Every child loves a good snack, and the most convenient snacks to provide are always finger foods. For better or for worse, modern food-processing capabilities and fast food restaurants have provided parents with endless options for fast and tasty finger foods to feed our kids. The dilemma facing parents is ensuring their children get the nutrition they need and making their kids happy at the same time.
Types
Finger foods should be so simple your kids can eat them with their fingers, just as the name implies. No utensils needed. Likewise, finger foods should also be so simple you should not have to spend a large amount of time preparing them. The most convenient finger foods, and healthiest, are fruits and vegetables. These come from the earth ready for eating. Offering caramel or vegetable dip is also an easy option to entice a child who may cringe at the thought of eating plain fruits or veggies. Cheese and crackers are another great standby. Small pieces of meat make a nice addition to this snack. Kids can make cracker sandwiches as they're eating, which will inevitably turn into a how-big-can-you-make-your-sandwich challenge. The fun is in creating and eating their designs, and if there are some giggles along the way, then it makes the moment even better.
Nutrition
Finger foods can come from prepackaged foods at the store or a fast food restaurant, or you can make them from scratch in your home. The nutritional value of any of these foods can vary considerably. A small order of McDonald's french fries provides 250 calories and 13 g of fat, whereas frozen fries, baked in the oven without oil, have about 130 calories and 4 g of fat in approximately 21 fries. Two plain wheat crackers, with a small slice of cheddar cheese, provide about 35 calories and 2 g of fat per cracker sandwich. However, a prepackaged Ritz cheese sandwich has 200 calories and 11 g of fat per package, which contains three cracker sandwiches.
Presentation
The opportunities for finger foods are endless. The presentation of these foods is often half the battle in getting your kids to eat them. If it looks fun on the plate, then it just might be OK to eat. A fun method of presentation is called the Monkey Platter. Take any platter, or large plate, and arrange the foods in an intriguing way. Lay out the food in a fun design, use a theme or spell your kid's name. If you have pretzel sticks handy, those are fabulous for poking into cheese, fruits or lunch meats, and there's no worry about being skewered by a toothpick. If your children are old enough to handle toothpicks safely, then these are always an easy, inexpensive option that saves you from more dirty dishes.
Quality Time
This is also an opportunity to get your child involved in the snack-making process. If they help make the food, they are more likely to eat it. According to Parents magazine, inviting children to help prepare their snacks or meals helps them learn proper nutrition and to develop cooking skills, and it allows them to be creative. Children gain a sense of achievement and pride from their creations while also spending quality time with parents. Don't be afraid to ask your children for ideas for snacks, because you might be surprised at the good ideas they come up with.
Ideas
There are many ways to find inspiration for finger food snacks. Cooking websites often have recipes to use. Ask your children for their own ideas, and you can repurpose what your may already make. For example, If you make homemade smoothies, instead of drinking them, place the smoothie in freezer-pop forms. Put them in the freezer, and in about an hour you'll have frozen smoothie pops. If you're looking for a warm snack, you can make grilled cheese sandwiches, cut into bite-sized pieces for easy eating. Finger foods should be neither complicated nor time-consuming. and creating them is half the fun.
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