Fourth of July Snacks

Celebrate the independence of our country while encouraging the same with children. With fresh fruit being plentiful this time of the year, it is a great time to create some colorful holiday snacks.

American Spirit

Ingredients

• Graham Crackers
• Cream Cheese
• Blueberries
• Strawberries, cut into smaller pieces

Spread the cream cheese over the graham cracker to make the flag background.  Cluster several blueberries in the upper corner of the cracker to form a rectangle shape.  Make rows with the strawberry pieces to form the red stripes.  Space the red rows apart, leaving a white row between each.  Red, white, and blue a way to celebrate America and 4th of July.

Patriotic Pattern Sticks

Ingredients

• Long Toothpicks, (hors d’oeuvre)
• Strawberry Chunks or Watermelon
• Blueberries or Purple Grapes
• Banana Slices

Have children slide fruit on the toothpicks in a specific sequence, such as one red strawberry, two white bananas, and one blueberry or grape.  You can do any sequence or numbers.  Note:  Depending on the age group, you can use pretzel sticks with the bananas, strawberries or try other fruits.

 

4th of July – Patriotic Refreshments

Serve red, white and blue snacks to the children for added fun.  Make pinwheel sandwiches with grape and strawberry jelly or jam.

1.  Cut the edges from the bread and flatten the bread slightly with a rolling pin.
2.  Spread the filling and carefully form each slice into a roll.
3.  Cut the roll into bite sized pieces.

Serve red punch with frozen blueberries.  Also, you can place one or two berries in each section of an ice tray.  Freeze and serve with the punch.  Use star-shaped gelatin molds with red or blue flavored gelatin, top with whipped cream.

Use your favorite muffin mix and fold in fresh blueberries and chopped strawberries. Bake according to directions.  Use mini muffin tins.  Serve muffins with a flag decoration.

These are just a few ideas to get you started.  So celebrate July 4th with some fun and colorful snacks.

 

 

March is National Nutrition Month (R)

“Put Your Best Fork Forward” is the theme for this year’s National Nutrition Month (R). This campaign is created annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and focuses on making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.  Making small changes add up to improving health now and in the future. The earlier we start working with children and nutrition, the more likely they are to continue their knowledge into adulthood.  Nutrition can be associated with every area of your center.

This month all posts will be nutrition related.  Please feel free to share your ideas too.

http://www.eatright.org/resources/national-nutrition-month

 

New Foods to Celebrate

What better way to celebrate National Farm to School Month than to introduce children to some new fruits and vegetables.  Food can be incorporated into every area in your center and can be such fun!!  When you begin to explore books that focus on foods, healthy eating, gardening, and planting the number available is quite large.  So here a few and some activities to get you started.  Use your imagination, make the books come alive, sample new foods and add activities during the month to get your children excited about healthy eating.   When they are more involved with the activities they are more likely to try new foods.

Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert

This book is great for the introduction of new foods by reading your way through the alphabetical world of fruits and vegetables. Currents, jalapeno peppers, parsnips, star fruit, ugil fruit, and yams are just a few of the foods mentioned. There is also a glossary of the fruits and vegetables described in the book.

Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert

This bright, bold picture book is about vegetable gardening for the very young. The story starts off “Dad says we are going to grow vegetable soup”.  The necessary tools are pictured and labeled, as are the seeds (green bean, pea, corn, zucchini squash, and carrot). Then the real gardening happens . . . planting, weeding, harvesting, washing, chopping, and cooking! In the end? “It was the best soup ever.” A recipe for vegetable soup tops it all off!  After reading the book serving vegetable soup would be a great way of adding vegetables to your children’s diet.  I would also suggest to share a recipe with your parents and encourage them to try this at home.  Parent buy-in is very important and can extend classroom learning.  They may also try something new too!

 

Recipe Corner

Sometimes children will try a new food when they can dip it.  My goddaughter is happy to eat anything if there is something to dip it into.  I think it is the experience of it all.  So if they are a little hesitate to taste a new vegetable or fruit these healthy dips may be a way to encourage the new food experience.

Ranch Sauce*

• 1 cup plain low fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup light ranch salad dressing

Combine ingredients in a small bowl.  Serve with any cut vegetables.

Cinnamon Dip*

• 1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• dash of cinnamon

1.  Place yogurt in small (1 cup) bowl.
2. Add brown sugar & dash of cinnamon to yogurt.
3. Stir until well mixed.
4. Cover & refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Serve with your favorite fruits, such as apple wedges, banana slices, strawberries, peaches or other fruit.

Fruity Parfaits*

• 1/2 cup lightly sweetened cereal, such as Life or granola
• 6 oz. vanilla low-fat yogurt
• 1/2 cup berries or cut-up fruit (drain if canned)
• 2 Tablespoons chopped pecans (check for any food allergies before using nuts

1. Place cereal in small bowl or cereal dish.
2. Add yogurt.  Spread evenly over cereal.
3. Rinse fruit or drain if canned.  Sprinkle fruit evenly over yogurt.
4. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over fruit.  Serve.

*Recipes are courtesy of the Georgia Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP).  To find out if this free nutrition program is available in your area contact your local county Extension or in Georgia 1.800.ASK.UGA1 or visit http://www.fcs.uga.edu/extension/efnep.

See upcoming blogs for more ideas for adding fruits and veggies.

