Kids love the wow factor, and cartoon-themed packaging of supermarket snacks. But if you’re looking for more economical–and nutritious–ways to fuel your little ones or big ones, grab a snack bag and toss together these ingredients, stuff into a diaper bag, back pack or briefcase to handle hunger in a hurry.

Store-bought mixes can have unwanted sugar and fat, so it’s better to make your own and control ingredient amounts, portion properly and customize for each family member. Try tossing together any of the following: dried fruits like cherries, blueberries and cut-up apricots, without added sugar. Try nuts like almonds and hazelnuts; shelled sunflower seeds; yogurt-covered raisins; pretzel sticks; granola or your favorite healthy cereal.

Famous as the most nutritional nut, almonds are power-packed with vitamin E, protein, fiber and a slew of other nutrients. They contain healthy unsaturated fat, which helps you feel full and is good for your heart. Plan to add a hand full of these nuts to all your snack concoctions.

Here are a few combinations to get you started on the road to wholesome and healthier snacking, one step at a time.

Bear Mix: 1 cup each of Teddy Grahams, Cheerios, raisins, mini pretzels, and half cup of chocolate chips.

Crunchy Munchy: 1 cup each of pretzels, Rice or Corn Chex, Cheerios, peanuts, Craisins. Stir in a half cup M&M’s.

Super Snack: 1 cup each of Life, Cheerios, and Corn Pops cereals, pistachios and golden raisins.

Animal Cracker Sandwiches: Animal crackers, low-fat strawberry cream cheese, sliced strawberries. Lay the crackers flat side up, slather with flavored cream cheese, top with a sliced berry and top with the second animal cracker.

Are years of donuts, dips and desserts making your body scream for a nutritional makeover? Or perhaps your diet plan includes one excuse after another of how it did not, could not, and would not work.

If so, here are some ideas from expert Moms.

1. Start smart

Take stock of yourself. What motivates you to stay the course toward better health? Is it your family’s health history? Do you want get back into your “skinny” jeans?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Consult savvy Moms, read and ask friends for their health secrets.

Portion control is a major calorie killer, If you sit down with a bag of chips, baked or fried, you certainly will eat more than if you try one of the 100 calorie pre-portioned snacks. Portion yourself towards a healthier lifestyle.

Examine your relationship with food. Do you eat when you are bored, stressed, or sad? Do you use food as a reward? Make a list of other ways to comfort or reward you that don’t involve food.

Slowly change your eating habits. If you are ready to improve your nutrition, you may be tempted to do a diet overhaul and change everything about the way you eat. Select one eating habit to change at a time.

Establish food goals you can reach and make them small. Your goals should be specific, attainable and flexible.

2. Plan passionately

Having a plan reduces stress. Limits quick but bad food choices, and gives you a starting point. San Diego, Organizing Pro and author of Simplify Your Life, Marcia Ramsland offers this advice for meal planning. “Tonight take a pen and pad of paper to dinner and ask your family to help you make a list of fourteen healthy meals they like that you cook. Ask them simply, what would you like to eat for dinner?” Since most people cook the same three to five meals over and over, the new list gives you a place to start, a recipe to follow and items to put on your shopping list. Post the list inside your kitchen cabinet by your dinner dishes for instant menu ideas.”

• Stocking up on healthier snacks helps you choose healthier options. Keep a bowl of fruit in plain sight so when hunger strikes your first line of defense is the fruit bowl.
• Review your week: What nights will you be home for dinner? What nights can you cook ahead? Try grilling several chicken breasts ahead to top salads, mix with couscous and steam veggies or to serve with a fresh fruit salsa.
• Make meals a family affair. Clean and prepare vegetables for the week together. Post the week’s menu on a chalk board in your kitchen.

3. Keep it simple

Healthy eating doesn’t have to mean labor intensive. Simple steps that do not overwhelm keep us in the game instead of defeated before we even start. You don’t have to change your whole diet at once. Just pick one improvement and stick with it. For instance:

Frisco, insurance executive, Susan Dennis-Buss said, “Carry lots of snacks around (for me and the 3 little hungry moochers).  Usually cereal bars, or I mix baggies of pistachios and craisins (buy them in bulk at the large discount mega stores).  Try it, it’s really yummy, takes the edge off hunger and is pretty healthy.”

