1. Mac and Cheese with Seitan Chorizo
Vegan Fine Foods, 330 SW 2nd St., veganfinefoods.com
Behold mac and cheese, staple of kid lunches everywhere. As such, it can also be a good way to sneak something a little more adventurous into a meal. Seitan is a meat alternative increasingly popular in vegetarian and vegan cuisine; if you’ve not tried it, you might be surprised how much flavor is packed into this plant-based chorizo.
2. Lola Green Bowl
Playa Bowls, 1615 N Federal Hwy., playabowls.com
The bowls at Playa Bowls are colorful, fun and almost seem like they might be dessert. Ah, but there’s healthy stuff down there. Bowls come with bases including acai, pitaya, coconut, kale, chia, banana and oatmeal. Try something like the Lola – granola, mango, coconut flakes, honey and pineapple will likely be more noticeable than all the kale.
3. Bison Burger
Myapapaya, 1040 Bayview Dr. & 2528 N Federal Hwy., myapapaya.com
If you know a little one who eats burgers and nothing but burgers, it’s still possible to diversify their dining experience without totally peeling them away from their preferred staple. Bison meat is leaner but still extremely flavorful – and pretty exotic because, well, you’re eating bison.
4. Seafood Quesadilla
Aruba Beach Café, 1 Commercial Blvd., arubabeachcafe.com
One surefire method for tempting kids who are unsure about seafood? Slather that seafood in cheese. Lauderdale-By-The-Sea mainstay Aruba Beach Café crams fish, shrimp and scallops into their quesadilla, along with a couple kinds of cheese, guac, salsa and sour cream.
