What better way to celebrate Earth Day with a sweet snack –
You’ll need big peanut butter cups*, vanilla frosting
blue and green food coloring
… and some knowledge about our planet
Divide frosting in two cups, color one green, one blue and there you go!
I would show kids pictures of planet earth and talk about how much percentage water (about 71%) and how much land (29%) there is, what forms of water (ocean, lake, river,…),
what we can do to preserve our planet (excellent time to talk about recycling) like for example plants that attract butterflies and bees, and so much more.
Whatever you make out of it, have fun and
HAPPY EARTH DAY!
*If your allergic to peanuts you also can make it with simple cupcakes.
We all know it’s sometimes not easy to get your kids eat their vegetables, so here are a some tips and tricks you can try –
Offer some type of vegetable every day. Just because getting kids to eat vegetables is a challenge doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bother. Keep offering the foods, make the children familiar with them, and soon you may have them asking for a specific kind.
Or… use reverse psychology and place vegetables right out in the open. Make an appetizer platter of cooked or raw veggies to place on the table prior to lunch. Let the children nibble while you are putting the finishing touches on the meal. This is a slightly sneaky way of getting kids to eat vegetables because this catches children when they are really hungry and they may wind up eating plenty of vegetables.
Create meals that call for vegetables. Make casseroles, stir fries, tacos or homemade pizza. Menu choices that require veggies simply look more appealing to children than a side dish of vegetables.
When you want to get kids to eat vegetables, offer smaller portions. Children who may be willing to try “a little” will be overwhelmed by a larger portion. Sometimes a refusal is based solely on the size of the helping.
Make a big pot of vegetable soup and add some interesting noodles. Alphabet noodles, for example, may have the children so busy trying to make words they’ll pay no attention to what they are eating.
Make vegetables interesting. Try different types of dips for raw vegetables. Experiment with sauces for cooked vegetables.
An example: when I was young, I really didn’t care for peas. My mother, however, started making peas in a creamy white sauce. The sauce was superb and completely changed the taste of the peas for me.
My grandmother made carrots with a brown sugar glaze. The carrots were wonderful. Today, I’m a true vegetable eater, even without the sauces or dips.
It helps if the children see you enjoying vegetables. If you are trying to get kids to eat vegetables, and you’re not eating (and liking) them yourself, well,… they won’t be fooled.
Try making veggie kabobs or serve mixed vegetables. Sometimes serving more than one veggie at a time helps. Even if they don’t eat all the vegetables, children will normally pick out the ones they like to eat.
Children are typically wary of new foods. Try showing the children pictures of several types of vegetables. Let them choose one vegetable they have never had and make it the following day. Or… take a trip to produce department of the grocery store and let them personally choose a vegetable. Getting kids to eat vegetables is sometimes made easier by giving kids a choice.
Plant a vegetable garden. Just like when children are helping with the cooking, they will be more apt to try foods they have helped to grow. Let them be a part of the whole process. Planting, weeding, watering and of course, the harvest are all activities the children can participate in. Better yet is cooking and trying their creation.
Melt white chocolate chips in a glass bowl by microwaving for 1 minute 30 seconds. Let sit an additional minute, then add green food coloring and stir gently until smooth.
Add in chow mein noodles and stir until coated. Add marshmallows and stir once more.
Drop by spoonfuls onto wax or parchment paper.
Take candy Easter eggs and set 3-4 on top, pushing down until a small indentation is made in the top of the “nest.” Repeat until all chocolate mixture is made into nests. Makes 8-10 nests.
Let cool to harden. Store in an airtight container.
Let each child build their own parfait! Give them each 1/4 cup yogurt and 1/2 cup berries. They can layer yogurt and fruit until they reach the top of their cup. Add a tablespoon of granola on top for a little crunch if desired.
Wash the peppers and then cut off one of them where the stem is. Put it upside down on a plate and spead the dip around it. Make two eyes with the cream cheese dip or mayonaise . Put the cloves in the middle like pupils.
