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Nebraska Department of Education
Nutrition Services
301 Centennial Mall South
PO Box 94987
Lincoln, NE 68509-9487

(800) 731-2233 (Nebraska Only)
or (402) 471-2488
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Child & Adult Care Food Program

Child Caring Online - information about the Child and Adult Care Food Program

Snacks with child appeal

Planning snacks is an important task for all child care facilities. Snacks fill an essential nutritional need for young children who need that extra boost to meet their energy and growth needs. It requires time and effort to plan them creatively day after day. Day care providers accept the challenge to serve affordable foods the children like and to meet the CACFP requirements.

Snacks are a responsibility, but they are also an opportunity. Besides feeding hungry children they can also encourage good eating habits by providing children with food preparation activities and introducing new foods. They can also be used to teach math, vocabulary and other concepts.

Not every snack needs to require a lot of preparation time or be a complicated activity, but remember that there is more for snackers than crackers! Crackers and fruit juice or milk is a popular menu item, but variety is fun and healthy, too.

Here's a fun and easy way to introduce yeast to children. Children of all ages can participate in making the pretzels. Give each child a lump of dough to knead and shape into animals, numbers, letters or whatever they choose to create. Bake and enjoy.


SOFT PRETZELS
  • 2 packages dry yeast
  • 1 1/2 cups warm water
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 cups flour (2 cups of white and 2 cups of wheat work well)
  • 1 egg, beaten

Mix together the yeast and water. Add sugar, salt and flour, mixing well. Place on a floured board. Knead for five minutes. Cut into 20 pieces and roll into ropes. Make shapes and place them on an ungreased cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Brush with the beaten egg.

Bake at 425 degrees for 12 - 15 minutes, until golden brown.

You can sprinkle them with salt, dust with cinnamon sugar or offer melted cheese, peanut butter or mustard for dipping.

A pretzel from this recipe will equal 1 1/2 servings of grain/bread for a 6 - 12 year old. 

NUTRITION SERVICES > CACFP > CHILD CARING ONLINE > SNACKS WITH CHILD APPEAL