Homemade Valentine's Day Treats for Kids

"The quickest way to the heart of your children is through the stomach! Show your little ones you care: Fill their breakfast plates, lunchboxes, and dinner dishes with colorful, tasty Valentine's Day treats.

The "Be-Mine" Breakfast: A heart-shaped pancake feast will get their day off to a sweet start. Surprise your kids or let them join in the fun. Just add a few drops of red food coloring to pancake batter. Make large pancakes on the skillet. Then cut the cooked pancakes into little hearts using a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Finishing touch: Instead of maple syrup, top with powdered sugar or strawberries and whipped cream. (A few years ago my parents made us a V-day breakfast with french toast and they sprinkled powered sugar on top using a heart cookie cutter to shape the sugar, very cute:)

The "Whole Lotta Love" Lunch: Pack a heart-shaped sandwich in your child's lunch box. Strawberry jam with cream cheese on white bread is a good choice. Or if your child loves cold cuts, bologna on white will still meet the Valentine's color criteria. Remove the crust and cut the bread into the shape of a heart with either a knife or a heart-shaped cookie cutter. You can also make a Valentine roll-up. Spread red jelly and cream cheese on a tortilla and roll. Then slice the tortilla into sections.Finishing touch: And don't forget the dessert -- a few Hershey's Kisses are a fun treat!

The "I Dig You" Dinner: Give that meatloaf a makeover! Mold your average meatloaf into a heart shape. Or if you're a perfectionist, pick up a heart-shaped pan at a kitchen supply store. When the meatloaf is cooked, frost it with mashed potatoes. A few drops of red food coloring in the potatoes adds a nice touch. You can top off this meatloaf masterpiece with squeeze-bottle ketchup X's and O's.Dessert anyone? Vanilla ice cream smothered in strawberry sauce or sprinkled with Nestle chocolate morsels (they're shaped like kisses!) is a great way to bring the day to a close."