a simple recipe :: fruit kabobs

I always try to push “real food” snack options with my kids.  Sometimes they go for it, sometimes not so much.  But I’ve found that presentation goes a long way when it comes to feeding kids healthy foods.  For whatever reason, a bowl of fruit just doesn’t seem as fun as fruit on a stick.  Fruit kabobs are so simple to make–just cut desired fruit into chunks, if necessary.  Grapes and strawberries work well whole.  Then thread them onto a kabob stick.  Done.  Some of my favorite fruits to use on a fruit kabob are the grapes and strawberries I already mentioned, pineapple chunks (fresh, if at all possible–it’s so much sweeter than canned), not quite ripe banana chunks (too ripe and they will just fall apart), mango and kiwi (keep the kiwi somewhat thick as it doesn’t always hold up too well on a stick).  I can sometimes get away with calling this dessert if I throw on a marshmallow somewhere on the stick or drizzle the tiniest bit of chocolate over the top.

If you want to get really fancy, use small cookie cutters to cut the fruit into shapes–stars are adorable for 4th of July and work very well with different types of melon as well as pineapple.  Watermelon or strawberries, purple grapes and a marshmallow would be a perfect red, white and blue themed kabob.  Or use multiple colors of fruit for a rainbow kabob.  Big bonus:  Fresh fruit is generally pretty allergy-friendly. Of course, some people do have fruit allergies, but they are rarely life-threatening and much less common than some of the other allergens.

It’s bordering deceiving by calling this a recipe, I guess, as there’s no real recipe, no cooking and fairly minimal prep.  But sometimes the simple things get overlooked when you’re planning a BBQ, party, the dreaded sports snacks (don’t even get me started on this) or even a playdate for your kids.  I was able to pull off fruit kabobs as the big year-end snack for my daughter’s soccer team.  The picture doesn’t lie–they were all happy to be eating fresh fruit for a snack.  I’m not sure they even noticed the professionally decorated donuts the other team had.  Simple.  Healthy.  Yummy.  Total winner.  Care to share any of your favorite real food pseudo “recipes” with us?