The question this week comes from vtmomof2

"My 4 year old son has suddenly decided not to eat dinner, what are some healthy snack ideas that I can feed him through out the day so that at least he gets the nutrients he needs, until he starts eating again?"

Dear Vermont Mom,

You have a classic case of "I control at least what goes into my mouth" on your hands. Kids have very little control over their lives. Food, and what it eventually comes out as, is about it. So, they exercise that control whenever they can. It's quite understandable, really. Psychology experiments show that the most stressful situations for people are the ones that they have no control over. Taking a little control, even if it's just over what they eat, can make a child feel much more at ease. So "giving in" once in a while is healthy. Of course, giving in too often leads to obvious problems, too. Ah, parenting...

That said, the best snacks will incorporate several food groups, not just carbs or sugar which burn quickly and leave an energy void (or "crash") in short order. Include a little protein like beans, tuna or sardines, tofu, spinach, or whole grains; and some good fats, like those contained in nuts, avocados, fish and olive oil.

Since most kids aren't going to sit down to a nice Salade Nicoise on the veranda, nor even take a bite of anything that looks remotely healthy, we've got to simply sneak it in. Hence, the easy purees. Purees hide beuatifully in foods of like color and texture. Take a look at these recipes from The Sneaky Chef–Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy  Foods in Kids' Favorite Meals:

(You can find free recipes for many of these nutritous snacks and meals at http://thesneakychef.com/recipes.php.)

Each of these dishes contains several completely hidden healthy ingredients including such nutritional superfoods as spinach, blueberries, carrots, yams, cauliflower, white beans, wheat germ, whole grains, tofu, sardines, avocado, peas, broccoli, garbonzo beans, and almonds.

To answer your question specifically about snacks, try Sneaky Breakfast Cookies and Milk, Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins, Grilled Cheese Muffins, or Complete Corn Muffins, Quick Fixes for Tuna Fish Sandwiches, Packed Pizza Bagels, Quick Fixes for Spaghetti-O’s, Franks ‘n Beans, Pigs in Healthy Blankets (with White Bean Puree Variation and No Cheese Variation).

Of special interest would be such greats as Brainy Brownies with hidden spinach and blueberries, Health-by-Chocolate Cookies, Thumbprint Peanut Butter Cookies, Crunchy Corn Chips, Cheesy Chip Variation, Bravo Nacho Cheese Dip, Cinnamon Sugar Rattle Snacks, No Doc Guac, Cheesy Animal Crackers, and Grab ‘n Go Crispy Granola Bars.

So you see, there's really no end to the nutrition you can get into your son without him ever knowing. No dinner tonight? No problem!

Enjoy in good health!

Missy Chase Lapine
The Sneaky Chef