Ways to get your fruit servings in each day.....

I had a suggestion to write about food for lunch boxes which inspired this post about ways to add fruit  breakfast and for "on the go" at lunch. Try to get in about 3 servings of fruit each day. Examples of what equals a serving: 1 cup of cut fruit, one small apple or orange, or 1/2 banana. My children have a goal to eat at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables each day. I like to have at least one serving in them before they leave for school.

Some ideas include to a fruit at breakfast:

• half a banana plain or cut up in cereal. 
• 6 oz glass of orange juice,  with pulp preferably
• 1/2 a grapefruit
• cut melon
• clementines or oranges
• one serving of dried fruit in cereal
• Fruit smoothies - 1/2 c plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 1/2 c skim milk, 1/2 cup plain frozen fruit and 1/2 banana. 
• Ideas for bagged lunches:
  
• Cut melon, pineapple and kiwi hold up well. For younger kids, you can use stirring straw sticks to make fruit kabobs (do not use anything with sharp ends for children). Pineapple, melon, kiwi, grapes, etc are all fun on a kabob. You can add some low fat cheese cubes too for a complete snack. 
• Make fruit salad with a combination of whatever is in season. Don't use bananas because they get mushy. If you have apples or pears in the fruit salad, cover with a little bit of orange juice to keep from browning. 
• Fruit cups in water or 100% juice.  
• Dried fruit such as apricots, raisin or prunes (tell your kids they are dried plums, sounds better than prunes, and you aren't lying). 
• Apples, pears, oranges, peaches, plums, nectarines or clementines. If you precut pears or apples, squeeze a little bit of lemon juice on them to prevent the browning. (the acid prevents the enzymes in the fruit from mixing with oxygen in the air and making the fruit brown - if were curious)
• Hide the fruit by adding it to a sandwich or wrap. For example, sliced pears on turkey and Swiss is delicious or put grapes or raisins in chicken salad. 
• Grapes, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries are great bite sized fruit to pack.
• Make a mini parfait....use plastic container with a good lid to layer fruit such as berries with Greek Yogurt. Pack a mini bag of high fiber cereal to sprinkle on top. 

Variety is key so you don't get bored eating the same foods each day. It also helps you get all the different nutrients you need.