START WITH A SMALL TOSSED SALAD. Try a ready-to-serve salad mix and add their favorite salad dressing and a little protein, like cubed cheese or julienned slices of deli meat.
CUT UP AN APPLE and smear a little peanut butter on each slice. Or offer other fruits such as seedless grapes, cantaloupe, oranges or bananas. For variety, give kids vanilla yogurt or reduced-fat ranch dressing as a dipper for the fruit, or combine a little reduced-fat sour cream with a sprinkling of brown sugar. Too tired to cut up the fruit? A fruit snack cup will do the trick, too.
DURING THE COLD MONTHS, serve up a small mug of soup with a few oyster crackers to hit the spot.
RAW VEGGIES such as carrots, cucumbers, mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower are tasty treats, especially when served with a little hummus for dipping. Many of these vegetables can be purchased precut.
GIVE KIDS A SMALL SERVING of cheese and crackers. Look for sliced cheese and cut the slices into smaller squares to fit the crackers. Choose a cracker that’s made from whole wheat, such as an all-natural, seven-grain cracker.