Healthy Summer Snacking with Arla

The three top sentences heard from my kids this summer are:

“I’m hungry.”

“Can I have a snack?”

“There’s nothing to eat.”

Truth be told, I don’t think my children could be familiar with the feeling of hunger because they never stop eating. I don’t mind if they are nibbling all day, as long as the food they are snacking on isn’t full of sugar. I can ensure that they are eating well by avoiding purchasing sugary snacks and filling the fridge with fresh fruits and vegetables and a family favourite, cheese.

Arla® Havarti is found in the grocer’s Deli section and it is a creamy cheese with a semi-soft texture. It is  made from 100% Canadian milk and it is a popular choice in my household. With nine flavours to choose from, we are guaranteed that there is something everyone in the house likes. My daughter and husband are partial to Arla Havarti Jalapeno cheese. I enjoy the Creamy and Sun Dried Tomato varieties and the whole family loves the Dill Arla Havarti. I have them all on hand for snacking, but my children are lazy snackers, and sometimes they want something ready to serve that they can just grab and eat.

In order to encourage better snack choices, I put together these fun fruit, veggie and Dill Havarti kabobs for them to grab out of the fridge when they are hungry. I also cut up some extras for everything so they could put together their own kabobs if they ate everything I prepared.

Fruit, Veggie and Cheese Kabobs

Ingredients:

• ½ English cucumber
• ½ red sweet pepper
• ½ yellow sweet pepper
• ½ orange sweet pepper
• 1 small bunch of green or red grapes
• 1 package of Arla Dill Havarti

Directions:

1. Cut the cucumber into 1” slices, quarter the slices.
2. Cut the peppers into 1” squares.
3. Cut the block of cheese into cubes.
4. Arrange the food on skewers in whatever order you prefer.

Makes 10-12 kabobs.

My kabobs were a hit! I selected fruit and vegetables that I know they already enjoy and paired them with the dill flavoured Arla Havarti for these colourful treats that are fun to eat, but you can choose any grouping of fruit and veggies to partner with Arla Havarti. The cheese helps the kids feel full longer and gives their bodies much needed calcium, while the fruit and veggies fill them up with fibre and vitamins.

For a full day I heard no complaining about hunger or snacks and my kids were filling up on food that I feel good about. I’ve already restocked so that we can repeat this treat once or twice a week. I don’t want to do it every day or they will grow tired of it!

You can find more great snack ideas when you “like” Arla® Canada on Facebook.

Although this post has been generously sponsored by Arla® Canada, the opinions and language are my own, and in no way do they reflect those of Arla® Canada.