by Amy Mullins | May 30, 2016
It’s hard to believe that summer is almost here and the kids are out of school! Often times, when kids (and parents too) get away from their normal routine, poor eating and snacking habits creep in. It’s important for kids (and parents) to have a variety of go-to snacks that are tasty, healthy, and easy to prepare!
Put some thought into which snacks make the best choices, and get input from the kids. Children and teenagers are more likely to eat what you buy (and be excited about it!), if they help in the process.
1.) PLAN: Sit down together and make a list of snack-type foods they might like, and can easily prepare themselves.
2.) LIST: Make a list of the foods you’ll need to pick up at the grocery store.
3.) SHOP: Take the kids with you shopping… let them help fill the cart with the foods you’ve agreed on.
4.) PREPARE: Allow the kids to help wash, cut, portion, and prepare snacks. This will give them more confidence in the kitchen… now and as a future adult.
Stumped on where to get started? Your best bet is to stay away from processed, pre-packaged snack foods, and sugary drinks. These are typically high in unhealthy fats, oils, and sugar, and lack the vitamins, minerals, and fiber fresh and frozen whole foods have.
Try these super easy and healthy snacks:
- Layer vanilla yogurt and mandarin oranges or blueberries in a tall glass. Top with a sprinkle of granola to make a “parfait”.
- Put cubes of low-fat cheese and grapes on pretzel sticks to make “snack-kabobs”.
- Top a banana with low-fat vanilla and strawberry frozen yogurt and sprinkle with your favorite whole-grain cereal for a healthy “banana-split”.
- Use whole grain (flour or corn) tortillas and top with tomato sauce, cut veggies and shredded cheese. Eat it flat (like a pizza) or roll it up (like a wrap).
Keep your children, and yourself, on track this summer by remembering these main messages from ChooseMyPlate and The Dietary Guidelines:
- Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
- Focus on whole fruits.
- Vary your veggies.
- Make half your grains whole grains.
- Move to low-fat and fat-free milk or yogurt.
- Vary your protein routine.
- Drink and eat less sodium, saturated fat, and added sugars.
Everything you eat and drink over time matters. The right mix can help you be healthier now and in the future. Start with small changes to make healthier choices you can enjoy. Find your healthy eating style and maintain it for a lifetime.
Find more great ideas with additional resources from MyPlate Snack Tips for Parents
and The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 25 Healthy Snacks for Kids.
by Angela Hinkle | Oct 30, 2015
Family Meal
When I was a kid a million years ago, my family had dinners together. Most meal times were good. I was where I was supposed to be and felt safe, important, and loved. Other meals were not so great. I specifically remember being forced to eat at least one lima bean for which much drama was executed on my part. These days, I love being able to eat dinner with my daughter. When we eat together, we’re happier and healthier, especially if we have fun things to laugh about while we eat.
FCS Dining In Day December 3rd
The payoff comes in benefits for both of us. A variety of research has shown that when we eat meals together as a family we feel closer and we eat more nutritiously. When families have meals together, it gives them the chance to catch up on what is happening in their day. There is also the chance to learn table manners, and some basic cooking skills.
For a quality meal time experience, let every member of the family help make some part of the meal – which can help develop food preparation skills – or try taking turns cooking and cleaning. Make new rituals and share traditions so everyone knows they belong to a special group. Teach youth about their heritage by serving and talking about a favorite family recipe. Offer healthy food choices (they’ll be more willing to choose these foods as they grow). And be sure to have light, easy conversations. Save difficult conversations for another time.
To help you kick start your family meal together this year, commit to “Dining In” on Family & Consumer Sciences Day, December 3, 2015. http://www.aafcs.org/FCSday/. Then add on another family meal, then another, until quality meal times become a healthy part of your family.
by Amy Mullins | Aug 24, 2015
Are your kids famished when they get home from school? Kids often hit the kitchen right when they get home and begin the search for something to eat. After being at school all day, it’s inevitable they will bring a host of germs into the house (and into the kitchen). These germs, or microorganisms, can contaminate your kitchen and make your child sick if they are not kept in check.
How can kids prepare after-school snacks in the safest way?
Establishing good habits and putting good practices in place can help keep your kids from getting a foodborne illness. The USDA recommends the following:
- Keep all items such as books, backpacks, and sporting equipment on the floor and off of kitchen counters and tables.
- Wash hands first when coming home from school, and again before making and eating a snack. Hands carry lots of germs and can easily contaminate everything they come in contact with.
- Wash fruits and vegetables under running water before eating them.
- Read more about “Food Safety After School”
What are some good after-school snacks?
Choosing easy and healthy snacks for kids can be a real challenge, especially when dealing with picky eaters. Typically, kids feel more independent when they have options and can control what they eat. Parents can set their children up for success by having a variety of healthy snack choices that are easily accessible. Find some great snacking ideas here. Keith Williams, PhD, director of the feeding clinic at the Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital, recommends having plenty of fruits and vegetables already washed, cut up, and within easy reach of children. Keep the “sometimes” foods out of reach so you can control when your child eats them. “The goal is to make it easier to obtain the healthy snacks you want your child to eat and more difficult to obtain the foods you don’t want him to eat,” says Williams. Read more about “Breaking Your Gradeschooler’s Unhealthy Food Habit” here.
Establishing healthy habits from an early age can transition children into healthier adults. Learn more about making smart choices by visiting http://www.choosemyplate.gov/kids/
by Ginny Hinton | Jul 25, 2015
Young boy drinking a glass of milk
It may be hard to believe, but summer vacation is drawing to a close and school is right around the corner. It’s time to plan for lots of things like new classrooms and teachers, unexpected supply needs, extracurricular activity requests – and hungry kids arriving home from school.
