Healthy alternative to ice cream for dessert!!!

Have your kids help you… They will love it!

Ooey-Gooey Apple Pie Cones 1/5th of recipe (1 cone): 84 calories, 0.5g fat, 67mg sodium, 19g carbs, 0.5g fiber, 10g sugars, 1g protein

Ingredients:
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 cups peeled and chopped Fuji apples
1 tbsp. granulated white sugar
1/8 tsp. vanilla extract
Dash salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
5 sugar cones
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. Fat Free Reddi-wip

Directions:
In a small nonstick pot, combine cornstarch with 1/4 cup cold water, and stir to dissolve. Add apples, sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Add 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, and stir well.

Set heat to medium. Stirring frequently, cook until apples have slightly softened and mixture is thick and gooey, 14 – 16 minutes.

Transfer to a medium bowl, and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Evenly distribute apple mixture among the cones.

Just before serving, top each cone with 2 tbsp. Reddi-wip. Sprinkle cones with remaining 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. Yum!!!

MAKES 5 SERVINGS

http://www.hungry-girl.com/misc/show/2624

If you never try – you will never know!!

You really may not believe me – but I made this dish for my 9 & 11 year old the other night…. and all they said was, “you put too much salt on them!”

I knew that my 9 year old  & my husband would eat them… but I wasn’t sure if I would or my 11 year old would!  Why is that?  Well I never had them as a kid…. and therefore I’ve always been ‘afraid’ of  making them myself.   Recently, I ate them at a restaurant and couldn’t believe how good they were!! I definitely like them roasted better than steamed – but that is just my preference.

I used this recipe, (only because I honestly had never made them prior…)

I would recommend using less salt… they didn’t need it!!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:10 minInactive Prep Time: — Cook Time:40 min
Level: Easy     Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

Per Serving: Calories: 109; Total Fat: 7 grams; Saturated Fat: 1 gram; Protein: 4 grams; Total carbohydrates: 10 grams; Sugar: 2 grams; Fiber: 4 grams; Cholesterol: 0 milligrams; Sodium: 269 milligrams

Yield: Serves 2

Total Time: 30 min

Ingredients:

• one bunch of fresh kale,
• Sea salt
• Fresh cracked black pepper
• Olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Wash kale. Remove tough inner stems from kale leaves.
3. Tear the kale leaves into large pieces. They will shrink, so tear them into pieces that are a little larger than what you’d like to eat.
4. Dry kale leaves well with paper towels.
5. Place kale leaves in large bowl. Start by tossing in about 1 tablespoon of olive oil at a time, when needed. The kale needs to be lightly coated with oil. Too much will make the kale limp and greasy.  Sprinkle with sea salt and fresh crushed black pepper.
6. Layer kale leaves in a single layer in a baking sheet lined. You can use parchment paper if you like for easier cleaning.
7. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until crisp. About 5 minutes before they are finished,  gently toss them on the  sheet pan for more even baking. They will burn easy, be aware of how they are baking.

This is something different to make with your kids! They will be surprised at how good they taste!  Try it out!

http://whiteonricecouple.com/recipes/baked-kale-chips/

Heart shaped cucumbers and “x” and “o” ‘s made from cheese.

Very Clever!!

May actually get your kids to eat some salad with dinner!!

Gregory, the Terrible Eater

Story by: Mitchell Sharmat

Reviewed by: Amanda Nila, MS, RD

Do you have a picky eater at home? Well here is a story that explores how everyone (in this case, a goat) needs a nutritionally balanced diet. Gregory, a not-so-average goat, refuses the usual goat diet that consists of shoes, boxes, magazines, tin cans, coats, and pants. Gregory only wants fruits, vegetables, eggs, and orange juice. Mother and Father Goat are quite upset! Follow Gregory’s adventure in this book full of bold, wacky, expressive illustrations that brings a fresh meaning to the concept of “junk food.” This creative story teaches kids about eating foods in moderation in order to find a happy balance between the junk foods they love and the healthful foods they need.

The subtle use of metaphors in this story supports a simple nutrition message that is sure to encourage picky eaters to try new foods. Remember, it takes time for kids to become familiar with unfamiliar foods. As the story suggests, try gradually providing your picky eater with one new food each day or each week.

