Please Help!!

Here's a breakfast pizza idea: You will need: 1 boboli or other premade pizza shell 6 ounces shredded mozzarella 1 cup each, toppings of your choice: steamed or microwaved broccoli florets diced or sliced red or green peppers sliced black olives sliced mushrooms cooked scrambled eggs diced Canadian bacon breakfast sausage links or ham Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle toppings of choice on crust; top with cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes or until cheese is light golden brown.

When I was younger my mom used to make fruit and cheese kebobs and I thoguht tey were the coolest thing. I loved eating them becuase they were on a stick and that just made it seem so much more fun. In fact, I still love food on a stick. What about meals where they get to "assemble their own". Things like make your own tacos, burgers, mini pizzas or even a mini salad bar give kids a feeling of having more control over what they eat. How about smoothies for breakfast? You could use yogurt, bananas and peanut butter. This way they get protien, and smoothies are fun.

I often find that presentation can be a great way to help kids eat foods that they normally wouldn't. For instance, for breakfast you could make a fruit and yogurt parfait. Layer the fruit and yogurt in a fancy glass (like one with a stem that is clear so they can see the layers) and then top it with some granola and extra friut. It looks like something special and can even remind them of an ice cream sundae. For meals like dinner and lunch, I would suggest making mini chicken or beef meatballs and serve them with a toothpick for the kids to eat. You can just put some bbq sauce or jarred sauce on them. If you want to make them bigger, put them in a hot dog roll and make little subs. In the summer, I also like to grill chicken and then serve it with a bunch of different sauces. It's fun for a kid to take a few little cups of different sauces (bbq, honey mustard, sweet and sour, etc) and try each one with the chicken to see which they like best. If you grill strips of chicken they can treat them like nuggets, but they will be a lot more healthy that way. Also, summer is a great time to make taco salads, strawberry salads, or any other type of salad to get kids excited to eat vegetables. The trick for me has been to make it feel special so they will be willing to try new things.

Butter Bean Salad You can add canned tuna, chicken, or seafood to thissalad for more protein.Use your family's favorite type of canned bean; chickpeas, kidney beans, or black beans would work well. INGREDIENTS: -3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar -5 Tbsp. olive oil -1/4 tsp. pepper -1 Tbsp. dried parsley -2 (15 oz.) cans butter beans, rinsed and drained -11 oz. can shoepeg corn, drained -14.5 oz. can zesty chili diced tomatoes, undrained -1 small red onion, chopped PREPARATION: In large bowl, combine vinegar, olive oil, salt, pepper, and parsley and mix well with wire whisk. Add remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Cover and chill 2 hours, or serve immediately. Serves 4-6