• Select precut salad bar veggies at grocery store.
• Get rid of temptations.
• Your diet may be doomed before you leave the supermarket. If ice cream is a temptation, don’t bring it home.
• Know your danger zones, like the easy access drive-through with their .99 cent specials. What triggers bad food choices and be ready to guard against them.
• Buy only whole-grain bread.
• Buy only skim or low-fat milk.
• Use less oil for cooking and buy vegetable oil that is liquid at room temperature.
• Eat fish at least twice a week.
• Drink an extra glass of water when you wake each morning.

4. Cook creatively

Friday night is “make-your-own-pizza night” shared Dallas, artist/painter, Sabra Inzer, “My kids are truly the chefs each kneading their own pizza dough, layering tomato sauce, low-fat meats,  fresh cut vegetables and cheese. They love making smiley faces in the pizza with the ingredients.”

Use shortcuts where you can. Bagged salad greens, prepared and frozen vegetables, pasta sauces and gravies, grated cheeses, refrigerated or frozen pasta, premarinated meats, refrigerator dough’s, reduced sodium boxed stocks, prepared bread crumbs, and cut up veggies from a salad bar are all wonderful shortcuts.

Keep favorite ingredients on hand in the pantry, fridge, and freezer. Like; dried pasta, pasta sauce, frozen chicken, frozen pasta, onions, garlic, eggs, Boboli pizza crusts, frozen meatballs, frozen peas, corn, and carrots, and olive oil.

Mix and match meals. Say you have an outstanding chicken dish, alternate serving it with sweet potatoes, couscous, wheat pasta topped with low-fat cheese.

When planning your plate; think color. Color = nutritious.

Cut up several fruits, place in a casserole dish; sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake at 350 until bubbly. A crustless cobbler cuts the calories while adding a sweet treat.

Setting a good example and making one healthy choice can inspire others to make better choices as well.

Take a fresh approach to eating right with the “fab five” of super foods. They are packed with nutrition and flavor to jump start any meal.

What are the “fab five” and why are they so fabulous?

• Walnuts- Walnuts not only taste great but are a rich source of heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and an excellent source of those hard to find omega-3 fatty acids.
• Flax seed- over 50% of the fat in flax seed is omega 3 fatty acid, making it the richest plant source of omega 3. Many nutritionists recommend the regular consumption of flax seeds.  They have been shown to prevent or reduce the symptoms of arthritis, colitis, cancer, heart disease and even acne.
• Pomegranates- are rich in antioxidants, quite possibly more antioxidant properties than red wine or green tea. Other benefits of pomegranates list the fruit as a source of folic acid (beneficial to pregnant women), potassium, niacin, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and are a rich source of fiber.
• Salmon- this favorite fish is a very good source of easy digestible proteins (amino acids), fatty acids like Omega-3 Fatty acids in form of Triglyceride, vitamins like vitamin-D, vitamin-A and some members of vitamin-B family and minerals like Selenium, Zinc, Phosphorus, Calcium and Iron. Healthy Steps Fish Turner – features two blades for turning standard-size fish filets. Simply slide the fish turner underneath the filet, lower the second smaller blade on top, then turn the filet over in one piece – no more broken filets in the pan and on the plate.

Try this healthy salmon recipe this week. I think you’ll be impressed!

Herb Grilled Salmon with Cucumber and Peach salsa

3 ripe but firm peaches, flesh removed and finely diced
½ cup cucumber, finely diced
Juice of 1 lime
Juice of 1 orange
1 small red onion, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh black pepper
1 pound salmon fillet, skin removed
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon thyme, finely chopped
1 teaspoon oregano, finely chopped

Toss all the salsa ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Cover and refrigerate. Rub the salmon with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with herb mixture. Mix the herbs together in a small bowl until evenly combined. Rub all over the fish to coat the fish evenly. Let stand, covered at room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat a skillet over high heat. Cook the salmon 4 to 5 minutes per side, until crispy on both sides and cooked until medium. Top with salsa. Serves 4.

• Dark greens- calorie for calorie, dark greens are perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins.

Taking a fresh approach to any meal means choosing healthy foods in the right portions, working these five power-packed foods into a weekly diet will help your body get the proper nutrition it needs to function at maximum capacity.

The USDA’s new dietary guidelines for the food you put on your plate encourage Americans to focus on what they eat and how they eat. At the heart of the guidelines: cut back on salt, sugar and fat, and trim portion sizes.

“These new and improved dietary recommendations (www.dietaryguidelines.gov) give individuals the information to make thoughtful choices of healthier foods in the right portions and to complement those choices with physical activity,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Improving our eating habits is not only good for every individual and family, but also for our country.”

