Welcome to Kate’s Kitchen with Teens.

Who thought a grilled cheese could be THIS good and healthy!

Servings: 1 grilled cheese

What you need:

2 slices of whole grain bread

1 slice each of american, cheddar, mozzarella cheese

¼ avocado

2 pats (teaspoons) butter

Heat a grill pan over medium heat. Spread each slice of bread with butter. Place 1 slice butter side down on the hot griddle. Add cheese and avocado. Cover with second piece of bread, butter side up. Flip when bread is browned. Cook until browned and cheese is melted.

Be the hit of the party with this super easy, crazy good trail mix!

Servings: 12

What you need:

1 box of Oatmeal Squares cereal (or other squarish cereal)

2 cups light salt peanuts (1 container)

2 cups raisins (or other dried fruit)

1 bag of waffle pretzels

2 cups (or more or less) M & M’s

Mix and store in a large Ziploc bag or airtight plastic container.

Welcome to Kate’s Kitchen with Teens.

A healthy salad to-go makes a great lunch or after-school snack.

Servings: 1 salad

What you need:

3 cup mason jar or similar

Layer into the jar in this order:

2 tablespoons Italian salad dressing

⅛ cup shredded carrots

2 cups lettuce (mesclun)

⅛ cup cucumber

⅛ cup tomato

⅛ cup yellow pepper

How to assemble: Put the dressing on the bottom, followed by the heavier veggies (carrots, cucumber, etc..) and add the lettuce last. When you are ready to eat the salad, shake the jar, mix the ingredients, and enjoy!

Granola bars sound healthy, right? They are certainly a convenient, on the go snack, but there are a few sneaky facts you need to know before choosing the right one for your family.  Some granola bars are great options, while others pay homage to the candy bar, packing a hefty dose of sugar and fat. Don’t be fooled by the “health halo,” including words like healthy, natural, fiber, low fat, or organic. These claims lure me to the box too…for a closer look.

How is a parent supposed to know which granola bar to choose? The Nutrition Facts Label and the ingredient list on each package can help guide your choices.  First, scour the nutrition facts label to check for sugar, fat, sodium, and fiber; then turn over the package and look at the sources of these nutrients on the ingredient list.

We’ve done some of the work for you.  Check out these randomly selected, kid-oriented options:

*Nutrition information obtained from www.calorieking.com.

Healthiest: We looked at overall qualities, but you may be focused on a single nutrient such as sugar or fiber. In that case, it’s easy to see how each granola bar fares in nutrient categories compared to its competitor.  Kashi TLC Chewy Trail Mix seems to be the overall best choice with low saturated fat, the least sugar, and a good amount of fiber.  Although its calorie content is on the higher side in comparison to the chart as a whole, it is still a reasonable amount for a snack. Pairing this granola bar with a 1/2 cup of milk would add protein and calcium to make it more nutritious, satisfying and filling.

If you want lower sugar content, aim for less than 9 grams of sugar per serving (a donut has 12 grams!).  For fiber, go for more than 2 grams per serving (5 grams per serving is considered a high fiber item). Is sodium a worry?  Shoot for fewer than 200 mg per serving.

Unhealthiest: Hershey’s Reece’s Sweet & Salty with Peanuts seems to be the least healthy with the highest calorie, fat, and saturated fat content, along with moderate to high levels of sugar–but I bet it tastes good.

What are your criteria for choosing granola bars for your child?

Disclaimer: This is just a small representation of a single flavor from each of many popular brands on the market, not of all bars available.  Nutrient content may change with different flavor options within each brand.  The purpose of this chart is Nutrition Facts label education, and not specific brand recommendations.

Children’s sporting events provide an extreme window into the temptations of childhood eating. Just walk onto a soccer field at snack time and look at the food supply. Parents who are interested in the quality of snacks at sporting events may be surprised to find chips, crackers, cookies, sugar-sweetened beverages, and desserts shopped around to their little athletes. If you are trying to focus on feeding your child in a healthy manner, sporting events may sabotage your efforts!

Do kids even need a snack at a sporting event?

If your child is playing an active game, in the heat for over an hour, a re-fueling snack and fluids to maintain energy, focus and hydration makes sense. A granola bar, cheese and crackers, fresh fruit, or a cheese stick is helpful and healthy—cookies and donuts are not.

Why do we assume that children want sugary, high fat foods when they play sports?

Aside from the lack of nutrients these snacks provide, they do little for enhancing a child’s sports performance. Most children at recreational sporting events do not need this–a nutritious breakfast or lunch will do the trick.

Using food rewards can backfire

We are sending the wrong message, associating sports play with a food reward. For children, sporting events have turned into a means to an end–eating treats—where the treat becomes valued over exercise.

Inappropriate beverages

Many drinks at weekend games are inappropriate for children.  Drinks are often loaded with added sugar, like juice boxes, Capri Sun, Koolaid, and soda. Children’s bodies need water. What about Gatorade or similar drinks? Again, if your child is running and sweating for more than an hour, sports drinks can replenish lost nutrients such as sodium, chloride, and potassium.  Many children are not “sweating it out” like this until they are at the high school level, though.

Encouraging children to be active is part of being a health-oriented parent and raising healthy children. Feasting after physical activity negates the positive effects of exercise and promotes untimely and potentially excessive eating.

My own child said to me once, “Mom, if I bring orange slices for snack, everyone will be disappointed.”

I have vowed to be the boring mom who brings the healthy snack to the game. Someone has to set a new standard and be a role model. I invite you to join me.