Hi. I'm Tracy Metro for the Kraft Kitchens.

How many times have you heard, [child speaking] "Mom, I'm hungry"

in the middle of the afternoon?

Billions, right?

The challenge is to satisfy them and instill in them good eating habits

that will last them a lifetime.

So here are the golden rules for smart snacking for kids:

Make it fun, balance your food groups, and keep portions small.

So let's start with the fun part.

You want them to eat more vegetables?

[Veggies & Dip] Well, try serving them with some light ranch dressing

that they can dip into.

It's great to use snack time as an opportunity to fill in your child's food pyramid

for the entire day.

It's also a good idea to serve well-balanced snacks.

Think at least two food groups at a time.

For instance, if you're serving carbs like bread or crackers, add some protein.

[Mini Cracker Sandwiches] These are Ritz Cracker sandwiches,

and they're so easy to make.

You put your bologna,

your cheese that the kids have cut out into cute, fun shapes,

your tomato, your cucumber, and some Miracle Whip, and your sandwich is done.

And isn't that cute?

Next up is Ants on a Log, an oldie but a goodie.

It's good with either cream cheese or peanut butter

[Ants on a Log] and of course, some raisins for the ants.

[blender whirring] Smoothies made with low-fat vanilla yogurt,

fat-free milk, frozen berries, and Crystal Light offer some calcium and vitamin C.

[Strawberry-Yogurt Smoothie]

Looking for something warm to offer up?

[Stick with Mozzarella Snacks] Try these mozzarella snacks.

All you have to do is melt a piece of string cheese on a Ritz Cracker in the microwave

and serve with some warm spaghetti sauce for dipping.

Kids love cookies, so pair a serving of cookies with a small glass of milk

for a sweet treat you can feel good about giving them.

There are lots of reduced fat products on the market right now

that make it easier for moms to give kids something special without overdoing the fat.

These Strawberry Nilla Nibbles are made with reduced fat Nilla wafers

[Strawberry Nilla Nibbles] and Cool Whip Lite with a fresh strawberry on top.

Kids love juice, of course, but not all juice for kids is created equal,

so you want to look around for the ones that say 100% fruit juice.

Notice the amounts of food I'm showing you here?

A good appreciation of portion control can help your child eat right now and later in life.

Lots of snacks come pre-packaged in right size containers

like the Jell-O and the pudding cups.

And now, lots of kid favorite crackers and cookies are in 100-calorie packets.

Reinforce the learning with these by pouring them into a little bowl

reserved just for snacks.

You can use a little ramekin or a custard cup

or do a fun project of having the kids decorate their own special plates

with their names on them.

Listen, kids get hungry when they get hungry.

But a good rule of thumb is to try to time snacks

two or three hours before lunch or dinner.

Look for these and lots of other great snacking ideas and kid-friendly meals at Howdini.

I'm Tracy Metro for Kraft Kitchens and Howdini.

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