Tricks and Treats for the Fall

The best season — back-to-school season — is here! Thanks to a year of planning, a strong collective, and most importantly, a partnership with Camden City Public Schools’ Food Service Director Arlethia Brown and the Food Service Team led by Aramark in Camden, NJ, we were able to hit the ground running and have already introduced new recipes to the Camden students. One such recipe is a breakfast parfait, shared by WITS Chef Angel Jones. As the new year starts, it is a great opportunity to set healthy habits for students so that they can adapt to the school environment with energy and enjoyment. Try out some fun new WITS recipes and hiking adventures we have below! 

These two parfait recipes are perfect for the back-to-school and fall seasons. One of the best features of these simple parfaits is that when the season changes, you can swap out your fruits for a colorful and fresh in-season medley — offering both a variety in taste and in nutrients.

Recipe: Happy Halloween Scarecrow Parfait

Ingredients: 

  • 1 ½ cups lowfat vanilla yogurt, or yogurt of choice
  • ⅓ cup + 1 tbsp Sunbutter (sunflower seed butter)
  • 2 cups lowfat vanilla yogurt, or yogurt of choice (separate from yogurt above)
  • 2 cups freshly-sliced apples (3-4 medium apples, Gala, Honeycrisp, or Fuji varieties)
  • Clear plastic cups 

Procedure: 

  1. In a medium-sized bowl, mix 1 ½ cups yogurt with Sunbutter to make Sunbutter Yogurt. 
  2. Scoop one ½-cup portion of Sunbutter Yogurt into the bottom of each plastic cup. 
  3. Carefully pour one ½-cup portion of plain yogurt on top of Sunbutter yogurt. Keep parfaits in the refrigerator until ready to serve. 
  4. Just before serving, core and slice apples into at least eight equal pieces. Place 6-8 apple slices down into the yogurt. 

Recipe: Homemade “Candy” Corn Fruit Parfait Recipe

Ingredients: 

  • One 20-oz can pineapple tidbits (packed in 100% juice), drained
  • 2 15-oz cans mandarin oranges (packed in water, no sugar added), drained
  • 2 cups nonfat vanilla Greek yogurt, or yogurt of choice
  • 6 pieces candy corn, for garnish (optional) 
  • Clear plastic cups

Procedure: 

  1. Open and drain cans of pineapple tidbits and mandarin oranges. 
  2. In clear plastic cups, add the following ingredients in layers: ⅓ cup pineapple tidbits, ⅓ cup mandarin oranges, ⅓ cup yogurt. 
  3. Keep parfaits in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Optional: garnish each parfait with one candy corn in the center of the cup just before serving. 

 

Fitness Adventures

On the fitness side, and now that children are back in classes, one of our best tips is to break up the daily school work with hikes that you can find even in the most urban of environments. Here we feature NYC, a place that surprises many when it comes to hiking. There are some wonderful and free hiking events and groups that you can sign up for, right in NYC. Hiking is a great way to get active and reduce stress while exploring the city and its neighboring areas. Discover the seasonal and beautiful fall foliage, wildlife, and history not too far from where you live. 

Plan your next hiking trip: NYC Parks offers great options to start your hiking journey through NYC’s natural wonderland. Just pick a park and map out your first or next hiking adventure. Be sure to pack plenty of water, and wear sunscreen and layered clothing. Visit their Hiking Trails page to find more nature trails in parks across New York City. 

If you are able to venture outside of the city, the fall season in New York is the best time to plan a hike Upstate, and Hike With Us – Catskills offers free guided hikes and itineraries to use to plan your own adventure. If you are not sure of where to start, sign up for one of these free guided hikes led by expert hikers. It doesn’t hurt that all participants will go home with additional goodies to help them continue their hiking adventures in the Catskills. 

Have fun planning your fall-themed snacks and adventures, and we wish you a great new school year!