How to Make an Apple Owl Lunch for Your Kids

Written by: Lunchbox Dad This is a sponsored post in partnership with Chelan Fresh. All opinions are my own. When it comes to school, so much is up in the air right now. Will it be completely online? Will it be in person in the classroom? One...

Written by: Lunchbox Dad

This is a sponsored post in partnership with Chelan Fresh. All opinions are my own.

When it comes to school, so much is up in the air right now. Will it be completely online? Will it be in person in the classroom? One thing is not uncertain, our kids are going to need lunch! Well if it was up to them they would want breakfast, snack, second snack, lunch, the sequel to lunch, dinner (but not the dinner you made), and then dessert. This is why I love having meal plans in my back pocket that can work for any meal, like this owl food art idea, and also why I love Rockit™ apples!

Rockit™ apples from Chelan Fresh have been a favorite fruit of mine for years. They first caught my eye in the local grocery store because of their size. They are tiny and perfect for a snack but how would they taste? I bought them, brought them home, and tested them out. I was shocked at how sweet and crisp they were! Ever since then, we’ve bought them for snacks, lunches, and whatever other occasion where we needed a portable, fresh, and good for you snack.

Whenever I want to make a new kid-friendly meal idea that works for home or school, Rockit™ apples are a perfect addition. It’s always fun to make an animal themed lunch and this owl meal is super easy. Your kids will love it, so scroll down to find out how to make it for your family!

Ingredients: Rockit™ apples, white cheese, cheddar cheese, black olives, pretzel sticks, spinach tortillas.

Directions:
1. For each owl, slice a small piece off of the back of a Rockit™ apple so it will sit flat and then cut two slices off of another apple for each wing. You will then need two round apple pieces for the eyes. If you are making two owls you will need about three Rockit™ apples.

2. Next cut two circles of white cheese and three triangles of cheddar cheese. Set aside two black olives for each owl.

3. Cut two leaves out of spinach tortilla and cheddar cheese and grab one pretzel stick for each owl. The photo below shows all of the pieces that you will need for one owl.

4. Arrange the apple slice wings on the plate and place the apple body over them. You can use toothpicks to secure the apple eyes if you are having trouble keeping them in place. Layer on the white cheese and black olives. Finish the face with the cheddar cheese triangle beak.

5. Place the pretzel stick below the body and arrange the tortilla and cheese leaves how you want them. Finish by putting the cheese feet on the pretzel stick below the apple.

The next time your kids are asking for a snack, or you need some portable nourishment, grab a Rockit (™) apple, or even make this fun owl themed food art meal!

How to Raise A Healthy Preschooler (Even If They’re A Picky Eater)

Written by: Brandi Jeter Even picky preschoolers love Rockit™ apple! Find out how to help your picky eater in this sponsored post. Do you have a preschooler who is a picky eater? So do I! It’s so hard to hear people talk about their little ones eating anything that’s...

Written by: Brandi Jeter

Even picky preschoolers love Rockit™ apple! Find out how to help your picky eater in this sponsored post.

Do you have a preschooler who is a picky eater? So do I! It’s so hard to hear people talk about their little ones eating anything that’s put in front of them when my guy has about 3 foods that we keep on rotation.

I’m not going to lie, I used to feel jealous. And maybe even a little embarrassed. Like, what kind of mama am I that I can’t even get my son to eat? Although my daughter wasn’t exactly an adventurous eater, she’d mostly eat the food I cooked for the family every night.

My son is a little more stubborn.

Having a preschooler who is a picky eater isn’t actually that unusual, though. From the ages of 3 to 5, they’re learning what they like and dislike. They’re also testing boundaries and trying to have more autonomy over their lives.

Sometimes a picky eater isn’t about the food at all, but about the child making a choice for themself.

Once I learned that, I stopped feeling ashamed of having a picky eater and have been able to expand my little guy’s palate. Here are some of the things that have worked for me:

Ask your Preschooler What They Like

The first thing that has helped me in finding food my picky eater will eat, is asking him what he likes!

When I asked him, he surprised me by naming all of the fruits he likes that were different than the ones we already had at home. That was easy enough to put on the grocery shopping list!

When he told me he likes apples “really a lot, Mommy!” I was surprised because he always takes a bite or two and then leaves the rest. Rockit™ apple solved that problem for me, though. They’re the perfect size for his little hands, and he finishes the entire thing when he starts to eat it.

A simple question can save you a lot of headache. And remember to ask your preschooler what they like often. Their answer will likely change frequently.

Create Routines Around Meals and Snacks

Before I smartened up, I used to let my son eat whenever he told me he was hungry. Since he was home with me all day, I didn’t think we really needed a schedule for meals. Boy, was I wrong!

Not having a routine in place with set times for meals aided in his pickiness. If he wanted snacks for every meal, that’s what I gave him. It got to the point where he wasn’t ever interested in a real meal.

