Week 33

Be creative!

Have fun this week and be creative with your food.  Look through your cookbooks or on-line for ideas.  Aren't the apple cups above cute!!!  I did not make these but found this on-line.  If this is a bit too complex, then try just cutting your veggies or fruit is fun shapes (celery swords and carrot eyeballs are great fun for little ones).  Or you can use the shell of a cantaloupe or watermelon as your bowl for fruit salad.  At a luncheon I hosted, several persons loved having the cucumber wedges I served with the egg salad.  They said they have only seen fresh cucumbers cut in rounds - they thought having the cucumber wedges from my garden cucumbers was a fun refreshing change.

You might add an ingredient your family loves or change the spices in one of my recipes.  Or experiment making a new flavor of ice cream.  Think out of the box and do something different. 

Tired of standard ham sandwiches or quesadillas for lunches, then create something new.  Last year, Jon decided to make ham/cheese quesadillas.  Both Jon and Tom loved his new creation.  This made a great lunch combined with carrot sticks. 

Jon's creation this summer was chopped ham, barbeque sauce and cheese on a whole wheat hot dog bun, warmed in the oven.  Not only is this a much better option than a fast food sandwich (if made with quality ingredients), my sons are also learning to prepare better meals for themselves.  If you want your kids to continue to eat well once they leave your house, it is important to let them create and prepare meals that they like now while still at home. 

If you have younger children, make a car or train or fish design out of their food for lunch.  Even if you don't have kids, it is fun and appealing to make your plate of food pretty.  No excuses that you are not creative because I am not creative yet even I can think of fun things to do such as our July 4th yogurt breakfast or my chili with steak.

The more you try new things and practice creating meals the easier and more fun it becomes.  Enjoy God's foods and have fun letting your creative juices flow!

"You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  Psalm 16:11