Help your children eat fresh and healthy foods throughout the school year

(ARA) - When the school year starts, it's harder to make sure your children are eating well. Between the morning rush, quick school lunches and after-school snacks, it's easy to lose track of whether or not your kids are eating healthy meals.


Make sure everything your kids need is right in the kitchen. Having a large capacity refrigerator that's fully stocked with fresh and easy-to-prepare foods can help you counter unhealthy lunches and snacking from the get go. One LG French door three-door refrigerator, for example, has a 31 cubic foot capacity, enough room for 51 gallons of milk if you were so inclined. With that much storage space, you won't have to worry about skimping on healthy lunch food or snacks ... or your children leaving your refrigerator empty after they come home from school everyday.


Kimberly Nies, home economist for LG Electronics USA, suggests some tips to encourage your children to eat healthy during the busy school year.


Keep fresh ingredients

Make sure the foods you store in your kitchen are fresh. The average household throws away about $500 worth of spoiled foods that were forgotten or lost in the back of the refrigerator each year. Some refrigerators like one from LG help keep food fresh longer using a system to maintain the temperature and humidity at the best levels.


Bring lunch

Ask your kids to help you make their lunch either the night before, or in the morning before they take off for school. Present them with several options for sandwich materials including whole-grain breads, cold cut meats, cheese or even egg or chicken salad. Soon they'll be able to craft their own healthy and delicious lunch all by themselves. Fresh carrots and apples add crunch and healthy fun to their lunch.


Make healthy foods accessible

Keep your cupboards and refrigerator organized so your children can find and easily reach healthy options, Nies suggests. Many refrigerators have crisper systems with separate drawers for storing fruits, veggies and even ready-to-eat snacks. "After a long day of school, even teens have a hard time turning down veggies with tasty dips when they're right at their fingertips," she says.


Make fun snacks

When grocery shopping each week, make sure you load your list up with fun, snack-friendly ingredients. For example, "Ants on a Log" are a popular treat for kids. And they're versatile, so your children can develop the recipe to perfectly suit their tastes. Check out Nies's easy recipe below:


Ants on a Log

Suggested ingredients:

Celery or carrots, cleaned and cut into 4- or 5-inch sticks. For the carrots, cut the sticks in half the long way as well.

Peanut butter or cream cheese

Raisins or nuts of any variety


Directions:

To make it safer and easier for your children, precut all the carrots and celery ahead of time so they aren't handling any sharp knives. Spread the peanut butter or cream cheese along the length of the celery or carrot sticks. Line up the raisins or nuts, as if they were marching across the log.


Other good snack ideas include peanut butter and crackers, fresh fruit, cheese curds or string cheese and even a bowl of shelled nuts.


Keep hydrated

When your children are involved in physical activities, you're going to need to make sure your fridge is stocked with plenty of rehydrating options. Sports drinks and flavored waters are good options, but so is plain chilled water. The LG refrigerators have a tall water dispenser on the door that can accommodate just about any size container so your daughter can quickly and easily fill up her water jug as she's running out the door for practice.


"Help your children continue to eat healthy once the school year starts by encouraging their healthy eating right at home," Nies says.