Fun Snack Creation: Bee Fruit Plate

Can you guess what fruit is included on this cute bee fruit plate?!

If you guessed apples, blueberries, and pineapple you would be correct.  And for the non-fruit items I used mini chocolate chips and 2 toasted oat cereal pieces.

For those parents who have "no-fruit" kids or picky eaters this snack is a perfect way to offer the healthy food group.  Snacks such as these help to excite children about eating different fruits.  The children will no longer focus on the fruit, yet the "fun" shape the fruit is in.  In fact this snack can be a fun alternative for any child.

Ingredients needed:
3 apple slices (two with 1/4 removed and one cut in half)
2 pineapple slices (one cut out with round cookie cutter, other cut into two strips and two chunks)
1/4 - 1/2 cup blueberries
10-15 mini chocolate chips
2 pieces toasted oats cereal

Enjoy!
Your family's dietitian,
Kristen Smith

Skinny Waffle Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches

Happy National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!!

One of our family's absolute favorite chocolate chip cookie treats is the Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich.  Here comes the phrase that typically follows...Unfortunately this sweat treat has nearly 500 calories. For many people this amount of calories exceeds the total recommended calories for an entire meal. Our family tries to choose healthier versions of this sweet treat to avoid the excessive calorie intake.

For this recipe creation I used our Skinny Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe and paired it with Stonyfield nonfat Greek frozen yogurt to create a lower calorie and fat Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwich.  In fact our creation has only 180 calories per sandwich.  While the recipe creates a lower calorie chocolate chip cookie sandwich, it's essential not to choose a high fat ice cream product for the center filling.  Specifically Stonyfield's product is a great choice as it offers substantial protein, fewer calories, and no fat.  Many other ice cream and yogurt varieties provide twice the calories and lack the nutritional benefits of Stonyfield's product.

For a quicker cookie result I experimented with the waffle iron.  In only 3-5 minutes a cooked (thinner) cookie was available perfect for the ice cream sandwich.  Also ideal if you only want to cook a few cookies at a time.

What is your family's favorite way to eat a chocolate chip cookie?

Enjoy!
Your family's dietitian,
Kristen Smith

Happy Mother's Day! Recipes Inspired by My Mom

Happy Mother's Day to all!

This post is dedicated to my mom, the best mom a girl could ever ask for.  Year after year on mother's day (and many other days) I tell her how much I love her and appreciate all that she has done for me, but I am certain I will never be able to give back to her what she has given me. Although we no longer live in the same state, I know she is always a phone call away.  A phone call to offer support, sound advice, or just a friend to talk about what pair of shoes I just purchased at the mall.  Through the years she has been my biggest fan and largest supporter.

After I graduated from undergrad I decided it was time to leave my home state and head for "The Big Apple".  While my mom was terribly saddened I would no longer live in driving distance (and likely praying I would change my mind), she supported me every step along the way.  One of the most memorable events about the move was her determination to make my new home feel like my home.  I moved to New York to do an internship and decided to live in the housing provided by the program.  Unfortunately the housing was a "dorm room" in need of some major updates.  At first sight I did not think I would be able to live in the dorm room, but after my mom added her decorating touches a much more livable space existed.

Specifically I would like to focus on my mother's contribution to this blog.  Over the past year during 360FN's existence she has been one of the biggest enthusiast of my endeavor.  However her contribution to the the blog is much deeper.  Growing up some of my favorite memories with my mom (other than our fabulous shopping trips) were spending time in the kitchen together cooking our favorite foods and upholding family traditions.  She instilled in me basic cooking and creativity skills for kitchen success.

Lastly I want to include a few recipes inspired by mom.  One of the purposes of this blog is to offer traditional family recipes with healthier ingredients.  Several of the recipes on the blog are my family's traditional recipes with a few simple substitutions.

1. Low Fat "Cut-Out" Sugar Cookies
As a child every Christmas season my mom and I would spend an entire day or two in the kitchen making Christmas cookies.   We would bake (and eat) more cookies than we could ever distribute to our neighbors and friends.  Those endless hours of baking (hopefully healthier recipes) is a family tradition I hope to keep going for generations to come.

2. Low Fat Twice Baked Potatoes
Twice Baked Potatoes is one of my favorite potato dishes my mom cooks for holidays.  A few recipe substitutions from my mom's traditional recipes produces a delicious lower calorie food.

3.  Salsa Green Beans
Although "Salsa Green Beans" recipe is not a family tradition, the recipe was first introduced to me by my mother.  About a year ago while I was home visiting my parents, my mother prepared a similar recipe.  I am always looking for methods to add flavor to veggies without adding fat.

4. Low Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
When I think of baking in the kitchen with my mother this is the first recipe that comes to mind.  I can
remember being the young age of two or three and sitting on the kitchen counter helping my mother make chocolate chip cookies.  Although this recipe has been edited slightly to produce a healthier outcome I hope it will remain a tradition in my family for years to come.

Thanks mom for the countless memories and never ending support!  I love you!

Your family's dietitian,Kristen Smith