Valonda Calloway and me on the set of My Carolina Today show.
On July 10th, I had the pleasure of appearing on My Carolina Today to talk about healthy snack and lunch ideas for children who attend summer camp. Since kids tend to like finger foods, I came up with several nutritious and fun-to-eat food combos to keep summer campers fueled for their activities. The snack and lunch ideas that I showcased were “power snacks”. A power snack is high in complex carbohydrates, fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and whenever possible heart healthy fats.
Inside-Out Turkey and Ants on a Log
To give a twist to a standard turkey sandwich, consider spreading mustard on a thin slice of deli turkey (be sure that it is one that is free of nitrates, nitrites and growth hormones) and simply wrap it around the breadstick. This gives a new and fun way to eat an “inside-out” sandwich that is sure to please any child. “Ants on a Log” is one of my personal favorite snacks. Simply fill ribs of celery with peanut butter and top with raisins. This snack is truly a power snack because it has complex carbohydrates, protein and fiber. Peanut butter is a great source of heart healthy monounsaturated fat. The combo of peanut butter and raisins will also boost your child’s iron intake. If you have a child who does not like peanut butter, or is allergic to peanuts, you can substitute with low-fat cream cheese and top with raisins. This combo will still provide a decent about of iron in addition to some calcium.
Whole-Wheat Pita with Low-Fat Ricotta Cheese and Crisp Granny Smith Apples Sprinkled with Cinnamon
Tired of always packing a typical sandwich on ordinary slices of bread? Consider stuffing a whole wheat pita with low-fat ricotta cheese and top it with Granny Smith apples sprinkled with cinnamon. This sandwich is a power snack because it is high in fiber, complex carbohydrates, protein, vitamin C and calcium.
A simple and easy way to create a great power snack, is to pair veggies with a yogurt dip. For the show, I paired grape tomatoes and baby carrots with plain non-fat Greek yogurt seasoned with a bit of dry ranch mix. The tomatoes and baby carrots provide fiber, complex carbohydrates, vitamin C and vitamin A while the yogurt dip provides protein and calcium. This power snack combo will keep kids feeling full for a longer period of time because it contains high amounts of protein and fiber.
Grape Tomatoes and Baby Carrots with Low-Fat, Plain Greek Yogurt Seasoned with Ranch Dressing Mix; High Protein Granola Bar with Vanilla Greek Yogurt; and Pretzel Kabobs
If you have children who are granola bar lovers, consider giving them a bar that has at least 10 grams of protein, 5 grams of fiber, between 15 and 20 grams of carbohydrate and 10 grams of fat. Just be sure that at least 6 grams of the fat is coming from heart healthy mono- or polyunsaturated fats. Your child will feel full for a longer period of time when you serve them a granola bar that is higher in protein, fat and fiber. To further boost your child’s protein and calcium intake, pair the granola bar with vanilla Greek yogurt for dipping. This snack is ideal for children who attend sports camps.
The last snack that I showcased on the show were pretzel kabobs. This snack is fun for children to assemble themselves. Pack cheese cubes, grapes and pretzel sticks for kids to make “kabobs” of cheese and grapes on the pretzel sticks. This is a sweet and salty snack that is also high in protein and calcium.
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