After reading this book:

• Make a fun snack with your kids using a food component they would not usually try. Make sure they are a willing participant. Keep it positive by asking them “which new food would like to try, giving them a few choices.” They may be more willing to sample what they help prepare!
• Try mixing foods they don’t like into their meals, like mixing chopped vegetables into meatloaf.
• Provide your kids with the option to try foods they don’t like at each meal. Place a small amount of the food on their plates. You never know, they may take a bite!

Gregory, the Terrible Eater,Mitchell Sharmat. Four Winds Press, New York: 1980.

Amanda Nila, MS, RD is a former graduate student of Benedictine University now with her Master’s degree in Nutrition and Wellness and Bachelor’s degree in Food, Nutrition, and Dietetics from Illinois State University. She is a registered dietitian employed by Sedgebrook where she works as a clinical dietitian in their rehabilitation/skilled nursing facility.

See more at superkids nutrition blog.

If your kids are veggie haters, you might find yourself playing hide-and-seek come mealtime. Peas hidden in pancakes? Check. Squash added to pasta sauce? Yep. Pureed spinach in fruit smoothies? Of course.

But as your kids grow older (and wiser), it might be time to stop hiding the vegetables and start teaching your kids to enjoy healthful, nutritious foods as they are. And fortunately, research has shown there are less excruciating ways to teach your kids to like vegetables than forcing them to sit at the table for hours, staring at an untouched plate of broccoli. Read on for painless ways to up your family’s vegetable consumption.

1. Don’t treat veggies as the enemy. “Kids hear a lot of negative messages about healthy eating,” says Sheela Raja, PhD, an assistant professor and clinical psychologist at the University of Illinois in Chicago. “When we say things like ‘you have to eat your Brussels sprouts before you get any dessert,’ we are sending a message that vegetables are something to be tolerated, not enjoyed.” Let your kids know that all food groups serve as fuel for the body and that nutrition plays a big role in growing up healthy and strong, she adds.

2. Stop hiding vegetables. A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior found that kids will happily eat baked goods that contain vegetables — even when they know there are veggies in the dough. In the study, researchers served zucchini chocolate-chip bread, broccoli gingerbread spice cake, and chickpea chocolate-chip cookies to groups of schoolchildren. Kids liked the zucchini and broccoli treats, and only vetoed the chickpea cookies because they were unfamiliar with chickpeas.

3. Put the power of nutrition in kids’ hands. Researchers in the Netherlands studied 259 children between the ages of 4 and 12 and found that when kids got to choose which fruits and vegetables to eat, they were more likely to consume a healthy amount of vegetables without complaint.

4. Grow your own. “Kids love this,” says Joan Salge Blake, MS, RD, a nutrition professor at Boston University and spokeswoman for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. “If you can, start a small garden and let the kids become farmers. They will have a ball watching their veggies grow and then eating them.”

5. Stick to vegetables with crunch. Researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands gave children carrots and French beans prepared six different ways, and found that the kids overwhelming preferred “crispy, crunchy, and juicy” veggies over “mushy, squishy, and slimy.” Sorry, okra.

6. Do as you say. “The best way for adults to encourage vegetable consumption among their children is to be good role models,” Blake says. “If you eat them and enjoy them, the kids will follow your lead.”

7. Consider nonfood rewards. Stickers might be the ticket to a happier dinner table, researchers in the United Kingdom found. In their study, 173 families with 3- and 4-year-old children were divided into three groups. One group of kids got a sticker after trying a bit of a disliked vegetable, the second group got verbal praise, and the third group was not rewarded. After 12 days, the children who received the stickers were eating more vegetables (and liking them better) than the other two groups. After one and three months, the kids were still eating their veggies. .

However, not everyone is a fan of this method. Both Raja and Blake fear this idea sends the message that vegetables are so distasteful, a prize is necessary to eat them.

8. Make food fun. Researchers from Temple University wanted to see if offering a salad dressing “dip” along with broccoli could make a group of 152 preschoolers tolerate the much-reviled vegetable. After giving kids the healthful green twice a week for seven weeks, they found the youngsters were more likely to eat the vegetable when it was paired with dip, even when the dip was low-fat. Blake suggests using salsa instead of high-calorie dressings and to try the technique with more than just broccoli. For example, quarter and seed red, yellow, or green bell peppers and have kids use them as salsa “scoops,” she suggests. For example, have your kids use quartered and seeded red, yellow, or green bell peppers and as salsa scoops.

