Ingredients:
1 slice American cheese
1 celery stalk (washed and dried), 3-inches long
1 tablespoon peanut butter or cream cheese
2 to 6 raisins
2 pretzel sticksDirections:
1. Cut cheese slice diagonally with knife, pizza cutter or scissors.

2. Place cheese slices on small plate with points together, forming wings.

3. Fill celery with peanut butter or cream cheese and place, filling side down, on the cheese wings. This forms the body of the butterfly.

4. Use raisins to decorate the wings. A dab of peanut butter works as “glue.”

5. Use pretzels as antennae, sliding them into the peanut butter on the celery.

Per serving: 58g carbohydrates; 3g dietary fiber; 14g protein; 14g of fat (5 grams saturated); 15mg cholesterol; 2150mg sodium; 420 calories

Teaching points: Teaching children about the Food Guide Pyramid is easy when you make this Pyramid Butterfly. The base of the pyramid is the grain group. Pretzels provide complex carbohydrates, which are a great source of energy.

Celery fits in the vegetable group and raisins in the fruit group – both provide vitamins A and C and other nutrients. The meat group is next, and peanut butter — packed with protein — substitutes for meat. Cheese is part of the dairy group, and growing kids need calcium for strong bones and teeth.

Cream cheese is high in fat and fits at the very tip of the pyramid.

Money-saving tip: Look for blocks of cheese and slice or shred it yourself. Sliced cheese is more expensive when it is individually wrapped.