Question:
What suggestions do you have for nutritious holiday party foods?

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 than willing to help. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Serve one or two "make your own" foods.

• Trail mix - let kids assemble their own from a buffet of ingredients with a seasonal twist
• Chocolate graham crackers - let students paint them with pudding
• Yogurt with sprinkles
• Yogurt parfaits - use seasonal colors. For example, blueberry and lemon yogurt for Hanukkah or keylime and strawberry yogurt for Christmas

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 holiday theme and give foods a holiday name, such as "Snowball Wreath" or "Confetti Quesadillas." Serve:

• Platters of red and green apples, pears, grapes or peppers with yogurt dip
• Shape tea sandwiches or cheese using holiday cookie cutters
• Cut fresh veggies with yogurt dip - arrange in a special shape, such as a rainbow or a balloon. For the holidays, make it a wreath or menorah.

Include popular finger foods such as:

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