Ways to make eating fun for the picky child

Tuna sandwich with vegetable sticks

Give your usual tuna sandwich a makeover with this cute dolphin cutter. You can also serve it together with some veggie sticks and a tasty dip by the side.

You will need:

4 slices of wholemeal bread

4 tablespoons tuna flakes in olive oil

2 slices of low fat cheese, optional

A dash of freshly ground black pepper

½ tablespoon mayonnaise, optional

2 raisins

1 Japanese cucumber, cut into sticks

1 small carrot, cut into sticks

1 cup vanilla or berry yogurt

1 orange, quartered

Preparation:

Place the dolphin cutter on each slice of bread and cheese to cut out dolphin shapes. Set aside.

Mix tuna flakes together with black pepper and ½ tablespoon mayonnaise.

Sandwich the prepared tuna mixture and cheese in between 2 slices of dolphin shaped bread. Place one raisin each to form the eye of the dolphin.

Arrange the dolphins on a plate and serve together with yogurt, vegetable sticks and orange slices.

Puffy butterfly

Scrambled egg on butterfly wholemeal bread slices, anyone? It’s the perfect chance for you to sneak in some veggies for the kids!

You will need:

1 teaspoon butter

1 tablespoon fresh corn kernels

1 small tomato, diced

2 eggs, lightly beaten

½ green capsicum, diced (optional)

4 slices of wholemeal bread

Cheese slices, cut into shapes

Salad greens

Cherry tomato, halved

Preparation:

Melt butter in a small frying pan. Saute corn kernels and diced tomato for 10 seconds before pouring in beaten egg mixture. Use chopsticks and stir mixture over medium low heat until egg mixture is half cooked (about 30 seconds).

Add spring onion and continue to cook the egg to your preferred texture. Remove and set aside.

Place the butterfly cutter on each slice of bread to cut out the butterfly shape.

Sandwich the prepared scrambled egg mixture in between 2 slices of butterfly shaped bread.

When done, decorate it with some cheese, salad greens and cherry tomato. Serve immediately.

Hearty banana pancakes

Shower your kids with love and hugs with a yummy heart-shaped banana pancake!

You will need:

1 cup plain flour

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

150ml milk

2 tablespoons vegetable/corn oil

1 large egg

2 ripe bananas, mashed

2 large strawberries, sliced horizontally

1 slice low fat cheese, cut into 2 heart shapes

1 tablespoon honey

Preparation:

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Whisk milk, oil and egg together in a medium sized bowl. Add mashed banana and flour to mixture until just moistened. Do not over mix.

Heat a large non-stick frying pan, grease it with some oil using kitchen paper towel that is moistened with oil.

To make one pancake, ladle one scoop of batter (50ml) onto pan. Use the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round shape.

Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until surface of pancakes has some bubbles. Flip over carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until both sides are browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Continue making pancakes with the remaining batter.

When pancakes are cool, use the heart-shaped cutter to cut out the "hearts" from the pancakes. Assemble them into "owl heads" using strawberry and sliced cheese. Serve with honey.

Fruity brown rice with salmon cubes

Put a touch of fun to this healthy dish with the star locomotor cutter! Kids will love to dig in to this star-shaped brown rice dish as their first meal of the day.

You will need:

1 cup brown rice

2 tablespoons raisin and cranberry mix

200g salmon fillet, halved

2 tablespoon Japanese mayonnaise

1 slice low fat cheese, cut into strips

Salad greens

1 cherry tomato, halved

Preparation:

Cook brown rice in rice cooker according to the instructions in the packet.

Place the salmon on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Top salmon with Japanese mayonnaise and cheese strips.

Bake salmon in a preheated 220 degrees Celsius oven/oven toaster for 2 minutes or until salmon is cooked.

Place star cutter in the centre of cling wrap film. Mix raisin and cranberry into the cooked brown rice. Spoon 3 tablespoons of the rice mixture into the cutter. Cover the rice mixture and cutter with cling wrap completely to mould it into a star shape.

Remove the cling wrap from the cutter and place the star shaped rice on serving plate together with the salmon fillet, salad greens and cherry tomatoes.

Dino fruit platter

A breakfast fruit platter can be made fun for the kids with an awesome dinosaur cutter!

You will need:

2 slices red watermelon

1 banana

1 green kiwifruit

A small handful of grapes

1 mandarin orange

100g milk chocolate, roughly chopped

Preparation:

Slice watermelon into 1-inch thickness. Use the dinosaur cutter to cut out "dinosaurs" from the watermelon. Set aside.

Use sliced bananas and kiwifruit to assemble a coconut tree.

Use grapes to form pebbles.

Use mandarin orange slices to form the sun.

Place the dinosaurs together with the rest of the fruits to form a fun fruit platter.

To make the chocolate dip, place chopped chocolate in a ramekin dish and melt it in the microwave oven for 30 seconds on medium high. Remove and stir. Repeat until mixture is smooth and chocolate is completely melted.

Choo choo train sandwich

Turn your ham and cheese sandwich into a cool choo choo train with this simple recipe and a locomotor cutter.

You will need:

4 slices wholemeal bread

2 slices lean smoked ham

2 slices low fat cheese

Salad greens

1 cherry tomato

Preparation:

Place the locomotor cutter on each side of bread, ham and cheese. Press down, twist and cut out the shape. Set aside.

Assemble the individual train carriage by placing the cut out ham and cheese in between 2 slices of bread. Repeat for the next train carriage.

Place the assembled train carriages side-by-side to form a train.

Serve with salad greens and decorate the front part of the train with cherry tomato to form the train’s headlight.

Cheesy bunny sandwich

Colourful garden treats

The white sheep

Chicky easter delight

Snow white mice

Funny monkey open sandwich

Mushroom hut tomatoes

Open butterfly radish toast

Egg mayo mousy delights

This little piggy went 'yum'!

Fit for a king and queen

Funky fruits n veggies face

Corn went wild!

Open up baguette

Written by

Sandra Ong

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