Friday, November 13, 2015

Getting the Kids Involved

          If kids are involved in the process of making healthy snacks at a young age they will be better prepared to live a healthy lifestyle. We need to teach youth how to be healthy and this includes preparing snacks. If a parent always does it and kids do not learn, when it comes time for them to have to make their own choices they will pick unhealthy snacks. This is because they do not have the information or the ability to make healthy snacks for themselves. Healthy snacking is something that should be taught in schools and practiced in the home. Lead by example as the parent and get your child involved. This way they will be growing by eating healthy, getting daily nutritional needs and by developing the mind. This experience will also give kids a chance to spend time with you and see how much fun healthy eating and cooking can be. This will create lifelong habits for your kids, as well as, for you.

PB and Banana Roll-Ups:

Bored with the classic peanut butter sandwich? Add a twist by rolling up peanut butter and banana in a tortilla instead of using bread. This is a bite-sized snack that is good for kids because the peanut butter provides heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, potassium from the banana, and fiber from the wheat germ.
Since this recipe does not use the stove, children can participate in making the entire snack.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup reduced-fat peanut butter

1/3-cup vanilla low-fat yogurt
1 tablespoon orange juice
2 ripe bananas, sliced
4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
2 tablespoons honey-crunch wheat germ
1/4-teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation:


Combine peanut butter and yogurt, stirring until smooth.
Drizzle Orange juice over bananas; toss gently to coat.
Spread about 3 tablespoons peanut butter mixture over each tortilla, leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge.
Arrange about 1/3 cup banana slices in a single layer over peanut butter mixture. Combine wheat germ and cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over banana slices.
Roll up.

Slice each roll into 6 pieces.


3 comments:

  1. Hey Dara, I love this post is about getting the kids involved to make healthy snacks. I know that I am a very hands on person, and even as a kid, someone just telling me to make a healthy snack, does make me want to have one, but I would probably just forget it and eat something else. As I think back, it was always more helpful when one of my parents we're cooking, and if they asked me to help, I would always hop right in there. To me, that was always exciting; so getting the kids involved to help make the snacks is a very smart thing to do. It will help them learn quicker and make them want to eat it again because now they know how to make it. When I have children I will definitely try that strategy to help instill in them at a young age that eating healthy can be fun, easy, and it tastes great.

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  2. I love this idea! Getting the kids to help prepare healthy, fun snacks takes some of the pressure off of the parents to try and force them to eat healthy. Having the kids help feed themselves healthy and nutritious food is way better than tricking them into eating healthy food. I babysit young children a lot and I'm always looking for healthier snacks to feed them that they won't run away from. I like this recipe and will try to use it the next time. Thanks!

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  3. This idea is great! I truly believe what your posting about. If kids are involved in the process they are more likely going to eat the snack or meal. They know what is going into the meal or snack and associate it with fun. They want to try what they made. The PB and banana roll ups are a great snack for kids to make. I'd even make them for myself!

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