No More Mellow Yellow: Making Meals More Pleasing to the Eye 

"Mom," my 13-year-old son said at dinner one night, “this dinner is very yellow. Did you notice that?"

I first wondered if I should be offended until I looked down at the lemon pepper chicken, macaroni and cheese, corn and saffron rice and thought, "Wow. He's right."

"Well," I began, trying not to act insulted at my teenager's criticism of the dinner I prepared, "it sure is. Is that a bad thing?"

"Ms. Watkins said that part of the good presentation of a meal is involving a wide range of colors on a plate. She says that the visual impact of food can affect the taste."

Ms. Watkins is my son's Teen Living teacher. Teen Living is his school’s modification of the Home Economics class that I took in junior high. They learn more than just how to cook. They also learn about nutrition in meals and the key ingredients to a healthy diet. I had been pleased with the class until this very moment. My initial thought was, "Well - I wasn't aware that I needed to worry about presentation when feeding the family. Are you going to fire me and find a more adequate mother?"

Then I stepped back and thought that bitter sarcasm was probably not the best route to take in this conversation. I am a grown-up after all.

"I guess you are right. I have been stuck in a rut lately. Why don't you shop with me for next week's meals and help me pick out a wider spectrum of colors?"

We went to the grocery store together and bought a rainbow of produce from red peppers to blackberries. I have to admit, it made my shopping cart a lot livelier than the cans and boxes that my winter trips usually yield.

Dinner the next several nights pleased my son, the restaurant critic. One night we had quesadillas using the red and green peppers which made great contrast to the cheeses. We made our own pizzas another night, spicing up the image with each of us adding our own ingredients to our individual squares. I did put a stop to my 2-year-old daughter topping hers with gummi bears. I had to draw the line somewhere.

We had the most fun with the fruit dishes. Not only did they give us a wide range of colors, but they were easy enough to prepare that everyone could get involved. Several nights we made our own fruit and yogurt parfaits for dessert.  Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries - all mixed with a variety of yogurts. We had our own spring palette in each tall glass.  We also made smoothies one weekend for breakfast. My husband made the Berry Blast Smoothie, my son made the Frosty Pine-Orange Yogurt Smoothie and my daughter and I shared the Strawberry Yogurt Smoothie. Seeing those glasses lined up on the counter creating an edible rainbow I thought, "Now this is a presentation that would make Ms.Watkins proud."

It made my son proud as well.

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Kim Holmes writes about motherhood, pregnancy, and her life as a freelance web designer at misszoot.com. She shares her home with her husband, two children, three dogs and two cats in Huntsville, Alabama.