Spice Up Toddler Lunches

We had gotten stuck in a rut with the same or similar lunches everyday. We (the kids and I) needed something new. 

Mashed Potato Boats with Pirates (red potatoes with cheese and olives)
Hearts and Stars (lunch meat and cheese on crackers)
Life Boats (clemetine slices)
Fish and Oysters in the Sea (frozen peas)

This is a hand-me-down book given to me. I hadn't really used it until my 3 year old started being a bit picky. He's willy to try most foods but says he doesn't like any of them. It was time to do something new, fun, and engaging. 

We hosted a get together and had some left over food. So let's get creative. 

I used my small cookie cutters to make cut outs for my two eaters. 

I did cheese up for my kiddo who may not eat the meat and meat up for the kiddo who avoids cheese these days. I would like to say it worked but nope. She ate it all and he only at the crackers and meat leaving the cheese to his sister. 

I microwaved small red potatoes and the cut off the top, scooped out the middle, mashed it with some butter and salt and pepper and then refilled them. 

Add a cheese triangle with a toothpick, then an olive as pirate.

My two love frozen peas. They were the oysters and fish in the sea and the clementine slices were the life boats with the mashed potato pirate ship started to sink (be eaten). 

Egg Rolls

We experimented making veggie egg rolls tonight. It was a huge success!He really loved holding the entire roll and easily biting off some veggies full of flavor. He ate a ton of vegetables without even know it! Recipe below.

Dessert Egg Rolls. Left over egg roll wrappers filled with Milky Ways, or bananas and peanut butter, or Resee's peanut butter cups with a banana slice. YUM!!! So easy and a fun dessert!

Egg Rolls - invented on the "Fly" tonight and very successful!

10 Wonton Wrappers

1 cup Broccoli Coleslaw mix

1/2 Red Bell Pepper - minced

1/2 Medium Red Onion - minced

3 Tablespoons of low sodium Soy Sauce

1 Tablespoon of grated Ginger

1 Tablespoon of minced Garlic

Vegetable Oil

Dipping Sauce (also a made up addition on the fly) 

1/4 cup Soy Sauce

1/4 cup Rice Vinegar 

1 teaspoon Sesame Seed Oil

1 Tablespoon Honey

sprinkle of red pepper flakes

Use a large deep skillet to heat oil to 350 degrees. (Iron skillets work great) ***TRICK*** Your oil is hot when you put the handle of a wooden spoon in the oil and the oil begins to bubble around the base.  - Careful not to be too hot.

Saute or use a wok to cook vegetables until soft. Add Soy sauce, ginger, and garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan, place in tightly woven colander and drain. A soggy mix will make a soggy egg roll.

Place one spoonful of the mixture in the bottom corner and begin to roll to the opposite corner, stop half way and tuck in the sides. Dip your finger in water and lightly dab water other unrolled corner (this will help them stick together).  Then finish rolling. Set on wax paper until ready to fry.

Fry for one 45 seconds to one minute and flip. All ingredients are already cooked and warm so you are just cooking they wonton. Watch these carefully as they can burn quickly! Place cooked rolls on plate with paper towel to drain and cool slightly before serving.