The U.S. has taken a step backward when it comes to weight management and obesity, now with 68% of the adults in the United States dealing with weight management issues. Healthy Steps is responding with a sense of urgency, as we are first-to-market by revolutionizing portion control with a complete line of sleek and simple tools designed to make preparing and serving fresh, vitamin-packed foods a breeze. We simplify the cooking and serving routine, making it easier to follow the new USDA dietary guidelines.

How can you make the new guidelines work for your family’s meals? Healthy Steps by Jokari, whose innovative approach to kitchen tools has taken the guesswork out of portion sizes, offers these tips:

• Portion control is key
• Make half your plate fruits and vegetables
• Switch to a reduced fat milk
• Compare sodium in foods in order to reduce your intake
• Drink water instead of high-calorie sugary drinks

Limiting sodium intake helps prevent hypertension, edema and strokes. One tool that can help is the Healthy Steps Salt Shaker, which delivers a precise amount every time. It’s a measuring dispenser and a tabletop shaker, all in one.

Another product to help with the new guidelines is the Healthy Steps Portion Control Serving Set to control portions when serving meals right at the dinner table. Portion sizes are tucked away on the heads of the tools, which include a slotted spoon, solid spoon and spatula.

Also from Healthy Steps, the Portion Control Pasta Basket cooks a precise amount of pasta, as you measure and cook with the same tool. The Portion Control Vegetable Server is a slotted spoon measuring a half-serving of cooked vegetables.

The main idea of Healthy Steps is to make portion control practical and easily attainable for busy families. Everyone needs to become more aware of the portion sizes that may have become a habit at home.

Planning is the key for successful family meals, but menu-planning sessions too often take place between the produce aisle and the meat section. Last minute shoppers can be easily side-tracked by anything that looks interesting or especially appealing at that moment¬ – with nary a thought as to how it will combine into an actual edible meal. It’s a proven fact: if one is uncertain what to serve for dinner by noon that day, there is a good chance the family will be staring at the local default takeout option that night.

Getting the family to eat nutritiously, while taking the stress out of the last-minute “what’s for dinner?” stress attacks…that’s the motivation. Here’s how to get it together before gathering together!

Healthy Steps by Jokari offers five tips for planning simple, balanced and nutritious family-time meals.

1. Identify your family’s favorites. These are the top five recipes you know your family will eat. Take a poll, but keep in mind half of your plate needs to be full of fruits and vegetables. These favorites can become your family’s “daily specials.” For example, Pasta Night can become a weekly event to look forward to. Add this recipe to your family favorites this week.

Healthy Steps Garden Fresh Primavera
1 cup asparagus tips
3/4 cup red pepper strips
½ cup snow peas, trimmed
½ cup cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 ounces light cream cheese
2 tablespoons cream
2 cups chicken breast, cooked
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
3 cups fettuccini, cooked
1/3 cup fresh chives, snipped
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan

Sauté asparagus, red pepper, snow peas and garlic in a large skillet, about 5 minutes or until slightly tender. Remove from pan and keep warm. Place cream cheese and whipping cream into skillet. Stir to melt cream cheese and cream. Add chicken, salt, pepper and pasta to the cream mixture. Plate and top with fresh chives and Parmesan.

2. Create a master grocery list, print it and keep it on a clipboard by the refrigerator or stick it on a magnet. Detail all the items you typically use in week. This includes breakfast staples, paper products and cleaning needs. Your goal: Weekly trips to the grocery store, not numerous pop-ins for vital ingredients.

3. At the start of each week, review the calendar. Who must be where, when, and what activity might conflict with dinner? Here is where you go easy on yourself. Schedule a breakfast for dinner night, take-home Chinese, or a pizza and movie night. Just try to order the correct amount, split meals into portions, avoid the seconds and leftovers. No one enjoys a martyr cook at mealtime.

4. Plan the meals, print the recipes and add to the clipboard. The process is simplified when your list, recipes and weekly schedule are all in one spot. Remember to stick to your plan while keeping it simple, with fresh fruits and vegetables.

5. Double a favorite dinner recipe when you can. But wrap half of it well and freeze. This will be a maximum time saver for those difficult days.

Once the menus are planned, Healthy Steps has taken the guesswork out of serving your family properly every time, even from the stovetop. Our innovative line of portion control kitchen tools simplifies the nightly process of plating meals for a family.

Healthy Steps is a wellness-focused line of everyday kitchen tools developed to help manage portion sizes at home. For example, the Portion Control Pasta Basket is a basket and colander in one; you can cook and serve the proper portion of pasta every time. The Portion Control Protein Server is a spatula measuring one 3 oz. serving of cooked protein. Once your meals are planned, the serving is a breeze.