RECIPE FOR HEALTH: Got a Picky Eater? Try This Sandwich Mix and Match

Got a Picky Eater?
Try This Sandwich Mix and Match

IDEA contributing editor Natalie Digate Muth, MD, MPH, RDN, FAAP, and Sally Sampson, founder of ChopChop Kids, offer a healthy, delicious road map for transforming picky eaters into fledgling foodies. Their new book, The Picky Eater Project: 6 Weeks to Happier, Healthier Family Meal Times, lays out a 6-week plan and 40 family-friendly recipes to help children become more adventurous, healthier eaters. The plan focuses on kids’ participation, kitchen experiments and good nutrition, and will help parents set goals and measure progress toward defeating picky eating.

Try these sandwich-making ideas with your family and share them with clients as we get further into the swing of packing school lunches this fall. Don’t limit yourself to the usual, or even to what is suggested here. Aim to balance protein and vegetables, textures and tastes, plus vibrant colors and you’ll produce a sandwich that satisfies both flavor and energy requirements. And be sure to get the kids involved. Their investment in the process of choosing ingredients and creating the sandwich can make a huge difference.

Personalize It!
15 Sandwiches to Spark Your Imagination and Taste Buds!

1. chicken and brie cheese with apple slices and apple butter
2. smoked turkey and sliced avocado with shredded carrots
3. smoked ham and cheddar cheese with cucumber slices and mango
   chutney or apple butter
4. smoked ham with cucumber slices, pineapple slices, and mustard
5. tuna salad with sprouts, sliced radishes and sliced grapes
6. sardines with mashed avocado, cucumber slices and tomato slices
7. egg salad or sliced egg with sprouts and capers
8. egg salad or sliced egg with beet or cucumber tsatziki
9. feta cheese and roasted vegetables with shredded carrots
10. cheddar cheese and mashed avocado with tomato and pickles
11. mozzarella cheese with tomato slices and pesto
12. brie with spinach leaves and sliced peaches
13. hummus and roasted vegetables
14. hummus with cucumber slices and tomato slices
15. peanut butter with apple slices, banana slices and raisins

Source: Excerpt reprinted with permission of the American Academy of Pediatrics from Muth, N.D., & Sampson, S. 2016. The Picky Eater Project: 6 Weeks to Happier, Healthier Family Mealtimes. Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics. In press. Available exclusively through the American Academy of Pediatrics at . Beginning January 2017, it will be available nationwide at www.amazon.com, www.bn.com or your favorite local bookseller.