Healthy Snack Ideas

It's back to school time. Do you know what that means? It's August, and . . . it's Kid's Eat Right Month. 

What is Kids Eat Right Month?
Kids Eat Right (KER) month was started in 2014 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). The purpose of KER month is to educate family, caregivers, communities, and policy makers about the importance of nutrition and optimal health for children and their families.

Since I work with pediatrics patients, this is a busy time of the year with children returning to school. As a Registered Dietitian (RD), I want to ensure that children are fueled in a healthy way to grow, play, and succeed in school.

The most frequently asked questions I get this time of year are questions about feeding children healthfully. The mostly commonly asked question is "What's a good snack?" for my child. So, today I'm talking about healthy snacks!

What is a healthy snack?
Snacks are small amounts of food. The portion size depends on your age with smaller portions for toddlers and larger portions for older adolescents and adults.

For school age children, teenagers and adults, the goal is to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables. The more specific goals is 2 servings of fruits and 3 servings of vegetables per day. If you eat 3 meals + 0-2 snacks per day, this averages out to at least one serving of fruits or vegetables at every meal and snack. So, I like to think about having fruits or vegetables as snacks. If a fruit or vegetable does not fill you up, pair it with something. You can add hummus, salad dressing, cheese, peanut butter, almond butter, nuts, or yogurt.

What are some healthy snack ideas?
Here are three quick and easy snack ideas. These make fruit and vegetables the star and are cute for an after school snack.

Vegetable Flowers

My vegetable flowers is made with the following ingredients: hummus, sunflower seeds, carrots, bell pepper, basil, and parsley.

Directions:

1) To make the vegetable flowers, wash all your produce.

2) Spoon hummus on the plate.

3) Arrange baby carrots around the hummus in a spiral shape like flower petals.

4) Sprinkle sunflower seeds on the hummus to represent the sunflower's seeds.

5) Cut a long strip of bell pepper to be the flower stem.

6) Arrange two basil leaves on either side of the bell pepper to be the flower's leaves.

7) Arrange parsley under the bell pepper to represent grass.

Enjoy!

*Note: Steps 5 and 6 are optional. They create visual appeal but are not necessary for a deliciously snack.

Cute Caterpillars

My vegetable flowers is made with the following ingredients: red seedless grapes, green seedless grapes, candy eyes, and royal icing.

Directions:

1) Wash all grapes.

2) Thread grapes on toothpicks or skewers.

3) Attach eyes with royal icing.

Enjoy!

Note: You could also use reduced fat cream cheese or nut butters, like peanut butter or almond butter, to attach the eyes. You could also make the caterpillar's eyes with raisins or mini chocolate chips. Also, make sure your kids or guests know that there are toothpicks in the caterpillars.

Enjoy!

   Rainbow Hummus

My rainbow hummus snack is made with the following ingredients: orange bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, green bell pepper, hummus, peanuts, parsley.

Directions:

1) Wash all vegetables.

2) Slice off the bottom of the orange and yellow bell peppers to create clouds.

3) Cut the green bell pepper in half to make the pot for the "pot of gold at the end of the rainbow."

4) Slice thin slices of bell pepper (approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inch slices). Then, cut the slices in half to make half-moon shapes for the arches of the rainbow.

5) Arrange bell peppers on the plate to make the rainbow and clouds.

6) Spoon hummus on the plate.

7) Place your green bell pepper "pot" on the plate.

8) Place peanuts on the hummus to represent the "gold" in the pot.

9) Place parsley on the plate to represent the grass that the pot of gold is sitting on.

Enjoy!

If you have any healthy snack ideas, share them below in the comments.

August is Kids Eat Right Month™, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the Academy Foundation's chance to highlight the fight for our children's healthy future. Find out how you can get involved!

Stay tuned all this month for more on healthy eating and Kids Eat Right Month. For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

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6 Tips for a Healthy Vacation

Good morning! This is the time of the year where students are stressed taking finals, teachers are grading furiously, and many are planning summer vacations. My husband and I  are enjoying a beach vacation. How do you make a vacation fun and healthy? Here are a couple of my tips to a happy, healthy vacation.