Although it’s easy to succumb to the appeal of ready-made, processed snacks, it can be just as easy and inexpensive to offer healthy but delicious options in single-serve sizes. Following are some quick and simple suggestions:
- Store sliced veggies in the refrigerator and serve with hummus or low-fat ranch dressing.
- Mix dried fruit, unsalted nuts and popcorn in a snack-size bag for a healthful trail mix.
- Wrap sliced, low-sodium deli meats like turkey or ham around an apple wedge.
- Store hard-boiled eggs in the refrigerator for kids to grab any time.
- Purchase fresh, frozen, dried or canned fruits for easy “grab-and-go” options.
- Offer a single serving of individually wrapped string cheese or low-fat yogurt.
- Add club soda to a ½ cup of 100% fruit juice for a tasty alternative to soda.
With just a bit of advanced planning, it’s a snap to halt the snack stampede and wind up with satisfied and healthier school-age kids!
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by Melanie Taylor | Jun 2, 2014
Summer camp teaches children independence and leadership skills.
Summer is here and summer camp is on the horizon. Maybe this is your child’s first time to an overnight camp or they are “old pros” at this thing called camp. Many parents and children will have camp anxieties, but here are some things you can do to prepare your camper and yourself for camp.
Campers:
• Plan several sleepovers before the week of camp arrives. Resist the urge to pack their bags for them or to check on them while there. If they have a cell phone, have them leave it at home. This is a good way to practice not having direct or constant contact.
• Encourage them to write a letter to someone (maybe you) while at camp. You will be so excited when you receive a letter from camp! Be sure to include envelopes, addresses, stamps, paper, and a pen in their luggage.
• Gear up physically. If you have purchased your camper new tennis shoes, have them break them in with a few long walks so the blisters don’t happen at camp.
• Especially for teenagers, have them take a mini-vacation from their electronic devices – a couple of hours or a weekend.
• Have them write a statement for their social media pages. “Peace out Facebook, I will be at camp for the next week. Check in with you when I get back” or something similar.
• Have them write down their goals for camp so they can mentally prepare themselves for what they hope to do and see.
• Make a homesick plan:
1. Homesickness isn’t entirely bad. It’s great to love your home. It’s sometimes part of the process and it’s a confidence-booster when a camper gets through it.
2. Make a “happy place” plan and write it down. This is an amazing opportunity to learn a life skill. Today’s youth go to technology to escape and studies show this increases their stress. Some ideas include: taking 10 deep breaths, traveling to a “happy place” in your mind, packing a certain stuffed animal, or tossing a football. Children are capable of this independence.
3. Your plan should NOT be, “Give it a couple of days and if you don’t like it, we will come get you.” This will set them up to give it a couple of days and knock the confidence right out of them.
4. Let your camper know what to expect with correspondence. You don’t need to write every day but let them know what to expect.
Parents:
• You are giving your child an incredible gift. I cannot promise you they will not lose some socks, they will love every meal or activity, and they will adore every staff member. But you are preparing them for college and beyond; you are giving them the freedom to gain confidence, independence, and leadership skills; and you are instilling in them that they can do it.
• What do YOU want to do during their time at camp? Plan a vacation for a later time, organize the house, or enjoy one-on-one time with your other children or some “date nights” with your spouse or friends.
• If you have apprehensions, work to resolve them. If you are worried your camper is not going to know anyone, set up a pre-camp get-together. If you are worried about your camper’s medical needs, become friendly with the camp staff. If you are anxious about their food allergies, talk to the camp’s director. Make a camper-sick plan for yourself. Make sure there is only excitement and optimism coming from you; share your anxiety with another adult.
• Pack self-addressed stamped envelopes in their luggage.
• Whether they are flying or driving, hold off on crying your eyes out until they cannot see you. Take a deep breath, trust, and remind yourself you are giving them an awesome gift.
And just what is this gift everyone is talking about? At camp, they will be part of a community all their own. They will become emotionally attached to handmade rope bracelets on their wrist, and have a song for any occasion on cue, and maybe even forget they need to shower, and think sunscreen is just a normal daily moisturizing technique. They will learn to do things on their own and they’ll learn to rely on others. They will learn how to survive on their own for a week or two and they’ll learn how to help each other through it.
They may even grow up on summers away from TV and forget Facebook exists. They will relish the joy of sleeping in cabins, swatting mosquitoes at campfire, and swimming every day. They will savor the feeling of pushing water behind them with a paddle and the whoosh of air behind the tail of an arrow as they fire. They’ll forget about appearances, relish tan lines, and recognize the beauty of a smile over anything else.
So send your kids to camp. Send them so they’ll learn to set tables and make beds and wake early. Send them so they’ll know how to be a leader, paddle a kayak, weave a bracelet, and sing as loud as they can. Send your kids to camp so they’ll learn to love themselves and learn to love others. Send your kids to camp because they’ll realize who they are – or who they want to be. And, prepare yourselves for a year of camp stories and for a flurry of songs. Prepare to learn names of kids you’ve never met. And for your kids to have a need for sunshine, campfires, and companionship. They will be forever grateful for your awesome gift of summer camp.
Source:
American Camping Association, Inc. (http://www.acacamps.org)
1.) PLAN: Sit down together and make a list of snack-type foods they might like, and can easily prepare themselves.
