String Cheese Caterpillars
Need a easy snack with just a few ingredients? Try a string cheese caterpillar! Kids will have fun creating their own caterpillar or other string cheese creature!
Source:
Choking Prevention, United States Department of Agriculture
Nutrition Software Used: ESHA Food ProcessorNotes:*Use caution when serving string cheese to children especially those under 4 years of age because they the greatest risk of choking. Prevent choking by cutting food in small pieces--no larger than one-half inch (½"). Additional tips to prevent choking:
- Have your child eat at the table. Do not let your child run, walk, play, or lie down with food in their mouth.
- Keep a watchful eye on your child while he or she eats.
- Encourage children to eat slowly and to chew completely before swallowing.
Our goal is to help parents and caregivers prepare healthy meals and snacks by sharing recipes, tips and ideas that are geared for children ages 2 to 5. This will help children eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods along with reducing the mealtime stress of feeding young children.
Ingredients:
- 1 piece of string cheese*
- 5 pretzel sticks
- 1 teaspoon dried cranberries or raisins
Directions:
- Wash hands with soap and water.
- Break pretzel sticks in half and stick in cheese to make legs and antennae.
- Add dried cranberries or raisins to "legs" to make feet. Enjoy!
Fish Bait Snack Mix
Our goal is to help parents and caregivers prepare healthy meals and snacks by sharing recipes, tips and ideas that are geared for children ages 2 to 5. This will help children eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods along with reducing the mealtime stress of feeding young children.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups popcorn
- 1 cup pretzel sticks
- ¼ cup raisins
- 1 cup small fish-shaped crackers
- 1 ¾ cups non-sweetened oat cereal
Directions:
- Wash hands with soap and water.
- Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.
- Store in a tightly covered container.
Dill Cucumber Sauce
This sauce is delicious served with fish and is a great way to use summer's abundant supply of cucumbers. It is especially tasty with salmon. Other uses include as a vegetable dip and as a topping for baked potatoes. Using nonfat Greek yogurt for the base adds calcium and helps keep the calories down.
Source:
Recipe written by Alice Henneman.
Notes:A quick way to remove the seeds from the cucumber is to cut it in half and scoop them out with the tip of a teaspoon-size measuring spoon.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons reduced fat mayonnaise
- 1 cucumber (peeled, with seeds removed), gently rubbed under cold running water, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon sweet onion, scrubbed with clean vegetable brush under running water, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
- Mix all ingredients together.
- Refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow flavors to blend.