Today is a behind the scenes look at what daily lunch is like in the Catudal home. I get asked a lot how it is my girls readily eat anything I’ll put in front of them, from spinach to bell peppers, from spicy salsa to salmon. It all comes down to the main rule: “You have to at least TRY everything I put on your plate.” Then I’ll repeatedly put the same thing on their plates, over and over that week, and by the end of the week they like the new food… even if it starts with just one bite.
Besides the main rule, there are things I’ll do to help the girls enjoy the meals as they get used to a diverse world of flavors. This go-to panini is my favorite quick, easy, and nutritious packed thing to give my girls these days. At first I was just making the sandwiches as I would for myself, but I found that it was difficult for my girls to get a good bite of the sandwich without large pieces of meat falling out, tomatoes slipping off, and avocados gooping out the back. The solution was simple and it’s become my life-saver. At the end of lunch there isn’t a scrap of sandwich or vegetable left on their plates. No more wasted food (my pet-peeve)!
The trick is this: treat the cheese as the glue to hold everything together intermixed in all the layers, and dice all the ingredients small enough for little mouths to take in one bite. It’s not a monumental ground-breaking discovery, but it’s one small trick that allows me to put anything between two slices of bread and the girls will eat it!
Dice everything beforehand so assembly is smooth
The avocados should be paper thin so they don’t bulk up all the space and slip out, everything else including the spinach or lettuce should be diced small.
Start with a light dusting of cheese, just a bit at first
A little bit of cheese goes between each layer, so it’s throughout the entire sandwich acting as the glue.
Paper thin avocadoes
Itty-bitty tomatoes, follow with another light dusting of cheese as they are slippery buggers.
Keep adding the lettuce, spinach, turkey… any healthy filling you choose!
The very last layer is the last light dusting of cheese to bind it to the next slice of bread.
Get it on the grill! The sandwich is really tall, but don’t worry because it’ll smash flat enough!
Those cheese crusties from the previous sandwiches are the BEST, are they not? Crispy little cheese chips!
Et voila!
With everything so small and melted together, the flavors really mix and even if there’s a new ingredient in there the kids will enjoy the entire sandwich.
Eden got impatient for lunch as I tried to snap a few pics, she took the liberty of starting the first slice on her own.
Un-staged proof that these little finger foods are just the right thing for tots’
The little tot still gets them in smaller slices so she can hold it in one hand. Thank you for reading along and trying a new idea on how to feed the little ones….. but I want to keep this conversation alive! I’m looking for help from you too. Most of us I believe are either feeding kids now or will be someday, and they’re the toughest critics to please, so I’d LOVE to hear what you do to get them to enjoy the healthy meals you prepare for them. I’m still filling my trick-bag until it’s full to the top. Share away….
I just want to thank you for making this blog. I love any kind of tropical flavor, and everything on your blog always looks delicious to me. I often come here for cooking inspiration.
Thanks Jaime!! We really appreciate your kind words! It makes it all the more meaningful to do the blog! We are always open and curious to what people love and love to hear suggestions or requests for the site and new recipes so don’t be shy
. Hope to keep in touch!!
Okay I loved this post. I feel like I just learned so much in the two min it took me to read. I totally picked up the you don’t have to like it you have to try it rule from the french book but to keep at it everyday for a week didn’t really sink in til now. This sandwich is genius. I put a toothpick in kalanis sandwiches to help keep them together but this looks much more effective. Thanks! I love your blog!
I totally agree! It is such a conscious effort to follow that rule! I keep forgetting..and what I mean is I keep being lazy! I know it really does work! I have seen it on my own picky eater son-its kind of like magic that little sentence! And the sandwich idea too-I don’t know why I have never thought of these tricks! I just thought of the pile of sandwich left behind as just a natural cause, with no fix! Tawny- you may not claim to re invent the wheel with this one, but learning this trick idea switched on a little light bulb in my brain too! But I am right there with Bitsy-thank you!!
Thank you so much for letting me know… when I was putting up this post I doubted myself and thought “Is this just too silly or boring to share?” But i followed through since it’s been so helpful to me and the idea that all the other mothers are living the same daily challenge. Thanks a million Bitsy!!
Tawny you are such an inspiration! The cheese idea is genius! Hiding veggies in yummy foods is the way to go. You can always add them to spaghetti sauce and smoothies. I’ve found that Jack will eat just about any vegetable I put in front of him if it is paired with another flavor like butter or melted cheese. He eats whatever I put in mashed potatoes too. I’ll literally chop up broccoli and cauliflower and mix it into the potatoes.
You’re also super smart with your Mom skills, having Jack eat such a large variety right from the beginning when he’s not picky and still developing taste-buds. I especially love the picture of his lunch you sent me one day, the rainbow plate
Love you Kara xoxox
What a great idea!!!Much healthier and more adventurous than a standard ‘grilled cheese’. A simple winner with kids-a favourite of Harper-is a whole wheat tortilla filled with smushed black beans-or refried beans-and grated cheese. Grilled and cut into wedges.