It is back-to-school time!  And time to load up the snack shelf — but what do you keep on hand?

Many times it’s the sweet stuff, like graham crackers, cookies and granola bars, but what about incorporating a little fruit or vegetable at snack time?

After school is the perfect time to get out the produce, because the kids are likely hungry and will go “bananas” for it. Just pair that produce with another food group, and you will have a winning snack.  When only 2 percent of children are meeting their fruit and vegetable goals for the day, snack time can be the right time to add another serving.

An interesting study was released recently regarding kids eating their vegetables.

According to the study published by the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 70 percent of kids were found to be bitter-sensitive.  This means that bitter foods, such as broccoli, cucumber, cauliflower and other vegetables would produce a bitter flavor in bitter-sensitive kids likely causing them not to be interested in eating it. But, when these bitter-sensitive kids were offered a ranch flavored dip with their veggies, they ate 80 percent more vegetables than kids who weren’t given a dip.  What a simple way to get your kids to eat more vegetables — using a dip to combat those taste barriers and not to mention, make eating vegetables more fun.

Looking for some “dip-tastic” ideas?

•Applesauce

•Hummus

•Peanut Butter or other Nut Butter

•Low-fat pudding

•Salsa (black bean & corn)

•Yogurt (try Greek or low-fat)

•Guacamole

In the study, the dip used was ranch dressing.

And it didn’t seem to matter whether the ranch was regular, light or fat-free.  The kids ate the same amount of vegetables with all of them.  But, I suggest trying to add a little veg into your ranch, so add some ranch to salsa, hummus or guacamole for a real flavor treat.  Pair that with your pre-cut vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, broccoli and cauliflower.  You have a simple snack that will kick up the nutrition for the day and leave your kids happy.

 Peanut butter greek

yogurt fruit dip

Serves 8 (about 2 tbsp each)

Prep time: 5 minutes

 All you need

•1 cup Chobani vanilla non-fat Greek yogurt

•1 tbsp Hy-Vee creamy peanut butter

•2 tbsp Hy-Vee fat-free cream cheese

•1 tbsp honey

•1/2 tsp cinnamon

 All you do

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Serve with fruit. Refrigerate if serving later; refrigerate leftovers.

Nutrition facts per serving: 40 calories, 1g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0g cholesterol, 50mg sodium, 4g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, 4g sugar, 4g protein.

Fiesta ranch greek yogurt dip

Serves 16 (about 1 1/2 tbsp each)

Prep time: 5 minutes

 All you need

•2 (6 oz each) containers Chobani plain non-fat Greek yogurt (about 1-1/3 cups)

•1/4 cup Hy-Vee light sour cream

•1 (1.1 oz) package Hidden Valley Ranch Fiesta Flavor

 

All you do

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients together until well-blended. For best flavor, chill 1 hour before serving.

Nutrition facts per serving: 20 calories, 0g fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0g cholesterol, 260mg sodium, 2g carbohydrate, 0g fiber, 1g sugar, 2g protein.