Tropical Fruit Boats

Making food interesting to a picky eater takes patience and creativity. My son Roo is going through the phase of eating only specific foods (chicken fingers, applesauce, yogurt, cheese quesadillas). I am trying to help him experience a variety of food and enjoy eating it... Which hasn't gone well... If he lays eyes on cucumbers, he will hide. When I eat carrots, he cries for me to stop...

I am taking the approach of healthy eating to a new level by making food fun.

What could be more fun and appealing than this Tropical Fruit Boat?

Ingredients:

• 2 cups fresh blueberries
• 3/4 cup blueberry or grape juice
• 2 bananas
• 1/2 cup watermelon cubes (1/2-inch)
• 1/2 cup pineapple cubes (1/2-inch)
• 1 cup mango cubes (1/2 inch)
• 2 fruit roll-up sheets, any flavor
• 4 thin pretzel sticks, each 4 inches long

Directions:

1. In each of 4 shallow bowls, place ½-cup blueberries and 3 tablespoons juice.
2. Cut each banana in half crosswise on a diagonal, then split halves lengthwise.
3. In the center of each bowl, arrange 2 banana slices to form the sides of the “boat.”
4. Evenly divide the watermelon, pineapple and mango in the banana boats.
5. To make the boat “sails,”: on a cutting board, lay one fruit roll-up sheet over the other and press together; cut the double layer into 4 triangles.
6. Make 3 small cuts along one edge of each triangle; thread onto pretzel sticks.
7. Push the pretzel sail into a fruit cube.
8. Serve immediately.

Thanks to my pals at the Blueberry Council for supplying the recipe and image.