Turkey and Cheese Tortilla Rollups add variety to afternoon snacks.

Those leisurely summer days will soon be replaced with hectic mornings and busy afternoon schedules as the start of the school year begins, leaving little time for planning healthy and satisfying snacks.

Now is the perfect time to plan ahead and stock up the pantry with healthy alternatives to junk-food snacking.

Hayleigh Trahan, 13, and her mother Shawna, of Charenton, were busy in the kitchen this week trying out a few new recipes for healthier snack options and enjoying some quality time together in the kitchen.

Preparing a tasty and healthy snack can be challenging, especially for children who are picky eaters.

“Hayleigh is homeschooled so we really have to be careful of the type of snacks that we keep in the house. She is faced with the temptation of snacking throughout the day. Our days do get hectic, but instead of reaching for a bag of packaged cookies or chips, we try to have something healthy on hand for her to snack on,” said Shawna Trahan.

“When we’re grocery shopping, we are always looking at labels. We are making an attempt to eat healthier and we’re getting better about it. It’s hard when you live in South Louisiana and the food is so good, especially when you have a mother and mother-in-law who are excellent cooks”.

Hayleigh, an avid baker who has captured several awards in the Iberia Parish 4-H Sugar Cookery Contest, decided to try baking a sweet treat using zucchini for the natural sweetness and as a means of sneaking an extra vegetable into a snack.

The young teen’s “Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies” proved to be a winner among visiting cousins.

“It is really good and it is on the healthier side. You can’t even tell there is zucchini in it,” she said.

For a savory snack, Hayleigh said she frequently prepares tortilla rollups. She uses low fat cream cheese as a spread and adds turkey slices, low-fat Swiss cheese and a cucumber spear to the center of the tortilla before rolling it up and cutting into bite size pieces.

For tasty bite-sized sandwiches, she substitutes cucumber slices for bread. Sandwiched between the cucumber slices are turkey and low fat cheese.

“We’re trying to look for ways to add more fresh vegetables to our diet. If we have left over noodles, we’ll add broccoli, cauliflower and carrots and make a noodle stir fry,” said Shawna Trahan.

“When we grocery shop, we are looking at labels to make the best choices. We are making an attempt and trying to get better at it.”

Trahan said allowing younger children to get involved in the preparation of snacks not only provides a way to learn about nutrition, but serves as a learning experience for them to become self-sufficient in the kitchen.