As a mum to a 2-year old and a 5-year old who happens to be one of the fussiest eaters I know, I understand how challenging and frustrating it can get at meal times.

I wouldn’t claim to be a mum who carves out beautiful animals just to get my kids to eat their veggies. I lack the patience, time and prefer to explore my creativity in the world of ‘big people food’, but I do know some simple and easy ways to make their meals more visually appealing (sans time consuming veggie works of art!).

So, without further ado, here’re my top 5 simple tips to more colourful and enjoyable meal times.  

Fruit and veggie skewers

My girls still love eating with their hands, so skewers have become a kind of a novelty ‘cutlery’ for them. Slice, cut or use as a whole a selection of fruit and veggies such as strawberries, mango or watermelon chunks, cherry tomatoes, capsicums, cucumbers and skewer them together to make a delightfully colourful and healthy platter.

Cookie cutter fruit

Cookie cutters do come in very handy if carving intricate shapes out of food are not your thing. They come in such a vast variety of shapes and sizes these days. The younger kids will love learning about shapes and animals whilst munching, and Mummy didn’t break too much of a sweat in the kitchen making them.  Win win!

Food picks

Food picks aren’t just for parties, whip them out to add a bit of fun and colour to meal times. Use them as mini skewers or as a decorative element. Food picks also help fine tune the kiddie’s motor skills when picking up smaller food like peas.

Fun plates

There’s no denying that serving food on a fun plate made just for the kiddies works wonders. Fun dinner plates help to establish a healthy relationship with food, and encourages creativity with a bit of food play. Creativity and imagination are limitless for both parent and child.

Animal shaped rice balls

Most kids love rice given that it tastes a little sweet, soft and has an appealing texture. Up the ante on a bowl of rice by moulding it into cute animal shapes.  Add the aesthetic details such as raisins for eyes, carrot sticks for noses or ears and watch those twinkly little kiddie eyes light up. Sets of rice moulds can be purchased at an Asian supermarket or an online store that sells Japanese bento boxes and accessories.

About home cook love
home cook love is the business lovechild of Ali Wong, who is also mummy to two beautiful little girls and a wife to her best friend. Ali founded Home Cook Love to combine her passion for home cooking and her obsession for unique, beautiful things for the home.Home Cook Love allows you to shop for exactly what you are looking for in one place. You need not waste time trawling the shops or the Internet for your next dinner party, combing for handmade dinnerware, a special cookbook or a gift.