The Case of the Pilfered Pantry

The mystery has been solved! We’d like to thank all of our detectives who helped us solve the Case of the Pilfered Pantry over February vacation week. Visitors throughout the week searched for clues, analyzed evidence, and narrowed down the list of suspects to find out who stole the stash of junk food from the KidsKitchen Pantry. We found that it was the Farmer who replaced all of our secret snacks with healthy fruits and vegetables. However, we learned that she had a good reason for doing so!

While eating healthy doesn’t always appeal to children, it’s important for them in so many ways. If our little detectives want to crack the case, they’ll need to strengthen their senses with nature’s super foods. They’ll need foods such as carrots, broccoli, and eggs for supersonic vision; milk, yogurt, and cheese for strong bones; bananas, spinach, and oranges for acute hearing; and fish, beans, and whole wheat for extreme stamina.

We know fruits and vegetables aren’t always a picky eaters’ first choice, but there are ways to make them appealing to kids without disguising them. If you’re having trouble convincing your child, try some of these tips!

Kids love colorful foods. Luckily fruits and vegetables have a great variety of shapes and colors. Try making a colorful dish and turn it into a game by challenging your kids to “eat the rainbow.” On the way to the grocery store, have your child list all of the fruits and vegetables they can think of for each color category, then have them choose their favorite from each.

Children are also more likely to try something they helped to make. Involve your children while making dinner and they’ll be eager to try their creation. Using fun names that incorporate their interests will also make them more willing to give it a try.

Once kids give these super foods a try, they’ll realize they’re just as tasty as their favorite junk foods, but with many more benefits! Here’s a simple healthy snack for the kids to try which incorporates all of these tips!

Lettuce Boats:

What you’ll need:

• Large romaine lettuce leaves

• Your favorite salad veggies (chopped carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, red peppers)

• Croutons

• Your favorite salad dressing

What you have to do:

• Wash and dry your lettuce

• Drizzle some of your favorite salad dressing down the middle of your lettuce leaf

• Sprinkle your chopped veggies on the lettuce leaf

• Add a few croutons

• Fold one side of lettuce over the add-ins and fold the other side over like a salad burrito

• Enjoy!

http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/cafe/lettuceboats.html