Best Way to Start the Day

Let us introduce to you Selena, the sole-writer behind the How About Cookie blog. She is a talented food artist and would like to share with you how you too can make breakfast healthy and beautiful.

We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But it can be the most inspiring, too. Those first waking hours of the day are precious in my family, when everyone is rested and the day is full of possibilities.

During these summer months when we don't feel rushed, I tend to make food art for my kids for breakfast-partly because I have the time, but mostly because it's a special way to start the day. Getting them to eat healthy certainly doesn't hurt, either!

There's no shortage of ideas on Pinterest and blogs, but here's a few tips to get you started:

Make a scene.

No need to make elaborate characters; focus on making a general and simple setting instead, sparking your child's imagination. Think of it as storytelling with food. Dragonflies made of blackberries, blueberries and apple slices surrounded by Driscoll's strawberry flowers is enough to stoke their creativity.

Make matching "mommy and me" plates.

Most food art out there focuses on just one kid's plate. Include yourself in the fun by making matching plates; it emphasizes the idea that mealtime is a shared experience and not just a desperate plea to get your child to eat.

Cut fruit different ways.

Cutting fruit in ways you normally wouldn't open up a new world of food art possibilities. Driscoll's strawberries cut cross-sectionally, for example, take on a whole new shape. This subtly teaches kids to look at things in new ways and appreciate different perspectives.

Serve for several.

If you have multiple kids, forego individual plates and use serving plates or even cutting boards instead. You'll have space to plate more food, they get family-style eating, and there's less clean-up in the end.

Use a ton of color.

When in doubt, use as much color as you can. If they say they're sick of usual breakfast fare-oatmeal, yogurt, toast, bagels-top them with fruits and veggies in a rainbow of hues.

Have you made some fun food art for your kids recently? Share by snapping a picture of it and tagging it with #pictureperfectplate!

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