Fall into Back to School Snacks

    Fall into Back to School Snacks!

    By: Jacqueline Gomes, RDN, MBA

    Fall into back to school snacks with the right nutrition!

    Snacks are a great way to introduce more nutrition into your child’s diet while keeping their energy running at its peak.  The purpose of snacks is to not only have something tasty, but to incorporate proper nutrition to support physical activity, growth and development.

    Most children and teens need to eat every three to four hours throughout the day to fuel their growing, active bodies and meet their nutritional needs.

    • Younger kids need to eat three meals and at least two snacks a day.
    • Older kids need to eat three meals and at least one to two snack a day depending on their activity level.

    When creating snacks at home, involve your child as much as you can. This will make it more likely they eat their snacks rather than leaving them behind in the lunch box.

    A good strategy for snacks is to include a combination of whole grains, fruits, Protein and healthy fats.

    • Keep snacks simple with plenty of fresh fruit, yogurt, bagels, hummus and whole grain crackers just to name a few.
    • Whole grain snacks can provide fiber and keep your child energized.
    • And remember to try to Balance snacks with two food groups like fresh fruit & yogurt.

     Today’s super tasty recipe is baked cinnamon apple slices with Greek yogurt, a perfect snack for you and your child!

    Baked Apples with Greek Yogurt

    Baked Cinnamon Apple Slices w/ Yogurt  

    Prep: 5 minutes

    Bake: 45 minutes

    Makes: 4 servings

    Ingredients:

    • 4 Apples
    • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
    • Sprinkle nutmeg
    • 2 tablespoons golden raisins
    • ½ cup water
    • 2 Fage Greek Vanilla Yogurts
    • 4 teaspoons honey, separated

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
    2. Wash and slices apples into ½ inch slices. Line an oven safe pan with aluminum foil (if desired) and fill with apple slices and ½ cup water to bottom of pan. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins. 
    3. Cover apples tightly with aluminum foil, bake for 40 -45 minutes or until apples are soft.
    4. Remove from oven, uncover and let cool. Plate apples and top with a scoop of yogurt, drizzle with 1 teaspoon of honey and enjoy.

    Make ahead tip: Apples can be baked ahead of time. Full recipe may be assembled in advanced and packed in a school safe container for lunch!

    Nutrition information:

    151 Calories; 33g carbohydrate; 0g fat; 7g protein; 25mg sodium; 4g fiber