What’s the first thing you or your kids grab when you come home hungry? If you said chips, crackers, or energy bars, you are not the only one. Packaged snacks are easy and convenient. But why not make fruits and vegetables just as easy to grab, both for you and your kids?
This summer, Finger Lakes Eat Smart New York is running a campaign to provide you with ideas, recipes and tools to help your family enjoy fresh (as well as frozen or canned) produce – to make it easy to “grab the good stuff.” It takes a little planning, but it’s worth it. Eating more fruits and vegetables will help the whole family stay healthy. Here are a few things to try out:
•Keep fruits and veggies where they’re easy to see. For instance, have a bowl of fresh fruit on the kitchen table, and remind your family to wash the fruit before eating.
•Store ready-to-eat fruit and veggies snacks in the fridge. Here are some quick and easy ideas:
•Peel and section oranges. Store in plastic snack bags or covered bowls in the fridge.
•Store sliced vegetables in the refrigerator in snack bags or clear containers and serve with dips like hummus or guacamole.
•Toss veggies with cooked pasta and your favorite oil and vinegar dressing.
•Assemble chunks of melon, apple, orange, and pear on skewers for a fruity kabob. For a raw veggie version, use vegetables like zucchini, cucumber, squash, sweet peppers, or tomatoes.
•Kids love to dip their foods. Whip up a quick dip for veggies with yogurt and seasonings such as herbs or garlic. Serve with raw vegetables like broccoli, carrots, or cauliflower. Fruit chunks go great with yogurt flavored with cinnamon or vanilla extract.
•Here are some more tasty dip ideas (1 serving is 2 tablespoons of dip)
•Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce: 1/4 cup fat-free plain yogurt, 1/4 cup low-fat sour cream, 2 teaspoons honey and 2 teaspoons spicy brown mustard. Mix all ingredients together. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Makes 4 servings.
•Curry Dip: 1 cup fat-free sour cream, 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt, 1 tablespoon curry powder. Mix all ingredients together. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator. Makes 16 servings.
•Avocado Dip: 2 medium ripe avocados, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 cup salsa, 1/8 teaspoon salt. Peel and chop avocados. Toss avocado with lemon juice in small bowl. Add salsa and salt. Mash with a fork. Cover and store in the refrigerator. Makes 12 servings
