Favorite Finger Foods

Below is a list of some of our favorite finger foods. These are favorites because they are loved by my children, are healthy, and are relatively easy to assemble (they are also much cheaper and more nutritious than many of the store bought foods marketed as early finger foods!).

• cooked beans (if using canned, rinse to remove some of the sodium; black, pinto, and lima beans are our family favorites)
• cooked chopped veggies (sweet potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower in particular)
• cheese cubes
• scrambled eggs
• Breakfast Croutons
• soft diced fruit (bananas and avocados are softest; cantaloupe, peaches, pears all work when fully ripe; canned fruit in juice works, too!)
• hot dogs cut up
  
• lunch meat cut up
  
• grilled cheese sandwiches cut up in small pieces
• cottage cheese (yes, it can be eaten with your hands...)
• frozen veggies (peas especially--my toddler loves 'em frozen!)
• cooked pasta in various shapes
• peanut butter balls (I'll post a recipe someday for these)
  
• cream cheese balls (roll small balls of cream cheese in wheat germ or graham cracker crumbs)
  
• crackers (saltines, Triscuit thin crisps, animal crackers, and graham crackers, esp.)
• dry cereal (cheerios, wheat puffs, etc.)
• pancakes or waffles
• small pieces of soft, cooked meat (including chicken nuggets)