Rainbow Salad

One way to make sure you get a variety of vitamins and nutrients is to “eat the rainbow”—that means eating a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables. Let your child choose her favorites from the suggestions below, then simply cut into bite-sized pieces, combine, and enjoy (if you don’t have any citrus fruits in your mix, add a dash of lemon or orange juice to keep your salad’s colors bright). If your child doesn’t like foods mixed together, you can arrange fruit in colored rows on a plate instead.

Your child can help wash the fruits, cut bananas with a butter knife, and break peeled oranges or clementines into sections.

• • Red: Strawberries, raspberries, cherries, dried cranberries, red-skinned apples
  
• • Orange: Oranges, tangerines, clementines, peaches, apricots
  
• • Yellow: Bananas, pears, yellow-skinned apples, pineapple
  
• • Green: Kiwi, green grapes (cut in quarters for kids 4 and under), Granny Smith apples
  
• • Blue: Blueberries
  
• • Purple: Black raspberries, plums, red grapes
  

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Pirouette Pasta

While you can use any shape of pasta for this dish, choosing rotini (spirals) lets you name it after a ballerina’s twirl!

You’ll need:

•	1 cup whole-grain pasta
•	1½ cups diced vegetables (peas, carrots, broccoli, zucchini—almost any vegetables goes)
•	1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
•	Cubed ham, salami, or pepperoni (optional)
•	¼ cup mild vinaigrette or Italian dressing

To prepare:

•	Cook pasta according to package directions. Substitute chicken or vegetable broth for all or some of the cooking water to add flavor and nutrients.
•	Just before the pasta is fully cooked, add the vegetables to the pot—they should cook for about a minute. Then drain.
•	Combine pasta, vegetables, cheese, and dressing in a serving bowl (kids can help stir). Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Superstar Sandwiches

Sandwiches are endlessly variable and a great way to provide protein, grains, and fruits or vegetables in one easy-to-eat package. Use a star-shaped cookie cutter to make a meal befitting a leading lady of the stage!

Try these fillings:

•	Peanut butter (or sun butter) and jelly
•	Cheese
•	Turkey or ham
•	Cream cheese and jam
•	Hummus and shredded or sliced vegetables
•	Tuna or chicken salad made with plain yogurt instead of mayo

And these breads:

•	Whole wheat bread
•	Tortillas (melt shredded cheese on top, fold, and cut for a simple quesadilla)
•	Pita pockets
•	Whole-grain pancakes or waffles

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Breakfast Sundaes

Start your dancer’s day on the right foot with a breakfast that provides protein, fiber, and the antioxidants and other nutrients found in fruit. Plus, the presentation gives this parfait-style dish plenty of kid appeal.

You’ll need:

•	2-3 kinds of colorful fruit or berries, in bite-sized pieces
•	Low-fat vanilla yogurt, or plain yogurt plus a drizzle of maple syrup or honey
•	Granola
•	Parfait dishes, or any clear, wide glasses

To prepare:

•	Start by placing one kind of fruit in the bottom of each dish.
•	Add yogurt, then granola.
•	Repeat with another fruit/yogurt/granola layer.
•	Finish with the third fruit, if using.

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