Child Friendly Grain Group Food Ideas
Tips for helping kids meet their grain group serving:

• Serve cereal and milk as a snack food - not just a breakfast food!

• Use different breads for sandwiches - mountain bread, pita bread, English muffins.

• Combine different breads for sandwiches such as a slice of oatmeal and a slice of wheat.

• Cut bread into shapes using cookie cutters.

• Freeze pancakes or French toast. Microwave and serve topped with syrup or fruit and an ice-cold glass of milk.

• Have children help make bread, muffins or popovers and serve them with family meals.

• Sprinkle children's favorite crunchy cereal on flavored yogurt.

Child-Friendly Fruit Group Food Ideas
Tips for getting kids to eat more fruits:

• Keep a bowl of fruit on the counter.

• Serve fruit kebobs for snacks. Thread chunks of fresh fruit and chunks of cheese on a small skewer.

• Alternate layers of fruit, vanilla yogurt and crunchy cereal for a yogurt parfait.

• Top waffles or pancakes with applesauce, sliced peaches or berries.

• Let children go to the grocery store with you and choose fruit for the week.

• Serve a platter of cut-up fresh fruit with yogurt for dunking at dinner.

• Top cereal and milk with banana slices.

• Add chopped apples, oranges, grapes or pineapple to tuna or chicken salad.

• Make fruit smoothies. Blend 1 1/2 cups milk with 1/2 cup frozen bananas, peaches, or strawberries. Add a dash of vanilla.

Child-Friendly Vegetable Group Food Ideas
Tips for getting kids to eat their vegetables:

• Serve vegetables a variety of ways - stir-fried, roasted, grilled or steamed.

• Top veggies with grated cheese.

• Keep plenty of cut fresh veggies in the fridge for snacks.

• Serve a bowl of ready-made salad as a snack or a finger-food for little-ones' dinner.

• Add veggies to soups, casseroles, pocket sandwiches and other foods.

• Serving a platter of two to three different fresh, cut vegetables with dinner. Try cucumber slices, red, green or yellow peppers, baby carrots, and broccoli flowerets.

• Continue to serve vegetables, even if your child refuses them. You may need to serve a new food 10 or more times before a child will even consider trying it!

Child-Friendly Meat Group Food Ideas
Tips for making sure children meet their daily Meat Group servings:

• Add beans, meat or poultry to soup.

• Mash and mix beans with sour cream for vegetable dip.

• Toss meat or beans with pasta or rice.

• Stir-fry meat, chicken or fish with vegetables.

• Microwave refried beans or small strips of meat with cheese in a tortilla.

• Serve baked beans; kids love them.

• Make beef and bean chili.

• Serve it finger-friendly! Try beef or chicken teriyaki strips, chicken tenders or baby shrimp!

Child-Friendly Milk Group Food Ideas
Tips for making sure children meet their recommended daily calcium intake:

• Make calcium convenient - keep string cheese and yogurt on hand for snacks.

• Be a role model. Children whose parents drink milk are more likely to meet their daily calcium needs.

• Serve milk with meals.

• Order milk when eating away from home.

• Taste a new flavor - flavored milk has the same amount of calcium as white milk.

• Send in milk money when children take lunch to school.

• Remember that children eat first and foremost for taste. After age 2 the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends gradually decreasing the amount of fat in the diet to 30 percent. If your child prefers whole or reduced fat milk, think about how to cut fat elsewhere in the diet - rather than jeopardize calcium intake.

• Serve milk ice cold. Pour it right before serving and promptly return it to the refrigerator.

• Remind children to choose milk when they eat school lunch.