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April 2, 2007

EVERYDAY CHEAPSKATE: Sneak healthy stuff into kids’ snacks



By Mary Hunt

Ask most kids to name their favorite snacks and you are not likely to hear words like vegetables, fiber or whole grains. Kids gravitate to soda, candy and chips.

Wait. That’s how I gravitate, too. If those kinds of unhealthy snacks are within easy reach, I’m a self-control disaster just waiting to happen.

It’s not easy to break old habits, but getting rid of the junk and making more healthy options readily available is surely a start.

Here are a few tips and tricks to switch your kids to healthier snacks.

PINWHEELS: Spread peanut butter -- chunky or smooth -- and a little honey on a flour tortilla. Sprinkle with granola, roll up the tortilla and slice it into bite-size pinwheels.

WHOLE WHEAT: One of the best ways to sneak “good carbs” and extra fiber into your family’s diet is to opt for whole wheat whenever possible. Make sure the first ingredient in whole-grain products has the word “whole” in it, as in “whole wheat” or “whole grain.” If it says multigrain, seven-grain, nutra-grain, cracked wheat, stone-ground wheat or enriched wheat, it’s not whole wheat and lacks some of the vitamins and minerals, not to mention fiber, of whole grains.

SHAPES: Make small sandwiches in fun shapes using cookie cutters. Soft, smooth bread like Oroweat’s 100 percent whole wheat with thin slices of turkey and/or cheese work perfectly. Instead of assembling the sandwich first and then attempting to cut through all the layers, cut out one layer at a time, then assemble. Save the bread scraps to make croutons, breadcrumbs or bread pudding later.

SWITCH CRACKERS: A single whole-wheat cracker has 1/2 gram of fiber. Top it with peanut butter and a tiny bit of jam, hummus (see below) or cheese, and your kids are not likely to notice they’re eating healthy crackers.

ANTS ON A LOG: Fill the cavity of a 3-inch piece of celery with peanut butter. Arrange raisins on the peanut butter to resemble ants crawling over the “log.”

VEGGIE DIP: Place 2 cups of cottage cheese and one packet of Ranch dressing mix in a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Perfectly delicious for dipping baby carrots, celery sticks, broccoli florets and sugar-snap peas. Kids love to dip their food.

ANYTHING ON A STICK: There’s something magical about the skewered snack. Kids are likely to eat anything on a stick. Thread tiny chunks of fruit and cheese on a toothpick or skewer. Try pineapple, strawberries and mozzarella or grapes, apples and cheddar cheese. Be cautious with toothpicks and skewers around toddlers.

HUMMUS: This strongly flavored spread is amazingly popular with kids willing to give it a try. You’ll need one 15-ounce can garbanzo beans (drain and save the liquid), 2 garlic cloves chopped, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 tablespoon olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Place ingredients in a food processor. Blend on low speed, adding the reserved liquid a bit at a time until desired consistency is achieved. Serve with mini-rice cakes, such as Quaker ranch or sour-cream-and-onion-flavored rice snacks, low-fat chips or wheat crackers.

These are a few ideas to get your creative juices flowing. Should you have some great healthy snack ideas you’d like to share, send them to cheapskateunitedmedia.com.



Mary Hunt is the founder and publisher of Debt-Proof Living newsletter and Debt-Proof Living Web site (www.debtproofliving.com). You can e-mail tips or questions to cheapskateunitedmedia.com or mail to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135 Paramount, CA 90723. All correspondence becomes the property of Debt-Proof Living.



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