Let's be honest, not all parents are back-to-school professionals. There's a lot of schedules, shopping trips and all-around chaos to contend with. Even planning nutritious school snacks can be stressful.
But, when done right, healthy school snacks are the easy part. Start with watermelon. It's 92 percent water and a guaranteed crowd pleaser—equal parts hydrating and delicious.
The author of "Eat Your Way to Happiness," Elizabeth Somers, who is also a registered dietitian, has a love affair with the juicy fruit. According to her, watermelon is low in or free of cholesterol, fat and sodium. Eating watermelon can even help maintain cardiovascular function because it increases free arginine.
Resources like the National Watermelon Promotion Board offer numerous other positive effects, notably a huge impact on healthy immune systems. The tasty melon is loaded with vitamins that enhance the infection-fighting capacity of white blood cells and help immune systems produce more antibodies.
Watermelon is pretty much the perfect snack hand crafted by Mother Nature herself. Parents can feel good about making a breakfast of, say, whole grains and watermelon before kids face a long day of school and athletics. Plus, you won't have to worry about hearing any complaints.
Start thinking about all the finger-licking possibilities by experimenting with a simple watermelon push pop recipe. It's healthy, quick and easy, which means it's ideal for back-to-school breakfasts.
To find more watermelon recipes—from homemade sorbet and watermelon ice cubes to watermelon grilling sauce—visit the National Watermelon Promotion Board website at www.watermelon.org.
BREAKFAST PUSH POPS
Ingredients:
Push pop molds (sold at most restaurant supply stores)
Granola
Diced watermelon chunks
Yogurt of choice
Instructions:
Layer the watermelon, yogurt and granola, and top with yogurt and watermelon chunks. Freeze push pop molds, and enjoy the Breakfast Push Pops when you're on the go.
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