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Snacks in a Snap

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This month 810 KIDS! are learning about healthier snacks in classrooms throughout the Genesee Intermediate School District (GISD).

Leah Cox, GISD’s Healthy Schools Healthy Families program manager, says healthy snacks can rival the taste and appeal of popular, packaged foods. “It’s all about the presentation,” says Cox. “Get your kids involved in preparing snacks. It’s a surefire way to ensure whatever is made gets eaten.”

Her tip: Make snacks and meals colorful by including fruits and vegetables.

“Don’t be afraid to let your kids play with their food,” she says. “Encourage them to become food artists by letting them build their own treats. Let them add healthy condiments, herbs and salt-free spices to make their treats look and taste more interesting.”

Cox recommended snack recipes include:

Butterflies

Ingredients:

  • Bananas
  • Small pretzel twists
  • Apples
  • Raisins

Directions

  1. Slice banana into pieces
  2. Insert pretzel twists into sides of the banana for “wings”
  3. Gently push apple slices into banana for “antennae” and raisins or chips for “eyes”

Little Ladybugs

Ingredients:

  • Whole wheat, round crackers
  • Low-fat or fat-free cream cheese (softened)
  • Low-fat yogurt
  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Black olives
  • Chives or spinach stems

Directions

  1. Mix equal parts of cream cheese and yogurt, stir until smooth
  2. Spread cream cheese mixture on crackers
  3. Place two quarter pieces of tomato on a cracker at an angle for the ladybug wings
  4. Cut off the end of the olive and place it in front of the tomatoes for the head (large hole facing upward)
  5. Place chive pieces into hole in olive for the antennae

This article was written for the online newsletter 810 KIDS! To subscribe, click here. Copyright 2019 Michigan Fitness Foundation. This institution is an equal opportunity provider.

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