Question:
What suggestions do you have for serving nutritious foods for classroom celebrations and parties?

Answer:
Keep it FUN. When nutritious foods are presented in a fun way, children will eat them. It's important to remember that there is room for foods, like holiday cookies too. Serve them with milk instead of soda! The idea is to stack the deck with healthful choices. Most importantly, get everyone that's involved on board. Let parents know what you want to do, and if they're sending in food, offer a few suggestions. And ask your foodservice staff for help. They have the same goal for good nutrition as you do and are often more then willing to help. Here are some ideas to get you started,

Serve one or two "make you own" foods.

• Trail-mix - let kids assemble their own from a buffet of ingredients
• Chocolate graham crackers - let student paint them with pudding
• Yogurt with a sprinkles
• Yogurt parfaits - use seasonal colors

Go easy on soda and fruit drinks. Instead, serve:

• Single-serve low-fat flavored milk
• Low-fat milk with variety of flavored syrups or mix ins to add (pdf)
• Fruit punch made with 100 percent fruit juice - float frozen yogurt in the punch bowl
• Hot chocolate with a dash of flavoring, such as orange or peppermint
• Tie the food, not just the decorations, to the theme and give foods a special name, such as "Snowball Wreath" or "Confetti Quesadillas."
• Platters of red and green apples, pears, grapes or peppers with yogurt dip
• Cookie-cutter -shape tea sandwiches
• Cut fresh veggies with yogurt dip - arrange in a special shape, such as a rainbow or a balloon

Include popular finger foods, such as:

• Mini-muffins
• Mini-bagel pizzas
• Mini-bagels with fruit-flavored cream cheese
• Baked tortilla chips with salsa or nachos
• Italian breadsticks with sauce for dipping