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Magnificent Munchies
5 Healthy Snacks That Will Have Them Begging for More
By Donna Smith
Kids love to snack, and snacking can be a good thing if it's done right. "Set a good example by eating healthy snacks yourself," says Bridget Swinney, a registered dietitian and author of Healthy Food for Healthy Kids: A Practical and Tasty Guide to Your Child's Nutrition (Meadowbrook, 1999). "One way children learn good eating habits is by modeling the habits of their parents and other adults. So don't munch on chips while expecting your son to eat carrot sticks! By munching on carrots and apples yourself, you will help your children eat healthy and you will also get the benefits of good eating."
Select foods that will help your child get more of the recommended servings on the Food Pyramid Guide for Young Children. And keep in mind that children may be more open to trying different foods if they have a hand in the process. Take them shopping and let them help prepare the snacks. It's a fun way to bond!
Try one of our delicious, healthy and fun-to-create recipes with your children. They'll be begging for more!
The first time you serve these, your child will be surprised at the sweet filling waiting inside the apple. Once it's no longer a surprise, he'll have to eat the apple to get to the protein- and vitamin-packed filling – and he'll enjoy stuffing the apples with you.
1 whole apple
2 to 3 tablespoons peanut butter
Stir-in of choice: 1 tablespoon dried fruit, unsweetened cereal, raisins, flaked coconut, low-fat granola or grated carrot
With a sharp knife, cut around the apple stem in an inward motion and remove a "plug" (cut the same way you would removing the stem when carving a jack 'o lantern, so the "plug" does not fall down into the apple). Set the plug aside, and then with a melon-baller, remove the core, being careful not to go all the way through the apple.