Cut the other pepper in stripes and put 4 on each side of the body.
Enjoy your little octopus !
Easy (Austrian) Cream Cheese Dip
8 oz cream cheese, softened
4 oz salted butter, softened
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp capers, chopped
1 ½ tsp sweet paprika*
1 tsp caraway seeds, ground
1 tsp prepared mustard
¼ tsp salt
Instructions
Combine all ingredients in the a medium mixing bowl and blend using an electric hand mixer, until everything is well mixed and the cheese is fluffy.
Refrigerate the spread in an airtight container for at least 1 hour before serving.
Note: you can chop any leftover red peppers and mix it in
This makes one small
batch which will be 1-2 little-kid-size servings. To make more, simply double
the recipe. These are delicate pancakes with a texture that’s sort of custardy
like French toast. They are NOT like regular pancakes in that they are not
super bready. Which is to say: Be gentle when flipping them. I broke a few the
first time I made them! See the NOTES for the flavor variations.
Ingredients
1/4 cup mashed very ripe banana
1 egg
1/8 teaspoon baking soda, optional
Butter or oil, for cooking
Toppings including maple syrup, applesauce, yogurt, or diced
fruit
Instructions
Place a nonstick or cast iron skillet or griddle over medium
heat. (I prefer nonstick.) Add a small slice of butter or oil.
Mash the banana with a fork in a medium bowl. Crack the eggs
into the same bowl and stir together. The batter will be very runny.
Spread the butter or oil with a spatula to coat the bottom of
the pan. Place 1 tablespoon batter into the pan to make small pancakes. Cook
until the edges start to set and the bottoms are lightly browned, about 1
minute. Flip carefully and cook for an additional minute. (These are delicate
so try to get your spatula halfway under the pancake, then carefully turn
over.)
Remove from pan—the pancakes will be very soft and tender—and
serve with any desired toppings.
Notes
Sweet Potato Pancakes:
Use 1/4 cup mashed roasted sweet potato instead of the banana and proceed with
the recipe
Spinach Banana Pancakes:
Place the banana (or sweet potato) and egg into a blender. Add a
handful of lightly packed baby spinach. Blend well, then proceed with the
recipe.
Pumpkin Pancakes:
Use 1/4 cup pumpkin puree instead
of the banana and proceed with the recipe. This batter will be thinner than the
banana or sweet potato flavors.
To store, let pancakes
cool fully on a wire rack. Store in an airtight
container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat briefly to serve.
Or, freeze them either in a single layer in a gallon-size storage bag or with
parchment paper between each pancake in a stack in a storage bag. Heat as many
as needed on a plate and serve.
It may take a pancake or
two to get the hang of the process—these are delicate pancakes with a texture
that’s sort of custardy like French toast, so be gentle when flipping them. I
broke a few the first time I made them!
Add 1/8 teaspoon baking
powder for fluffier pancakes.
Add 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or pure vanilla extract for additional flavor.
(Kids can do all the steps except for the skillet part !)
What you’ll need-
1 8-inch whole wheat tortilla
2 Tbsp natural peanut butter (we use sun butter, which is
based on sunflower seeds)
1/2 medium banana
1 Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
How to make it-
Spread the peanut butter over the surface of the tortilla.
Slice the banana very thinly and then arrange the slices
over half of the tortilla. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the banana slices
and then fold the tortilla in half.
Cook the quesadilla in a skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown and crispy on both sides. (If you don’t wanna use the stove, spry the top with Pam spray or brush lightly with oil and put it at 350 Degrees in oven until lightly browned.
Mix milk in small cups with different Food colors,
brush lightly on toast, pop in Toaster and enjoy.
Different options-
you also can try coloring softened cream cheese or for a change here’s how to make a fun GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH!
about a cup of white shredded cheese, divide in 3 containers (maybe you can use this leftover yogurt cups – Recycling), 1 drop of food coloring in each cup, stir until distributed, put colored cheese in stipres on toast and then make your regular grilled cheese sandwich. It’s a lot of fun for us grown ups, too!
