Snacks
- Dried fruit (unsulfured)
- Chunks of fresh fruit covered with yogurt (messy but delicious!)
- Apples dipped in peanut butter
- Carrots dipped in peanut butter or
- Cottage cheese
- Cooked veggies, plain or covered with yogurt.
- Try cooked beans (green, kidney, or pinto beans) as finger foods. Pinto or kidney beans can also be cooked, blended, or mashed into a dip for crackers, bread pieces, and carrot or celery sticks.
Snacks That Need Little Preparation
Bugs on a Log
"Logs" from any of these foods:
- celery stalks (cut to about 3 inches long)
- apples (cut in halves or quarters with cores removed)
- carrot sticks (cut to about 3 inches long)
Top the logs with a spread:
- cream cheese and pineapple
- cheese and pimento
- peanut butter
- egg salad
Sprinkle "bugs" on the spread:
- raisins
- unsweetened cereal
- sunflower seeds ***Watch those nut allergies!!**
- golden raisins
- chopped peanuts ***Watch those nut allergies***
Orange Frosty
1/2 cup frozen orange-juice concentrate
1 cup milk or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon sugar, optional
4 to 5 ice cubes
Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend. Makes four 1/2-cup servings. For variation, add a ripe banana, a ripe peach, or a cup of fresh strawberries.
Apple Pudding
1 cup leftover cooked rice
1 cup lowfat vanilla yogurt
1 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Mix rice and applesauce together in a large bowl. Add cinnamon and yogurt. Stir well. Spoon into dishes and serve. Makes six 1/2-cup servings.
Plan-Ahead Snacks
Juicy Finger Blocks
3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
3/4 cup boiling water
1 12-oz. can frozen apple, orange, grape, or other juice concentrate
Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Add juice and stir until mixed. Pour into a lightly greased 9 x 13 inch cake pan. Chill in the refrigerator about 2 hours until firm. Cut into squares or use cookie cutters to make shapes. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Homemade Popsicles
Freeze any fresh fruit juice (except pineapple juice which does not freeze well) and pour it into small paper cups or ice cube trays. Insert popsicle sticks. Freeze until solid. Remove popsicle from cup by running under hot water for about 10 seconds. Blending yogurt with fruit juice is another option.
Cookies and Milk
Take your favorite cookie recipes and make them more nutritious by:
- reducing sugar. Use half the amount of sugar in the recipe. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar, reduce that amount to 1/2 cup.
- reducing fat. Use one-third the amount of fat in the recipe. For example, if the recipe calls for 1 cup of shortening, oil, or margarine, reduce that amount to 2/3 cup.
- adding fiber. Replace all or part of the white flour called for in a recipe with whole-wheat flour or rolled oats put through a blender.
From the Children Youth and Family Educational Research Network
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if you have any questions or comments!