• Pack Healthy Snacks
• Check out this post for ideas for healthy snacks.
• Relax
• We know stress is not healthy. You can read more here about the consequences of lack of sleep. Then, relax, rest up, and be healthy.
• Split a Meal
• This is an easy, economical way to be healthy. Most restaurant portions are notoriously large. So split and entree and add an extra salad or vegetable side.
• Pack a Picnic
• Picnics are a great way to get a variety of healthy foods. It is economical and fun! Simply visit a grocery store on vacation, pick up a checkered cloth, and enjoy time with your family.
• Hydrate
• We know hydration is important especially in the summer months. So, keep hydrated by keeping a water bottle handy for each member of your family. And, order water with meals, which is an easy, cheap, healthy choice.
• Be Physically Active
• Include physically activity into your vacation just like you do in your life. We will discuss more ways to include physical activity into your vacation later this week.

I hope these ideas will make it easy for you and your family or friends to have a healthy vacation. Stay tuned this week on Instagram, and Twitter for more tips on healthy eating while on vacation.

Healthy Snacks T.V. Segment Part 3

The last television appearance I did was on healthy snacking. I wanted to share some of the tips that I shared in the interview. And, there are some bonus tips for healthy eating as well! Check out the first segment for tips on eating healthy and examples of healthy snacks. Today, we will discuss eating well on-the-go.

What are some ways to eat healthfully on the go?

Eating healthy when you are busy, traveling, or on the go presents some challenges. But, it is possible to eat healthy on the run. Here are some tips for eating healthy when you eat out.

• Substitute a steamed vegetable for a fried vegetable.
• Split an entrée and order a side salad with a light dressing or vinaigrette.
• Help your kids eat healthy; substitute a light yogurt or fruit for your child’s French fries.
• Order your entrée but take ½ to go.
• Order your entrée grilled, baked, or roasted instead of fried. 
• Pack healthy snacks. Think transportable fruits and vegetables.

I hope this will be helpful to you and encourage healthy snacks throughout the day. I hope you remember to E.A.T healthy year-round. And, I hope you remember to make healthy choices when you are busy and on-the-go.

For even more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Healthy Snacks T.V. Segment Part 2

The last television appearance I did was on healthy snacking. I wanted to share some of the tips that I shared in the interview. And, there are some bonus tips for healthy eating as well! Check out the first segment for tips on eating healthy.

What are some examples of healthy snacks?

            Planning a healthy snack is just that; it takes just a little planning. So, buy fruits and veggies at the store at least weekly to make sure you have healthy snacks easily accessible.

I start planning a healthy snack by thinking of a fruit or vegetable that I like. Any fruit or vegetable can be a healthy snack. If you feel like a fruit or vegetable by itself will not fill you up. Try pairing your produce with something that compliments its flavor. For example, pair fruits with light yogurt, peanut butter, or cheese. Pair vegetables with a light dressing, vinaigrette, hummus, or cheese.

If you need more examples, see below. 

Apples and peanut butter

• Bananas and almonds
• Cucumbers and hummus
• Strawberries and light yogurt
• Bell pepper slices and Italian vinaigrette
• Broccoli and light string cheese
• Peaches and light yogurt
• Fruit bowl
• Tomatoes and cucumber in Italian vinaigrette

I hope this will be helpful to you and encourage healthy snacks throughout the day. I hope you remember to E.A.T healthy year-round. And, I hope you remember to make healthy choices when you are busy and on-the-go.

For even more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.

Healthy Snacks T.V. Segment Part 1

The last television appearance I did was on healthy snacking. I wanted to share some of the tips that I shared in the interview. And, there are some bonus tips for healthy eating as well!

What are some tips to eat healthfully

This is one of the most common questions that I get as an RD. So I use the acronym E.A.T. to help myself and my clients remember to eat healthfully.

• E is for ‘easy.’
• We want to make healthy eating easy, so have fresh fruits and vegetables easily accessible in your home or work place. 
• A is for ‘affordable.’
• One of the most common barriers that I see to healthy eating is the perception that healthy eating is expensive. I would encourage you to eat seasonal fruits and vegetables. If you eat seasonally, usually produce is more affordable.
• T is for ‘tasty.
• Healthy eating should be enjoyable. We enjoy eating because it is tasty. So, try new fruits and vegetables to see which ones you prefer. Or try preparing fruits and vegetables

I hope this will be helpful to you and encourage healthy snacks throughout the day. I hope you remember to E.A.T healthy year-round. And, I hope you remember to make healthy choices when you are busy and on-the-go.

For even more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter.