Make Summer Food Fun for Kids

Make Summer Food Fun for Kids:
20 Ideas for Older Kids and Teens

By Beverly Pressey, MS, RD

www.creatinghealthyeaters.com


¬Kids are sometimes fearful about new foods, but they are also motivated by fun and colorful presentations. Summer foods offer many opportunities for your child to fill up on foods that are healthy and fun to eat. To interest your child or teen in seasonal vegetables and fruits, consider planting something of your own.

Tomatoes and lettuce grow well in patio pots. You don’t need a designated garden to grow a few vegetables, just plant the veggies amongst your other flowers and trees. If you can’t plant your own, take advantage of Farmers Markets and roadside stands. Produce from these vendors is usually local and therefore fresher than that in your local grocery. Look for U-Pick farms in your area where you and your kids can see how food grows and pick it yourself. If you pick berries, keep in mind that they freeze very well and can then be enjoyed in winter.

Here are 20 refreshing ideas for meals, snacks, picnics or parties.
1. Fruit bowl: introduce seasonal soft skin fruits, leave a bowl of washed fruit in the refrigerator with pears, plums, cherries, peaches, seedless grapes, apricots, and nectarines.
2. Buy some fresh berries and make a cobbler with (or without) your kids.
3. Summer is great for melon. It’s sweet, cold and thirst quenching. Make a bowl of cut up melon each evening or morning.
4. Make fruit kebobs, use melon chunks, grapes and pineapple squares. Offer vanilla yogurt or blended soft tofu (with a dash of vanilla and a teaspoon of honey) as a dip.
5. Freeze individual grapes, on the stem or in ice cube trays. These are like mini-popsicles.
6. Cut bananas in half, place popsicles sticks in each. Let the kids roll them in their favorite topping: crushed nuts, chocolate sprinkles, or colored sprinkles. Freeze on wax paper and enjoy a great frozen treat. Many children that don’t eat bananas will eat these.
7. Make fresh fruit smoothies by blending berries, melon, bananas, pineapple and other skinned fruits with a little water, juice or yogurt.
8. Make your own popsicles. Buy reusable popsicle molds at a kitchen supply store. Fill them with home-made smoothies, fresh juice or your favorite yogurt.
9. Make parfaits with the kids or have some ready in the refrigerator. For a fruit parfait layer yogurt, any cut up seeded fruit and granola or ground nuts, repeat. For best presentation prepare in a clear plastic cup or wine glass. Serve with graham crackers or vanilla wafers.
10. Keep a bowl of cut up carrot and celery sticks plus snap peas, and cherry tomatoes and a variety of dips. Kids like ranch and French dressings. For a meal, give them the veggies with hummus or bean dip and chips.
11. Wraps: pre-make some wrapped sandwiches such as refried beans and cheese, chicken salad, cream cheese and finely chopped veggies, or peanut butter and banana.
12. Have sandwich fixings available. Deli slices, bread, lettuce, mayo, mustard and ketchup. Offer avocado or tomato slices for variety.
13. The right snack mix can make a very kid friendly meal. Combine raisins, nuts or seeds, wheat chex and a small amount of mini chocolate chips. Serve with a glass of milk or over yogurt.
14. Most kids love cheese. Have string cheese, sliced cheese or cheese squares ready to go. Serve with Trisquit or Ry-Krisp crackers for a whole grain addition.
15. Let the kids help make lunch kabobs. Have them place any of the following on a kebob stick: cut up cooked chicken, deli meats, cheese squares, olives, cherry tomatoes or cucumbers. Use Italian dressing as a dip.
16. Corn on the cob, grilled, boiled, or (cooked) cold is always a hit with children. Serve outside with watermelon for a great (and messy), hands on meal or snack.
17. Make a pasta salad with any one of the many shapes available, stir in cheese, cherry tomatoes, peas, olives or Italian salad dressing to the cooked and rinsed pasta. For extra nutrition use whole wheat pasta or a combination of white and whole wheat.
18. More kebabs: cook ravioli and put on skewers with olives, cucumber or zucchini slices. Dip in tomato sauce.
19. Peanut butter and berry sandwiches, with fresh berries and whole wheat bread.
20. Put a scoop of egg salad or tuna salad in an ice cream cone. Top with a cherry.

Consumer Gram Scam

Do you know what a gram is? Is it a measure of size, weight or volume? As the United States has yet to adopt the metric system of measure, I wonder why the nutrition label on food packages, supposedly a source of consumer nutrition information, uses grams as a unit of measure as know one knows what it means.

A gram is a unit of weight. This means that a gram of fiber may have more or less volume than a gram of sugar. Can you picture a gram of sugar? When a 6 ounce cup of yogurt says that there are 31 grams of sugar does this mean anything to you? What if I told you that there are 4 grams of sugar in a teaspoon (which there are). This would mean that there are 7.5 teaspoons of sugar in that 6 ounce cup of yogurt. Now think about this, would you put 7.5 teaspoons of sugar in your tea or coffee cup? Probably not. Granted, some of these sugars are naturally occurring from the milk (lactose) and fruit (fructose), but much of it is added sugar.

Look at some other foods you eat. How much sugar is in a bowl of cereal, 8 ounces of juice, a can of soda? Did you know that you were drinking 7-8 teaspoons of sugar for every 8 ounces of a soft drink you drink(keep in mind the can holds more than 8 ounces)? Is it OK with you that your child is getting 16 grams (4 teaspoons) of sugar in a 1 cup serving of General Mills Oatmeal Crisp:Triple Berry, or 19 grams (almost 5 teaspoons) in 1 cup of General Mill Oatmeal Crisp:Apple Cinnamon, or in 1 1/4 cup of Kellogg's Crunch:Cran-Vanilla or Toasted Honey? Quaker 100% Natural Granola:Low Fat has 4.5 teaspoons of sugar (18 grams) in only 2/3 cup, even though its name implies health.

So beware. As our children are more likely to become overweight than ever before, know what you are buying. Look at the nutrition label and learn what it is really telling you. Don't be fooled by the use of grams or the manufacturers assurances that their product is good for you.