Healthy Snacks: Quesadillas

Depending on how many little mouths you have to feed, this snack can be as easy as tossing some cheese and pre-cooked chicken and veggie mixture between two tortillas and heating it in a skillet. Slice it like a pizza and the kids have a utensils-free food to enjoy (unless the tortillas are packed extra full--you might want to keep some forks handy). If you have more than a couple kids to feed, double up on everything and put the quesadillas on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C.) until the cheese is melted. So, who needs a snack? Try some of these recipes:

Be sure to make good choices when assembling your quesadillas:

• Use the fat-free version, or hold the sour cream altogether. 
• Add flavor by chopping up some avocado to sprinkle on each piece--avocados are high in fat, but mono-saturated fats (the "good" kind that lowers cholesterol).
• Go easy on the cheese--it adds protein, but also quite a bit of fat if you're not careful.
• Spoon on some extra salsa to get even more veggies in each bite.
• Buy whole wheat tortillas, avoiding those made with lard--or, just make some yourself:

Note: Many reviewers mentioned they substituted olive oil for shortening in the Mexican Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas as a healthier option, so if you're game, it might be something worth trying.