Spring is here and schedules are getting busy. This means eating healthy and well-balanced meals often take a back seat to what’s easy and quick. Good nutrition is all about food choices that promote health and prevent disease. In celebration of National Nutrition Month, we’ve found a recipe that is quick, healthy, filling and combines all five of the food groups. We think it would be a great breakfast or before-practice snack for kids or take one to the office.
This recipe is also a good source of protein, fiber and calcium. For more healthy meal options, check out N.C. Farm to School. This program supplies school cafeterias across our state with the freshest, locally grown produce from North Carolina farms.
To save a little time, mix yogurt, celery and nuts together the night before. Add granola right before serving to keep it crunchy.
- 4 apples
- 2 cups fat-free vanilla yogurt
- 1 cup granola
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 12 teaspoons mixed nuts
Cut tops of apples off, like a pumpkin. Discard core and some of the apple, making room for the rest of the ingredients. Mix yogurt, celery, granola and nuts, then fill each apple equally with the mixture. Replace the tops of the apples, wrap in plastic and go, or eat immediately.
This recipe was a success when we tried it in the test kitchen. A few ideas included using celery sticks as a spoon instead of mixing it into the yogurt. The mix could be made the night before and added to apples the next morning. We would suggest adding granola at the last minute to keep it crunchy – or leave the granola out and use a granola bar to dip into your apple.