their cheese cubes, salad, grapes, watermelon, or apples, even a soft baked cookie! Once they’ve gotten used to eating their normal food on a stick, trick them by cutting up a popsicle and having them eat it with a fork before it melts!
3. Snack: Drive Thru—Get a table and sit on the side of the house, have them drive up (via tricycle, bike, scooter, or motorized or push car) and order from a pre-set snack menu. Bag their order and send them on their way. Give them the freedom to eat on the go, or park themselves nearby and eat it—just like we do!
4. Dinner: Inside out spaghetti-Make regular spaghetti noodles, then dye them red using a good amount of food coloring. Instead of red sauce, try this: In sauté pan heat a pound of ground chicken, once cooked through, turn heat to low and add jar of Alfredo sauce. Cook just until sauce is simmering. Then pour a scoop of your white sauce on to a pile of red noodles.
For a little added flair, present bread and salad in the same inverted theme as the spaghetti. It should look similar to a bruschetta. Toast a baguette with a little olive oil, then sprinkle with mozzarella or parmesan cheese. In a small bowl mix together equal amounts of each: fresh diced tomatoes, diced onion, shredded carrots, diced cucumbers, and chopped romaine. Scoop the salad mix onto toasted baguette. Finish with a drizzle of their favorite dressing.
5. Dessert: Five Banana Splits–Go ahead, ask your kids if they’d like five banana splits for dessert! Next, ask if they’d like to eat them with their fingers! No problem with our mini banana splits! Here’s how you do it: You’ll need to slice a banana into ½” rounds, grind graham crackers, or chocolate cookies and coat the top of the banana rounds with the ground cookies—this will act as an adhesive so the ice cream won’t slip off. Lay them out on a cookie sheet, cookie side up, and freeze for 10 minutes. Using a melon baller or teaspoon, scoop a ball of ice cream onto each coated banana. You may need to pop them back in the freezer for another 10 minutes before letting your kids add their favorite toppings. The best part is they can make each one different!
