CREAMY GRAPE AMBROSIA

Total prep time: 10 minutes

This light and refreshing dish may just become your new Shabbos staple! It comes together in under ten minutes, and is the perfect treat for those long and hot Shabbos afternoons.

3 cups green grapes

3 cups purple grapes

1 cup low-fat yogurt

¼ cup coconut sugar, plus more for topping

2 Tbsp cream cheese

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 15-oz can peaches

1 cup walnuts, crushed, for topping

Wash grapes and set aside. In a medium-sized bowl, combine yogurt, coconut sugar, cream cheese, and vanilla extract.

Drain peaches, reserving two tablespoons of the liquid. Add peaches and reserved liquid to yogurt mixture. Blend until smooth. Combine with grapes and top with crushed walnuts and some more coconut sugar. Serve cold.

With daylight hours expanding and spring weather in the air, you may find yourself out and about more often. Whether spending more time in the park with little ones or running more errands, it’s helpful to be prepared with snacks to properly fuel you—and your crew—even when you’re far from your kitchen. The following are 6 examples of balanced snacks to have on hand that can be appreciated and enjoyed by a variety of ages. Your energy levels, mood, and always-hungry little ones will thank me later.

Baby carrots and chummus

Sometimes, the simple options are the last ones we think of. Because yogurt must be kept within a food-safe temperature, a great trick is to freeze individual portion–sized yogurts in advance. Before your outing, take out the amount you think you’ll need and allow them to thaw and be deliciously refreshing by the time you use them. Squeezable yogurts work great with this strategy as well, as this way they resemble freeze pop or popsicle. Since yogurt is often not enough to satisfy, pair it with a whole fruit such as an apple, banana, or clementine, or pre-slice your fruit of choice in a convenient sandwich bag.

Yogurt with a fruit Trail mix

One of my favorite snacks to recommend (especially for kids), trailmix is simply a mixture of a variety of dry snacks and can be customized by flavor and texture preference. Depending on the age (and potential allergy sensitivity) of the eater, consider including a nut or seed, dried fruit, cereal, or popcorn. The possibilities are endless, and you can opt for sweet, savory, or a mixture of both. This option is also shelf stable.

For a more savory snack, enjoy a cut-up vegetable (baby carrots are super easy because they require zero prep, although they are a choking hazard for younger kids) with chummus. Balancing out the vegetable with the protein-packed chummus will help with satiety. For the most convenient option, use the individual portion–sized chummus packages, or pre-portion it yourself into condiment containers. (Feel free to use the “keep in the freezer and let thaw” trick, or just be mindful to eat the chummus while it’s still within a food-safe temperature.)

String cheese and cucumber sticks

String cheese is one of my favorite grab-n-go protein snack components to recommend. A favorite among many ages, it’s very convenient to have on-hand. (You guessed it; depending on turnaround time until they’re eaten, I’d also recommend freezing these and bringing them to thaw so they can be eaten while still cold and not melted.) Cucumber sticks are a universally loved vegetable, and if you want to keep the prep as minimal as possible, enjoy little Persian cucumbers whole and skip cutting into sticks!

Rice cake and cheese sandwiches

In addition to cut-up vegetables, rice cakes are a great medium for enjoying dips, nut/seed butters, and even sliced cheese. Rice cake sandwiches are fun, delicious, and simple to assemble in advance, on the go, or while enjoying a day in the park. Keeping food safety in mind, I’d recommend storing sliced cheese in a cooler or insulated lunch bag with an ice pack.