Healthy snacks give your family the energy and nutrients they need throughout the day. As you plan snacks, think of them as “mini meals” that include two of the four food groups.
Try these simple nutritious snack ideas:
1. Whole grain crackers with a cheese stick
2. Fresh cut fruit with a yogurt dip
3. Nut-free trail mix. Mix dried cranberries, raisins, dried apricots, and apple rings with sunflower and pumpkin seeds, along with your family’s favorite cold cereal.
4. A small tortilla wrap spread with Greek yogurt, some jam and a banana.
5. A smoothie made with vanilla yogurt, blueberries, apples and some orange juice.
6. Vegetable sticks (like cucumbers and carrots) dipped in hummus.
Make snacks interesting by using a variety of shapes, colors, and textures.
• Offer different types of cheese (mozzarella, cheddar, Jack, Swiss) in different forms (cubes, strings, slices, and balls)
• Switch up the vegetables and fruit. Make sure you have a colorful variety in the fridge to choose from.
• Kids love to dip. Use cottage cheese, hummus, yogurt, or guacamole as healthy dips.
From planning to packing, get everyone in the family involved when making snacks. Take children grocery shopping and let them choose some of their favorite foods like breads, vegetables, fruit, and yogurts. Set aside time in the evening to pack lunches and snacks. You’ll be happy you did during the next day’s busy morning rush!
Food Allergies: Schools have different policies when it comes to food allergies. Many schools have a nut-free policy throughout the whole school, and some have policies just for some classrooms. Find out about the food allergy policy at your child’s school. Once you know about the foods that need to be avoided, keep them in mind when reading the ingredient list on food labels and when packing lunches.
Back to school snacks can be nutritious and delicious. With a little planning and creativity, your kids will love snack time at school.
“Work With What You Got!”
©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2019 All Rights Reserved
Cupcakes are an adaptable fun treat that makes any occasion special.
“Work With What You Got!”
©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2019 All Rights Reserved
As much as I love this hand-held summer superstar teamed or grilled, a little effort goes a long way in creating a more substantial summer side. I love cutting corn right off the cob, getting chunky clumps of corn kernels that I then lightly sauté – this brings out a bold sweetness. Sautéing tends to brighten the corn, and it holds up well on its own or tossed with other ingredients.
Please don’t open any ear of corn at the market looking for perfection. You can feel if it is a big intact fat ear. Corn holds up best cold and in its own packaging, the husk.
As soon as corn begins to warm, the sugars break down and corn gets starchy. Tearing it open exposes and warms the cob, and you’re ruining it for everyone.
To slice, hold the pointed stalk end in your hand like a handle, with the flat end on a clean cutting surface. Slice corn off the cob starting about halfway down, holding firmly running a knife down the cob. Go around the cob, then turn over to get the other half.
When sautéing, do not overcook. As soon as the corn darkens from its yellow-milky tone to a darker shiny kernel it is done. Remove from heat and to stop the cooking process, spread out on a sheet pan, and refrigerate just to cool.
“Work With What You Got!”
©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2019 All Rights Reserved
In theory, it should make little difference to your health whether you cook for yourself or let someone else do the work. But unless you can afford to hire a private chef to prepare meals exactly to your specifications, letting other people cook for you means losing control over your eating life, the portions as much as the ingredients. Cooking for yourself is the only sure way to take back control of your diet from the food scientists and food processors, and to guarantee you’re eating real food and not edible foodlike substances, with their unhealthy oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and surfeit of salt. Not surprisingly, the decline in home cooking closely parallels the rise in obesity, and research suggests that people who cook are more likely to eat a more healthful diet.
“Work With What You Got!”
©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2019 All Rights Reserved
Handheld pastries are fabulous for picnics and beach time. Everyone can dig in without the need for utensils.
“Work With What You Got!”
©Tiny New York Kitchen © 2019 All Rights Reserved
Making a classic Italian bread salad is a nice way to use up those summer tomatoes.
Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle. Most supermarkets are laid out the same way. Processed food products dominate the center aisles of the store, while the cases of mostly fresh food (produce, meat, fish, dairy) line the walls, Keep to the edges of the store and you’ll be much more likely to wind up with real food in your shopping cart. This strategy is not foolproof, however, since things like high-fructose corn syrup have crept into the dairy case under the cover of flavored yogurts and the like.
Make the most out of ripe summer tomatoes. Create delicious tomato, mozzarella, and basil salads for a fast and fresh summer side dish.
What on earth is sodium aluminum phosphate, anyway? When you make your own pancake mix you’ll know the ingredients that go into your mix.
When You Have Leftover Crumble Serve It For Breakfast With A Dollop Of Greek Yogurt.
