Contributed Ambriale Davis:
This week marks the start of the 2018-2019 school year for students in the Fort Worth Independent School District. FWISD aims to provide its’ students with healthy food options and these efforts can extend to meals brought from home. When packing a lunch for your child, ensure that the major nutritional groups are included. Children’s lunch should include a serving of a grain, dairy, protein, fruit and vegetable. Even simple lunches can contain all of these food groups. Think of a healthful lunch containing a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread topped with lettuce and tomato, a piece of fruit for dessert, and 1% or 2% milk for a drink. When kids return home from school, having a quick healthful afternoon snack already prepared can aid parents who are still at work or rushed for time to make something healthy. Here are some quick and inexpensive recipes you and your family can try!
Apple Lady Bugs
1. Slice apples in half from top to bottom and scoop out the cores.
2. Place each apple half flat side down on a small plate.
3. Dab peanut butter on to the back of the ‘lady bug’, then stick raisins onto the dabs for spots. Use this method to make eyes too.
4. Stick one end of each pretzel stick into a raisin, then press the other end into the apples to make antennae.
Hummus Heads:
1. Spread hummus onto English muffins or crackers.
2. Use lettuce, red pepper strips, tomatoes, olives and cucumber slices to make funny faces on them (lettuce or pepper strips can be hair; tomato or olives can be eyes; cucumber slices can be ears).
Celery Snail
1. Fill celery stalks with peanut butter or cream cheese.
2. Top with an apple, orange, cucumber or tomato slice shell and a cashew head.
3. Use peanut butter or cream cheese to glue on candy eyes.
Celery Caterpillars
1. Top filled celery stalk with grapes, blueberries or grape tomatoes for the body and head.
2.Use peanut butter or cream cheese to glue on candy eyes and celery or radish matchstick for antennae.