Recipe Spotlight: School Garden Salsa

School may be out for the summer, but this salsa recipe is a great healthy snack for your child that is full of flavor.  School Garden Salsa can be made with fresh veggies that you may even be able to find in your garden! The salsa can be eaten with chips, on top of a salad, with chicken or fish, or just on its own as a side. Kids will love to help rinse the vegetables, squeeze the limes, and help mix the salsa together!

School Garden Salsa

 

 

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

1 can unsalted whole-kernel corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 medium red onion
1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro
1/8 cup lime juice
Baked tortilla chips

Directions:

1.   Combine the first 7 ingredients in a large bowl.

2.   Served with baked tortilla chips.

Gather all your ingredients.

Wash all vegetables thoroughly.

Drain and rinse black beans and corn in a colander.

Combine rinsed black beans and corn into large bowl.

Remove seeds in center of pepper and dice into small pieces.

Chop all vegetables in small pieces similar to the pepper.

Combine all vegetables into bowl along with black beans and corn.

Squeeze lime over all ingredients in bowl.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly.

 Serve your School Garden Salsa with baked tortilla chips!

Fun Snack Ideas for Kids

Children spend a lot more time and eat more meals at home during the summer than during the school year.  It can be hard to find new and exciting foods to try with the kids.  Try these quick and easy snack ideas for your children to have after they get home from school each day.

1. Make a snack box for the refrigerator.  Have a few grab and go snacks for the kids (and adults too!) to choose from when they are hungry.  Some grab and go snack ideas include fresh cut veggies like carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower, and fruits like grapes, apples, and berries.  Place snack sized portions of the fresh fruits and veggies in small plastic bags.  
2. Other snack box ideas.  Other foods to add to the snack box are cheese sticks, low-fat yogurt, and unsweetened apple sauce. 
3. Freeze fruits!  Kids loves cold treats any time of the year.  Take some of their favorite fruits like grapes, peeled bananas, peaches, and orange slices and place in small plastic bags in the freezer.  The fruit will be ready when the kids are hungry!
4. Homemade popsicles.  Homemade popsicles are so much fun for kids to help make and eat.  One of our favorite flavors is Watermelon Pops.  You can try the same recipe by substituting their favorite fruit, a little lime juice and place in freezer molds.
5. Fruit and Yogurt  Kabobs.   Have your child choose 3-4 of their favorite fruits.  Cut fruit into bite-size pieces and place on wooden skewers.  Dip in low-fat yogurt for a yummy treat!
6. MyPlate Salsa.  Did you know that you can get all of the MyPlate food groups in the MyPlate Salsa recipe?  This is an easy snack that kids can help to put together quickly.  This salsa goes great with veggies like carrots and celery or tortilla chips.  

What is your child's favorite after school snack to eat?