Let the kids choose

Yesterday's lunch was put together with the help of all of my kids.  What I do from time to time, is have an arrangement of food on the counter and hold it up in the air for my kids to see.  If they cheer, they get a little bit on their plates.  This gives them options and perceived control, while you, the parent, actually has control of what is on the counter.  I guess you can call this the A Clan Buffet. 

Here is an example of a plate from lunch.  What you see is unsweetened apple sauce, goldfish crackers, grapes, mozzarella cheese, veggie straws and a piece of a pizza sub sandwich.

Recipe for the sub sandwich:
hamburger buns
pizza sauce
peperoni
shredded mozzarella
any other topping that your kids enjoy

I don't heat mine, because my kids do not like theirs warmed up, but I am sure the sub sandwiches would be tasty being put in the oven at 350* for 10 minutes or in the microwave for 30s-1min on high.

Some of you may be thinking, "What is a veggie straw?"  This is a snack that I discovered at Costco and thought, sure let's try it and see if the kids enjoy a crunchy snack that isn't chips.  Long story short, they LOVE them.

I have also found these at Walmart (smaller bags than Costco) and a different brand of them at The Great Canadian Super Store in the Organic Food isle.  They are quite tasty by themselves, but I enjoy eating them with hummus.