Hot Diggity Dog

What you need:

• Knife or clean scissors.
• 4 hot dogs (or polish sausages or brats)
• Hoagie bun
• 2 donut holes
• Sliced cheese
• Carrot
• Onion
• Olives
• Strawberry licorice lace
• Maraschino cherry
• Red fruit-flavored gumdrop circle

1. For the paws, make two cuts--1/2 inch long--into one end of each hot dog. Cook hot dogs.
2. Assemble the dog, using the bun for the body, hot dogs for the legs, a carrot stick for the tail, sliced cheese for the ears, and two donut holes for the muzzle.
3. Add onion pieces and olive halves for eyes, attaching them to the bun with thin carrot sticks or toothpicks.
4. Push pieces of strawberry licorice lace into muzzle for whiskers. Top the muzzle with a cherry nose. 
5. Cut the gumdrop circle in a teardrop shape for the tongue. 

One Sweet Pup

Your kids will howl with delight when you serve this fiber-filled fruit snack.

How to make: On a plate, place 2 canned-pear halves, cut side down, with the wider ends touching. Halve 2 end grapes. Place one grape half in front of the short end of one pear for a nose. Arrange 2 other halves in the back to make legs. Cut a long strip off dried apricot, and attach it between the dog's legs to create a tail. Halve another apricot, and use the halves for ears. Place 2 raisins on the face for eyes.

Carrot Fries

Does your kid love french fries?
Try to made the fries from carrots, bursting with healthy beta-carotene and vitamin A, and they're oven baked, not fried, so there's less fat.

To make your own: Cut 4 peeled medium carrots into 3"-long sticks. Toss them with 2 teaspoon vegetable oil and a pinch of salt. Arrange in a single layer on a foil-lined baking pan, and roast in a 400 degrees F oven for 20 minutes. Makes two servings.