Hummus Flowers ~ A Simple, Kid-Friendly Lunch

In an attempt to involve my kids more in the kitchen and for them to become more independent when it comes to meals (especially before this fifth lil' sweet thang is born), we've been focusing on new, simple, and fun lunch ideas.  Today, I give you the hummus flower.  If you're on the GAPS diet, simply use a different dip (might I suggest baba ghanoush?).  I made the first one (pictured above) to set the stage of possibilities and my kids were raring to give it a try.  I set out all the components (all in-season, nutrient-dense choices that complement each other), so anything they chose for their flower was going to benefit them.  Along with the hummus middle (so they get some protein no matter what), there were fruit, veggie, dairy, and meat choices (along with olives).  A fun, grain-free meal that my kids actually enjoy?  Miraculous.  Here are a few flowers my kids came up with:

The great thing about the kids assembling their own lunches is watching how surprisingly good they are at determining their portion sizes.  Clearing their plates has always been an issue.  Today, they cheerfully gobbled up every bit of their flowers.  The nice thing about these?  If they don't end up finishing them, simply cover it, stick it in the fridge, and they won't complain about eating the leftovers for snack because they made it.  With instruction of what to pull out of the fridge and chop up, my older children can do all the prep work, and they can all help with the clean up.  Need a kid-friendly meal to go?  Assemble these in a container that has a lid.  Seal that lid, stick it in the ice chest or lunch bag and you're kids will squeal to find a most intriguing surprise.  We now have a new, 100% mom-free, whine-free meal, ready to be pulled out of the hat whenever needed.  Hooray!  

And that, my friends, is how this mama nests.

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I'm sharing this at Monday Mania, Real Food Wednesday, Fight Back Friday.