Giving the kids granola will give them a little bit of sweetness with a lot of whole grains and healthy fats. You can purchase a store bought granola, but it might have more sugar than is necessary, and granola is easy to make at home. In a mixing bowl, combine four cups of oats with 1 cup of wheat germ, 1 cup of chopped walnuts or sliced almonds, 1/2 cup sesame seeds, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp. salt. Add 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 1/3 cup honey and 1/3 cup water in the center of the bowl. Toss the mixture well so that everything gets coated. Spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet. Bake the granola in the oven at 300 degrees F for 40 minutes. Stir the mixture every 10 minutes to keep it from sticking. Allow it to cool completely, then mix in dried fruit of your choice such as cranberries and raisins. Another idea is to put the granola in individual bags with a green or red bow for the children to take home with them.
This is a light and refreshing snack includes cranberries to keep with the theme of the holiday season. Chop up three apples, using both red and green apples for color and combine in a bowl with one cup of chopped celery, 3/4 cup of dried, sweetened cranberries and 1/2 cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts. Combine 1/2 cup of plain yogurt with three tbsp. of orange juice concentrate and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Pour the yogurt mixture over the fruit mixture, tossing to coat everything and serve.
This deceptive veggie and crackers snack is designed to look like Christmas ornaments, which will make the idea of vegetables on a cracker more appealing to try. In fact, this would be a fun snack for children to make as a classroom activity. Give each child a few whole grain crackers and a pat of low-fat cream cheese. Show the children how to spread the low-fat cream cheese on the crackers with plastic knives. Combine colorful vegetables such as cooked broccoli stems, cooked peas, diced pepper and cooked carrot squares in a bowl and give a small handful to each child and allow them to decorate their crackers with the veggies.
You can make healthier versions of cookies by swapping ingredients. This ginger cookie fits with the Christmas theme but uses whole wheat pastry flour instead of white flour. In a large bowl, mix together one cup of turbinado sugar with 2/3 cup oil, then add in 1 large egg and 4 tbsp. of molasses. Add 2 cups of sifted whole-wheat pastry flour, 2 tsp. of baking soda, 1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger, and 1/3 tsp. of sea salt, and mix until all ingredients are well combined. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll each ball in a bowl of turbinado sugar. Place the balls on an ungreased baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.