Wholesome snacks for back to school
(BPT) - The school year is here and with it, all of those hectic schedules. You may think the chaos of another school year means you’re too busy to provide your children with nourishing after-school snacks, but that doesn’t have to happen. There are many easy recipes available that will allow you to provide wholesome and delicious snacks to your kids, and there are easy ways to be sure they enjoy them. Here are a few ideas.
Ask them to help
Your children will be more excited about eating a healthy after-school snack if they have a hand in its creation. Creating a garden vegetable tray is an easy way to let kids customize their snack to their own taste preferences. Smaller kids can organize the grape tomatoes while you cut the peppers, and when you’re finished, you can all enjoy the snack together. This large recipe is perfect if your kids are bringing friends over. You could also create the tray on a Monday and then enjoy it all week long.
Garden vegetable tray
Ingredients
1 package Simply Organic Southwest Ranch Greek Yogurt Dip Mix
1 16-ounce package Stonyfield Plain Organic Nonfat Greek Yogurt
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 small yellow squash, sliced
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 medium jicama, peeled and sliced into sticks
1 orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 bunch of radishes
1 bunch green onions - about 10 - trimmed
1 head romaine lettuce, large leaves only for the base of the vegetable platter
1 red bell pepper
Instructions
Mix Simply Organic Southwest Ranch Greek Dip Mix with the 16-ounce package of Stonyfield Plain Organic Nonfat Greek Yogurt. Chill for 30 minutes.
Line a large tray or shallow dish with a decorative napkin and Romaine lettuce leaves.
Seed the red bell pepper by slicing off the top of the pepper, then pull out the membrane and seeds. Discard membrane and seeds, but keep the top for decoration.
Fill the hollow bell pepper with chilled Simply Organic Southwest Ranch Greek Dip and place in the center of the tray or dish.
Arrange corn, zucchini, yellow squash, grape tomatoes, jicama sticks, orange and green bell pepper, radishes and green onions around the red bell pepper dip cup.
Place toothpicks or skewers on nearby serving platter.
Hide healthy foods in delicious flavors
Sometimes the right presentation is all you need for your children to enjoy healthy snacks. This recipe for a banana, pineapple and orange smoothie hides nutritious fruit in a savory offering that feels more like a dessert. Just make sure your kids don’t drink it too fast to ward off brain freeze.
Banana, pineapple and orange smoothie
Ingredients
1 medium sized frozen banana (peel removed before frozen)
1 cup frozen pineapple
6 ounces Greek Yogurt
1/2 cup coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic Orange Flavor
1/2 teaspoon Simply Organic Vanilla Flavoring
Fresh orange slices and shredded coconut, for garnish
Directions
In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape the sides down as needed throughout blending.
Serve immediately.
Snack on the run
After a long day of sitting at their desks at school, your kids may not be interested in sitting at the table for snack time. If you’re kids are on the go, this quick, savory recipe will give them a nutritious snack they can enjoy anywhere so you don’t have to turn to chips or candy.
Roasted chickpeas
Ingredients
2 cans (16 oz. each) chickpeas, drained, rinsed and dried
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 packet Simply Organic’s Crazy Awesome Veggies seasoning blends
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Place chickpeas in bowl.
Toss with olive oil and seasoning blend until evenly coated.
Spread in a layer on rimmed baking sheet.
Bake 30-40 minutes or until crisp.
Creating delicious, wholesome snacks for your kids is easier than you think. All you need is the right recipe. For more easy recipe ideas to make back to school as healthy and nutritious as possible, visit www.simplyorganic.com.