Celebrate Farm to School Month

There are many events being celebrated in October and among them are National Farm to School Month.  I have just visited the website and I Took the Pledge:  Pledge to take one small step for farm to school this October.  I encourage you to also take the Pledge for your school or center.  This includes a sweepstakes to win support for your activities.  I will be posting some ideas in the next blog for you and encourage visiting the website for more information, great ideas, resources, and ways to get involved.  Healthier schools, children and communities all go hand in hand.  It is those small baby steps that add up to great changes and impact.   Please feel free to share on my blog some of the activities you conduct this month to promote Farm to School in your programs.   I am happy to share photos, activities or your comments so others can get ideas too.  Many of us are looking for ideas and I think when we share with each others we all benefit.

If you are in an urban or a rural community farms still influence us.  It  may be a local farm or farmer that you get your food from or you may purchase items in a local grocery that may be from various states or countries.  Farmers influence our daily lives and the food we eat.  It is surprising sometimes that a child may only know a carrot as the baby carrot we find in many stores and maybe have never seen one grow or the carrot top.  Simple things can make a big difference.  So let’s start celebrating our food!!

http://www.farmtoschool.org

The National Farm to School Network (NFSN) is an information, advocacy and networking hub for communities working to bring local food sourcing and food and agriculture education into school systems and early care and education settings.  Visit their website to find out more information, view valuable resources and get involved.

 

Come and Celebrate – My Plate Turns Five

There are many resources available to help promote healthy eating  following the recommendations of My Plate.  Get you children and families involved in promoting healthy eating.  Do some recipe demonstrations and taste testing…get your parents               involved.  Invite a local farmer to your classroom and discussing from Farming to Food on the Table.  Many children have only seen certain items in specific ways, such as baby carrots, how about the roots, stem, where they come from.  There are do many learning opportunities.  They tie it all together with a book and you can have the whole day planned with all activities celebrating the My Plate and food related activities.  From books, to guessing games, to taste testing, the ideas are infinite.  I hope you will share some on your ideas back to our site to share with other.

Downloadable MyPlate Mini Poster is available for printing and using in your classroom.

For More information on MyPlate and resources please visit:

http://blogs.usda.gov/2016/06/06/myplate-turns-five-celebrating-new-resources-in-2016/

Also celebrate your plate.  Take some pictures and share with us what you are doing in the classroom.

Nutritious and Delicious

At times it may seem almost impossible to get children to try vegetables. Try to incorporate vegetables through creating exciting new recipes, such as Smiling Burrito Man below!

Handout created by Susannah Brewton and recipe adapted from “How to Teach Nutrition to Kids.”

Falling In Love….With Fruit & Veggies

Beets are red and blueberries are blue, please eat your fruit and veggies too! Imagine sitting at the dinner table and your kids are actually eating their veggies! What a great day that would be! It can be like pulling teeth to get your child to eat their vegetables which are very important to their growth and development. Let’s not forget about the sweet delicacy of fruit which are equally important. Fruit and veggies are good for the decreasing obesity, increasing their nutrition and their performance in schools. If you have a picky eater there are a few techniques that will help you sneak them in. Smoothies are a great way to pump your child with the nutrients of fruit and veggies and your child will never know that the drink is healthy. Some other techniques for adding more fruit and veggies into your child’s diet are:

• Leading by example– if your child sees you eating your fruit and veggies than they are more likely to eat them themselves
• Let your child help prepare the dish– if your child has an active role in the preparation of the dish than they will have a greater desire to eat their creation.
• Sneak in fruit and veggies into their favorite dishes– adding these items into their favorite foods will increase their probability of eating them such as with the smoothies listed above or maybe adding carrots to their favorite spice muffins.

Cabbage- Farm, Fresh, And Fast!

CABBAGE

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DID YOU KNOW?

• There are many types of cabbage including green, red, and savoy. The most common type is green
• Once cabbage is cut, it rapidly lose vitamin C.
• Cabbage heads can be hollowed out and used as unique serving containers for cold dips and spreads.

Cabbage Benefits YOU!

• High in vitamin C
• Low in calories
• Fat and cholesterol free

FAST FACTS!

• Chose firm heads that feel heavy for their size. Outer leaves should look fresh, have good color and be free of blemishes.
• Refrigerate, unwashed, tightly wrapped in a plastic bag for up to a week.
• Do not wash until ready to use.

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Farm, Fresh, And Fast!

SEE OUR POST NEXT WEEK FOR HEALTHY RECIPES WITH CABBAGE!!!

Apples- Farm, Fresh, And Fast!

APPLES

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DID YOU KNOW?

• Substitute applesauce for oil in many baked goods to cut fat and calories.
• A rough brown patch on apples is not a sign of spoilage; this is know as “russeting”.
• Two-thirds of the fiber is in the apple’s peel.

APPLES BENEFIT YOU!

• Free of fat, cholesterol, and sodium
• Contains iron, calcium, vitamins A and C
• High in dietary fiber
• Healthy source of antioxidants

FAST FACTS!

• Choose apples that are blemish-free and firm
• Refrigerate in plastic bag away from foods with strong odors; apples can absorb the flavor of other products.
• To prevent sliced apples from turning dark, cover with lemon juice.

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Farm, Fresh, And Fast!

SEE OUR BLOG NEXT WEEK FOR FUN AND HEALTHY RECIPES FOR APPLES!!!

Recipes That Make Fruit and Veggies Inviting

Apple Turtles

Ingredients

• 2 Granny Smith apples
• 12 green grapes
• 8 mini chocolate chips
• 10 toothpicks
• Makes 4 servings

Directions

• Cut the apples in half longitudinally and place flat-side down on counter.
• Cut the grapes into two and attach to the apples using toothpicks, making 4 feet and 2 eyes.
• Stick chocolate chips in the front grapes for eyes.

http://www.thedailymeal.com/cook/11-kids-snacks-make-eating-fruits-and-vegetables-fun