What's better than a skewer filled with fresh, seasonal, sweet fruit? A drizzle of dark chocolate over it, of course. Want to add even more flavor to it? Add some crumbled sliver almonds over the whole thing. Yum! Fun to assemble and so delicious to eat up!

A great way to get your friends, family and kids involved in making these is to place any variety of seasonal fruit in separate bowls like strawberries, blueberries, sliced banana, and cubed mango and/or melon. Set out wooden or metal skewers and have everyone assemble their own. Have a few piping bags (as simple as a small zip-top bag with one end snipped off) with the melted dark chocolate ready to go and have a few bowls of toppers, like slivered almonds, crushed peanuts or even some colorful sprinkles. Make it your own and have fun preparing this fresh, sweet and tasty treat!

Here are fun facts about some of the delicious fruits you can include in this recipe:

Strawberries: One serving of eight medium strawberries provides 160 percent of the recommended Daily Value of vitamin C, a potent antioxidant that helps keep our skin healthy and helps protect our body from diseases such as cancer. (Source: California Strawberry Commission)
Mango: One cup of mango contain over 20 different vitamins and minerals, which definitely makes them a superfood! A single serving has only 100 calories, and 100% of our daily vitamin C needs, 35% of our vitamin A needs and 3 grams of satisfying and gut friendly fiber. (Source: National Mango Board)
Blueberries: One cup of wild blueberries has a whopping 6 grams of filling fiber and they are an excellent source of manganese (200% of your daily value – 8x that of regular blueberries), which is important for bone development. They are especially rich in anthocyanin, a flavonoid with potent antioxidant effects. (Source: Wild Blueberries)
Cantaloupe: In about 1/4 of a whole medium sized cantaloupe, over 100% of your daily vitamin C needs are met and 120% of your vitamin A needs are met--excellent for both eye health and heart health! (Source: California Cantaloupes)
Banana: In season all year long and the world's best selling fruit, bananas have about 100 calories per serving and are packed with nutrition! They are a good source of potassium, which is essential to the health of your heart and nervous system. They contain zero fat but have 3 grams of satisfying fiber, in addition to vitamins B6, iron and vitamin C. (Source: Chiquita Banana)

Kids Eat Right Month™!

In honor of Kids Eat Right Month™, this recipe is an excellent example as to how simple and fun healthy eating can be for kids! What is this national observance, you ask? It is the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics' and the Academy Foundation's month long observance highlighting the mission to ensure our children's healthy future. As stated on the Academy's website, "Kids Eat Right Month™ emphasizes what makes Kids Eat Right such an important program, focusing on smart shopping, healthy eating and active lifestyles for every age group from infant to teens." When you have food and nutrition questions specifically related to kids of all ages (from infant to teenage years), Kids Eat Right is an excellent resource for parents, family and caregivers.

Dark Chocolate Drizzled Fruit Skewers

Recipe by Christy Wilson, RD
Total time: 10 minutes
Serves: 10-12 kabobs

Ingredients

1 pound strawberries, cleaned and hulled
3/4 cup blueberries
1 cup mango, cubed
1/2 cup 60% cacao (or higher) dark chocolate chips
1/3 cup roasted slivered almonds or chopped peanuts
10-12 wooden skewers

Directions

Line a dish or baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place chocolate chips in a small, microwave safe bowl, and microwave in increments of 20-25 seconds, stirring each time.
Thread fruit in any order onto skewers, leaving a few inches open at the bottom and the top. Place fruit filled skewers on lined baking sheet.
Pour melted chocolate into a plastic piping bag and drizzle fruit with desired amount of melted chocolate then sprinkle with slivered almonds (or desired topping).
Serve immediately or refrigerate or freeze any leftovers.

Enjoy!
CWN

Choose from any variety of bright, fresh, delicious and nutrient-rich fruits for your fruit skewers!

A sheet pan filled with messy goodness! Choose seasonal fruits as they are at their peak in nutrition and in flavor.