Ideas for Snacks

baby carrots and hummus (the Athenos roasted red pepper is really good), cut up zucchini and squash with the hummus. I know you don't like celery but I love to fill it with laughing cow cheese wedges.

sugar snap peas, soy beans, celery with pb or cream cheese, cucumbers, sliced bell peppers, Cherry tomatoes, carrots!

We make hummus every weekend, and cut up bell peppers, carrots, and broccoli to dip. It's the only way I eat fresh veggies! And it's delish!

I also like to eat a couple of pieces of turkey and a bit of cheese, or cottage cheese, or nuts to round out my not-sweet snacks.

Try to stay away from stuff like cream cheese and laughing cow cheese. Usually that stuff is ultra processed with all sorts of food like chemicals that your body doesn't need. Cheese is AWESOME, but so fatty. Stick with these cheeses for healthy eating - neufchatel, feta, mozzarella, goat cheese, and ricotta.

I like doing a roasted veggie bruschetta. I'll used the leftover roasted veggies from the night before, chopped and chilled. I mix in fresh chopped basil, olive oil, and tomatoes. So good on Melba rounds or whole wheat toast

I am becoming good at finding products I can swap out of my old grocery list. My kiids and I really like Gardein Garden Protein Chicken Tenders. They actually aren't chicken at all... it's all vegetable and they taste good. Have you tried Boca Burgers?

I have been putting a lot of effort into trying different things to get my daughter to eat more fruits and vegetables. She is very resistant. I buy Fruitables juice boxes and fruit juice bars. You might try changing things up a little -- like freezing some in-season berries (strawberries/blueberries) and use them in drinks instead of ice cubes. Your drinks won't get watery and you can eat the thawed berries when you empty the glass. Watermelon will be everywhere pretty soon. Warm an apple in the oven with a little cinnamon or brown sugar. If you are bar-b-quing over the weekend, you could try to grill peaches. Hope that helps.

My favorite snack doesn't include veggies, but it's filling and delish! Top a triscuit with 1 small slice cheddar cheese and 1 slice strawberry or kiwi. You can get Cabot cheese at WalMart, it's 50% reduced fat and you can't even tell. With this snack you get dairy, fruit and whole grain. I usually eat 3 or 4 for a snack.

Another way to get veggies is tzatziki sauce! Super easy to make (i'm Greek so it's a staple for me). You can buy one of the 6oz cups on Dannan plain greek yogurt and add 1/2 tbs of minced garlic, tbs of dill 1/2tbs of squeezed lemon and shred 1/2 of a large cucumber and mix! Takes 2 minutes to make and this usually lasts me a few days. Great for dipping with whole wheat pita bread or veggies and the sauce itself for 2tbs comes in at only 40 calories which will barely make a dent in your day:) If I feel ultra fancy I spread it on skinless grilled chicken for diner or even fish.