Fit Friday...Healthy snacks for Healthy kids!!

Welcome to our second week of Fit Fridays!! I got a great response from last week and I am excited that there are so many of us that can relate to this important subject. Today I want to give you some simple, healthy snacks that I hope your kids will love....mine do!

* Cantaloupe Cups - these are a yummy-protein packed snack that my kids love! I've realized if it looks a little different or if it has a fun name, my kids are much more likely to enjoy it! You simply cut a cantaloupe in half, spoon out the seeds and gunk, and put in a 1/2 C of lowfat cottage cheese in the center. They love that the cantaloupe works as a cup for the cottage cheese AND that they get to eat that after the cottage cheese is gone!

* Veggie Dip - I think I like this one as much as my kids. Dipping is a great way to get your kids to eat veggies, but I always felt a little guilty about the huge mound of ranch on my kids plates....was it just negating the positive effect of the veggies they were dunking in it??? Then I found this great recipe, all you do is blend 1 C of cottage cheese with some chopped green onions. Then you add a little bit of Italian Dressing Mix to taste and Walah! You have a great, ranch-tasting dip for all your favorite veggies. We love carrots, snap peas and cucumbers.

* Monkey Pops - Remember what I said about the fun names? :) These are a great treat for your kids that you can still feel pretty good about serving up. I just cut a banana in half, let the kids cover it in all-natural peanut butter, and then roll it in mini-chocolate chips. They think they are getting something super unhealthy with the chocolate...but they are also getting a ton of potassium and protein :)

* Fruit Kebobs - These are exactly what they sound like :) The kids love to get a skewer and stack different kinds of fruit on. We usually have apples, strawberries, grapes, blueberries, bananas...and whatever other fruits we have on hand. Then I let my kids dip it all in greek yogurt and roll it in shredded coconut. If you are not big coconut lovers (I'm not!) it is also super yummy to roll it in some homemade granola :)

* Smoothie on a Stick - We love smoothies at our house. Lately since its been so hot I have been blending up a batch and then pouring individual servings into small paper cups. I stick in a popsicle stick, let them freeze, and when the kids pop them out they have their very own Smoothie on a Stick! Smoothies are a great way for me to sneak in some veggies too...I always toss in some spinach with my milk, yogurt, bananas, ice and frozen fruit! :)

These are just a few that we have been enjoying at our house lately. Please feel free to share some of your favorite healthy snacks! I think the most important thing is switching it up so your kids don't get too bored, so share, share, share!!

As far as my goal from last week of running 3 miles...I ALMOST did it! I am totally blaming it on my husband though :) Yesterday I ran 2.8 miles with the intention of getting to 3 this morning. Then last night my hubs tells me he is golfing this morning so no workout for me. I am going to attempt it tomorrow morning though, so I will be sure to come back with an update after :)

The goal for this week is to add more water! I am HORRIBLE at drinking water! Really at drinking period. I can go all day without a drink, so its a big switch for me to drink water all the time. I am making it a goal to get at LEAST 96 ounces a day. I am going to fill up a big pitcher with all the water I am supposed to drink in a day, that way I will be able to see my progress throughout the day. So join me friends! What is your healthy goal for this week? Sometimes being accountable to someone is the biggest motivator....so lets help each other reach those healthy goals!! Heres to looking good and much more importantly feeling GREAT!!