Coconut cups
The other day the boys and I were 'home alone' at Grandma’s as Mr M was on a business trip and everyone else was out of the house too. It was a beautifully hot day and as such, I knew I would struggle to get Noah to eat much for his lunch. I’ve noticed he doesn’t like to eat when it’s hot but will happily sip away at water all day. I guess we can all feel like that in the heat!
Instead of forcing sandwiches upon him and insuring for myself a toddler tantrum in the process, I decided to have a bit of fun with some coconuts I had bought. I think it’s good to keep stretching Noah’s curiosity in different foods especially as there are so many lovely fruits to try outside of the usual apples, bananas and oranges.
I decided to split open the coconuts and fill them with fruity treasures. Noah loves strawberries and raspberries so these were obviously going to be a key feature! I also added blueberries and sliced melon. I decided to serve the coconuts as they were and just let Noah explore them as he wanted.
Whilst these photos look clean and neat, I did take them before allowing Noah to get his little fingers near the fruits! Believe me, the after effect was far from tidy! But, more importantly that aesthetics, Noah really enjoyed the novelty of his little coconut cup and got to try a new fruit in the process- I don’t think he has had coconut in its original form before!
I think this is a great way to be a bit creative with food, especially when the weather is boiling and nobody feels like eating much. As long as we kept the liquid intake frequent, I was happy to have a bit of a day off the usual formal lunch and dinner routine.
This is a great way to entertain little ones and it doesn’t have to be expensive. Berries can be a little on the pricey side so you could always fill up your coconut cups with other fruits or veggies and just play around with them.
I also think these would make great little breakfast pots too. I might have a go at making granola pots out of them with my usual recipe of yoghurt, raisins, granola and fruit. Mmm!
