MyPlate Seasonal Foods:
Facts and Fun
"Facts and Fun" combines a little bit of learning with some fun with the kids! Find out what produce is in season and then try some easy, kid-friendly activities that incorporate all five of the MyPlate food groups -- Fruits, Vegetables, Grains, Protein Foods, and Dairy.
WINTER
Winter Produce: What's in Season?
|
Seasonal produce varies by region, growing conditions, and weather. Remember that fresh, frozen, canned, pureed, and dried fruits and vegetables all count*! |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| Apples | Avocados | Bananas | Beets |
| Brussels Sprouts | Cabbage | Carrots | Celery |
| Collard Greens | Grapefruit | Herbs | Kale |
| Kiwifruit | Leeks | Lemons | Limes |
| Onions | Oranges | Parsnips | Pears |
| Pineapples | Pomegranates | Potatoes | Pumpkin |
| Rutabagas | Sweet Potatoes & Yams | Swiss Chard | Turnips |
| Winter Squash | |||
|
* Curious how many fruits and vegetables you need every day? Check out the MyPlate Plan calculator. |
|||
Winter Food Fun: MyPlate Snowman Scene
Before getting started, be sure to wash your hands.
Step 1: Gather all of your ingredients and supplies. You’ll need whole-grain bread, peanut butter, a banana, raisins, a carrot, pretzel sticks, low-fat cheese slices (a white cheese will work best), your favorite green vegetable (we used a bell pepper), and edible snow (we chose air-popped popcorn, but a light colored cereal would work as well). Be creative and use what you already have on hand.
You’ll also need the following supplies: butter knife, snowman cookie cutter, cutting board, and a small snowflake cookie cutter.
Step 2: Make a peanut butter and banana sandwich. Use the snowman cookie cutter to create your main character. (Tip: Don’t waste the crusts! Enjoy the non-snowman parts of the sandwich now as a snack or save for later.)
Step 3: Make the snowflakes. (Tip: If you don’t have a small snowflake cookie cutter, you can use a plain circle and create snowballs instead! Cheese leftovers from the cutouts can be enjoyed as a snack now or refrigerated for later.)
Step 4: Now it’s time to create your scene! Relocate your snowman to a plate (a plate in a solid color works best) and give him a face, hat, buttons, and arms. If it’s cold outside, he may need a scarf too.
Step 5: Cover the ground in “snow” and plant trees. (If you don’t have a bell pepper, use another green fruit or vegetable such as snow peas or kiwi.)
Step 6: Let it snow! Add cheese snowflakes or snowballs to complete the scene on your plate. Add seasonal tableware and napkins to complete the scene on your table.
Step 7: Any finishing touches? Have fun and make it your own. Orange and yellow low-fat cheese can be used to add stars or a sun to the sky. Plant extra trees or build a house. Then eat and enjoy!
Spring Food Fun: MyPlate Flowers Scene
Step 1: Wash your hands and collect your supplies. For our spring scene, we used cucumbers, carrots, fresh strawberries, navel oranges, low-fat cheese sticks, air-popped popcorn, and sunflower seeds. Feel free to incorporate some foods you have at home to personalize your spring scene. You’ll also need a cutting board, a knife for cutting up fruits and veggies, and a plate for your canvas. Remember to wash your hands and produce before you start chopping!
Step 2: Chop up your fruits and veggies
Grab your cutting board and paring knife. To create blades of grass, we sliced a cucumber and halved the slices. Our sun is a slice of orange, and the flower buds and petals are made from sliced strawberries. We also sliced a carrot and cut the slices into quarters to create sunrays.
Step 3: Create your spring scene
Now it’s time to get creative – grab a plate and have the kids design their own spring scene! Want to show a little spring shower? After all, April showers do bring May flowers! Form clouds with popcorn and turn sunflower seeds into rain drops.
Create flowers using cheese sticks (or celery sticks!) for stems, and additional cucumber slices as leaves. You can make the flower buds and petals out of any number of tasty fruits or vegetables. Not a fan of strawberries? Slice up an orange, peach, or red bell pepper.
Want to enjoy a sunny day instead? One option is to make a sun out of an orange slice and use slices of carrot, quartered, for rays of sunlight.
Step 4: Enjoy your tasty treat
The best part of this activity is getting to eat it at the end! This tasty snack can include all five food groups and provides a hands-on demonstration with foods that fit a healthy eating style. Kids can try new foods – and might discover some new favorites!