9. Ask other caregivers to help. Discuss your preferences and expectations for vegetable consumption with caregivers at your child’s daycare or school. If you pack lunch for your children, encourage them to eat well when you’re not there to supervise.

10. Don’t give up. As with so many aspects of parenting, persistence and consistency are critical to the success of your veggie game plan. It can take 10 or more exposures to a single vegetable before a kid becomes accustomed to a particular taste, Blake says, so keep trying.

http://www.everydayhealth.com/diet-nutrition/ways-to-get-kids-to-eat-their-veggies.aspx?xid=nl_EverydayHealthDietandNutrition_20130101

If you have school aged children, then you can relate with the crazy schedules – especially this time of year!!

Sometimes to have dinner be totally easy and quick is a wonderful help.

I had heard about this recipe from a number of different mom’s, and thought I would give it a try to see if it really was a scrumptious as they said!!

Easy – I’ll give it that!!

Healthy – I’ll say fair to good.

Kid Friendly – I had a split, ‘one love, one fair’

Would I make it again?…. for sure!!

4 bone in chicken breasts (I used boneless)

1 can cranberry sauce

1 bottle Catalina dressing (I used a half a bottle)

1 package onion soup mix

Mix 3 ingredients in bowl. Pour over chicken. Slow cook 6 -8 hours.

Serve over brown rice.

Steam some vegetables to go with, and dinner is complete!!

This recipe is sure to become one of your kids’ favorite holiday activity/treat.

Snowman On A Stick

Ingredients:

• Bananas
• Grapes
• Carrot
• Apple
• Bamboo skewers
• Mini chocolate chips
• Pretzel sticks

Instructions:

1. You will need three thick slices of bananas, a grape, a sliver of a carrot and a triangular piece of apple for each snowman. (Tip: Use the bamboo skewer to poke a hole in the apple, so it will be easier to assemble.)
2. Let your kids slide the fruit onto the skewer. Then use the carrot slivers for the noses, the mini chocolate chips for the eyes and buttons, and use the pretzel sticks for the arms.

This is a great activity for your kids and all their friends during the holidays to make a fun, healthy treat!

http://www.drsearswellnessinstitute.org/blog/2011/12/16/healthy-holiday-recipe-for-kids/

Salt Dough Ornaments

As this Holiday Season is upon us, I know I am always looking for activities to do with my children.

Whether it  is enjoying the winter weather outside or making holiday treats in the kitchen, I like to try to come up with some non-food related activities!!

I found a number of Salt-Dough recipes and ideas on the internet!  NOT FOR EATING but for decorating, these are a fun, easy, hands on kitchen activity you can do with children of all ages!

How to make salt dough:

• 1 cup salt
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• Up to 1 1/2 cup of warm water (add gradually)
• Straw or toothpick to make hole for hanging
• Yarn, ribbon or string

Method:

Combine the salt and flour then pour in the water gradually, stopping when it has become dough-like and not too sticky. There should be no residue left on your fingers when you touch it. Knead it on a floured surface for a few minutes to make it soft, workable and stretchy, like you would with any dough.

You may add color to the dough by mixing food coloring into the water before adding it to the flour/salt mix.

Choose a range of cookie cutter shapes and simply cut straight from the dough.  Poke a straw through the centre, near the top, of each shape so that a ribbon can be threaded through later.

Lay them on some greaseproof or baking paper and on a baking tray. Cook them on a VERY low heat (250 degrees F) for up to 3 hours. If the shapes are over 1cm thick then they will probably need to be turned over during cooking.

It is VERY important not to have the oven on too high. This will cause the salt dough to bubble up and fill with air, as essentially it is being cooked. What you are really aiming for is to dry them out thoroughly, over a slow period of time.

Let the “ornaments” cool completely. Then paint using acrylic paints and decorate them as you like. Makes about 2 dozen pieces, but please do not eat them! These are for decorative purposes only.

To see more info on salt dough click here.