Mainstream playdate.....

[babygrant]

I'm hosting a playdate here tommorow with a group of moms. We rotate weekly through everyones house and the host does lunch. We've done this four times so far and it's working out awesome in terms of the kids playing, but lunches it's a bit sketchy for me. One house the kids had boxed macaroni and cheese with hot dogs, another it was homemade white buns with slices of cheese on them, another it was ritz crackers with cheese. My kids and I have been making a HUGE effort to get rid of the junk food from the house and they've been doing really well, so I'm proud of them.

What is a healthy lunch that would be ok for kids from age 1 to 6 that is healthy....yet what most mainstream people would eat? I have a huge tub of honey....but it's unpasturized so I don't think the moms of the little kids would let their kid eat it (and i'm not going to buy any pasturized honey because we don't eat it). We have lots of flax bread, seven grain bread, no white bread.

[zinemama]

Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, carrot sticks, cut up fruit.

[sewchris2642]

Feed the kids what you have. That's what the other mothers are doing. My kids were offered white bread, creamy peanut butter, store bought jelly and apple juice for lunch at one friend's house; rice cakes, nut butters, raisins, and water at another friend's house; ate home made whole wheat bread, home made jam, chunky peanut butter, and water at home. Kids have no trouble realizing that other families are different.

[cristeen]

A - I'd never even discuss pasteurization of honey because some honey is and some isn't, and most mainstream people wouldn't be able to tell you without looking at the package... it's not like milk, where it's all pasteurized unless you specifically seek it out. So long as you're not feeding it to children under the age of 1, it doesn't really matter.

B - What do your kids normally eat for lunch? What are some more "normal" choices from their regular menu? I'd probably offer a tray of veggies and dip (hummus or tzatziki most likely), maybe some cheese cubes, an assortment of fruits, etc. If you have bread in the house, then I'd probably make some really simple cheese or cheese/meat sandwiches or even just set it out deli tray style and let them make their own.

[EKSmith]

We do this kind of playdate rotation too - luckily for me though, the moms are on the same page as far as nutrition goes.....we all strive to feed our kids good food on a regular basis, but leave room for the occasional treat here and there. Last time it was at my place I prepared a "make your own pizza" bar...I cut up tons of veggies (mushrooms, peppers, tomatos, pineapple too) and put it all in individual bowls. I also chopped up some deli ham, and shredded a bunch of cheese. I made up a big batch of pizza sauce, and put that out too (I should note that I did all the prep the night before - then I got to enjoy the playdate too!). We used pitas for the crust. The older kids got to assemble their own pizzas, and moms assembled them for the little ones. They took no time to bake in the oven, and everyone was really happy with them!

Other ideas moms from our group have done (and almost all have been "make your own" type - everyone wins this way!) are shish kabobs done on the BBQ, with rice and honey garlic sauce (kids can pick their own stuff for the skewers)....stuff your own pitas, with fruit salad and veggies/dips....

Good luck with your playdate!

[dawningmama]

I would take it as a really great opportunity to show how easy and simple eating-well can be. Raw or blanched (to be softer for small mouth) veggies, hummus or natural salad dressing as dip. Cut up fresh fruit and cheese cubes, pieces of bread cut in half. Put the honey out too and some good nut butter for half sandwhiches.

I love the kabob idea for the little kids! Make your own fruit-pizzas with flatbread/large crackers, honey, cream cheese and cut up fruit could be fun too.

[lil_earthmomma]

Originally Posted by dawningmama

I would take it as a really great opportunity to show how easy and simple eating-well can be. Raw or blanched (to be softer for small mouth) veggies, hummus or natural salad dressing as dip. Cut up fresh fruit and cheese cubes, pieces of bread cut in half. Put the honey out too and some good nut butter for half sandwhiches.

I love the kabob idea for the little kids! Make your own fruit-pizzas with flatbread/large crackers, honey, cream cheese and cut up fruit could be fun too.

:

I do this often. I live in a community where I'm the hippy weirdo, and mac and cheese is king.

I make it fun and delicious, and show people that good for you can taste good too.

Some of my faves:

with whole grain bread, grill it. Toasty bread is more appealing to those used to white wonder bread. Veggies with dip are a crowd fave, as well as fruit with yogurt dip. I've done pita pizzas (the kids love to make their own) and quesadillas with great success too. Homemade mac and cheese is good as well.

[Storm Bride]

dawningmama has some good ideas. I'm pretty mainstream about food in some ways, but I've noticed even little things make a difference. My kids birthday parties are hot dogs and a junky cake, usually. We even do some chips, cheesies (blech - I hate them, but dh and the kids love them) and pretzels. I also put out a huge veggie plate...and it gets polished off, every time. The first time I did it, I got a somewhat snarky comment from someone about doing veggie plates for kids, because "kids don't like them". Her kids ate a ton of them.

I'd do what dawningmama suggested.

[~LadyBug~]

Originally Posted by dawningmama

I would take it as a really great opportunity to show how easy and simple eating-well can be. Raw or blanched (to be softer for small mouth) veggies, hummus or natural salad dressing as dip. Cut up fresh fruit and cheese cubes, pieces of bread cut in half. Put the honey out too and some good nut butter for half sandwhiches.

I love the kabob idea for the little kids! Make your own fruit-pizzas with flatbread/large crackers, honey, cream cheese and cut up fruit could be fun too.

I second this option! I have opened the eyes to my mainstream friends to eating organic and healthy by doing this. Organic fruits and veggies cut up, homemade wheat bread, nut butter, hummus, I once even baked some Amy's Organic Mac and Cheese and viola! There you have it. The moms are AMAZED I would also put the honey out...others are right, they will not know it is unpasteurized.

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by dawningmama

I would take it as a really great opportunity to show how easy and simple eating-well can be. Raw or blanched (to be softer for small mouth) veggies, hummus or natural salad dressing as dip. Cut up fresh fruit and cheese cubes, pieces of bread cut in half. Put the honey out too and some good nut butter for half sandwhiches.

I love the kabob idea for the little kids! Make your own fruit-pizzas with flatbread/large crackers, honey, cream cheese and cut up fruit could be fun too.

All sounds good to me. We're pretty mainstream when it comes to food too and that is all in our fridge and pantry!