ApPEELing Food

My sisters and I nicknamed last summer - the summer of the salads.  We had fun trying all different kinds and I was quite pleased with how my children took to them as well.

The last several months have turned my eating upside down - in the best kind of ways!  While I've been making incremental adjustments to our diet for a couple of years, these changes took a drastic shift after Greta's vast amount of food sensitivities in her first few months.   I love the idea of eating healthier, but preparing fresh food for each and every meal when you can't utilize dairy, gluten and most all packaged foods anymore can be a LOT of work.  

So when I find a yummy, nourishing and EASY lunch idea, we run with it.  The beauty of our newest favorite lunch is that the kids make most of it.

I don't know why I hadn't thought to let them have-at-it with a peeler before.  Seriously.  Meal prep help, plus honing fine-motor skills! 

They had so much fun.  Not only did they peel the cucumbers I needed, but the carrots for dinner later that night and then begged to peel more.  As long as boys would eat peeled carrots, I gave my consent to peel the rest of the bag...  Their vitamin A quota for the day was exceeded.  I'm sure of it. 

After my failed attempt at Cabbage Boats last fall, we found Cucumber Boats to be much more to every one's liking.

Cucumber Boats

• Peel a cucumber and slice in half, lengthwise.  (We are all big eaters and can pound two boats - an entire cucumber, each.)
• Give your kids a spoon and let them scoop out the seeds.  {If they beg you to let them eat the seedy pulp, shrug and give consent.}
• Sprinkle with basil. 
• Top with slices of avocado and nitrate-free lunch meat (I'm sure grilled chicken slices would be tasty too).  I'm thinking thinly sliced tomato might be good on this too and plan on trying that this week! 
• If your kids are feeling artistic, they could fashion their own sails like we did with our cabbage boats.  But if they are like mine, there will be a high demand for immediate consumption.

What are you all eating for lunch these days?

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