I sat down and wrote out his snack and meal schedule, along with the choices he would have for each day. The first day was a little rough when I had to tell him that snack wasn’t for another 20 minutes, but he started to get the hang of it.

The best part is that at breakfast time he ate a full meal. Later he’d sit down and eat his snack (always fruit and some sort of grain), and he would do the same for the rest of his meals through the day.

When in doubt with your preschooler, for just about any situation—schedules and routines are the answer!

Make Meals and Snacks Interesting

This is the simplest of my suggestions and the easiest to implement. Preschoolers love surprises. I can understand that you don’t want to encourage them to play with their food, but it’s certainly okay to have a little fun with it.

Try doing things like making themed lunches, for example, everything on the plate is red! Or you can search Pinterest for some creative ways to present the food.

When in doubt, though, go small. Preschoolers love things that look like they were made especially for them. My son went crazy over Rockit™ apples because of how tiny and cute they are. He ate two in one sitting! I didn’t mind, of course, because they’re apples. They’re full of fiber, tasty, and nutritious. It’s an all-around win!

It’s Okay to be Picky

Here’s the thing I want you to know, though, Mama. It’s totally okay for your child to have a preference. As they get older, they will learn to like more things.

Don’t give up on asking them to try different foods, though. They might say no nine times, and that 10th time, they give it a try!

Sending lots of luck to you!

How to Re-purpose a Food Container as a Mini Greenhouse

Sponsored content from Holly Homer from the Kids Activities Blog While we are all still trying to avoid leaving the house as much as possible, I am still having to buy groceries. During my last grocery run I picked up Rockit apples for the kids to...

Sponsored content from Holly Homer from the Kids Activities Blog

While we are all still trying to avoid leaving the house as much as possible, I am still having to buy groceries. During my last grocery run I picked up Rockit apples for the kids to enjoy as snacks between meals. I don’t know about you, but having the kids home all day every day means they are eating everything in sight.

The new Rockit™ apple is known as the world’s first miniature apple. They might be pocket-sized, but they are crisp and sweet and are a great source of Vitamin C and fiber. They are also lower in calories, with only 60 calories per apple.

My son loves them. There were a few years when he couldn’t eat apples due to digestive issues and we recently discovered it was just certain apples that were causing problems for him. He’s so happy now that he can eat these Rockit™ apples every day for a snack and have no issues at all.

Visit Chelan Fresh and use their fruit locator to find Rockit™ apples near you.

What I love about the Rockit™ apple packaging is that they aren’t putting new plastic into the supply chain. Their packaging is made from 100% RPET (recycled polyethylene terephthalate). If you want to give it yet another use then I’m sharing a great idea with you that’s perfect not only for spring gardening but also to celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd.

Let’s keep the “upcycling” chain going forward by turning this plastic container into a miniature seed-starter greenhouse.

It’s so easy to do, and spring is the perfect time to start growing produce at home. We planted arugula in ours and within 3 days we spotted our first tiny sprouts, and then by day 6, they were over an inch tall.

How to Make a Plastic Container Greenhouse

The first thing you want to do is add some ventilation to your container. The lid does have some holes around the edge, but we need to make more. We need drainage holes in the bottom for excess water to drain out, and we need holes in the top for watering and allowing air to circulate.

I used a drill to make this happen. Turn the container upside-down, place the lid on top and very carefully use a drill to make holes through both pieces at the same time. Make sure to hold one side firmly to prevent the container from buckling, and drill slowly.

How to cover drainage holes in planters

Wondering what to put inside your container to keep the soil from running out of the holes with the water? Here are some everyday items you can use:

• Egg cartons
• Coffee filters
• Cheesecloth
• Dryer sheets
• Paper towels
• Packing peanuts

Add about 2.5 to 3 inches of soil to your container, this will allow plenty of room for your sprouts to grow.

Note: We used a seed-starter soil, which is perfect for a mini greenhouse.

Remove all labels from the container to let more natural sunlight in.

Plant your seeds according to the seed packet instructions. Make a note of when you should expect your first sprouts to appear. Arugula grows pretty quickly with our first sprouts appearing in 3 days, so this would be perfect for kids who might be a little more impatient and want to see results quickly. Within 6 days our sprouts were over an inch tall.

Arugula sprouting in soil 3 days after planting

Arugula sprouting in soil 6 days after planting

Here’s a tip: Use cardboard dividers to separate sections to make for easier transferring into a garden bed, or alternatively, wood sticks to mark where the seed is planted.

Don’t place your greenhouse in direct sunlight and keep the soil moist. The holes underneath will help with draining excess water and the holes on top will allow for easy watering without having to remove the top of the container. Plus, the air will be able to circulate inside the container so the plants can breathe once they start sprouting.

Once the sprouts reach the top of the greenhouse it’s time to transplant them.