Ingredients: Mini marshmallows Strawberries, tops sliced off Banana, peeled and sliced Green grapes Toothpicks Instructions: First wash and cut your fruit. On each toothpick, assemble your kabob as follows: one mini marshmallow, one strawberry, one banana slice, and one green grape. Enjoy! Recipe adapted from: MOMables.com
Ingredients: 2 whole wheat tortillas/wraps ½ cup grated cheese Other sliced vegetables and meat of your choosing Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. Fold 1 tortilla in half; then fold into thirds to make one triangle with six layers. Use kitchen shears or paring knife to cut out a snowflake design; unfold. Place remaining uncut tortilla on lined sheet; sprinkle with ½ cup cheese and any other vegetables or meats of your choosing. Lay cut tortilla on top. Bake until cheese is melted, 6 to 8 minutes. Recipe adapted from: MarthaStewart.com
Ingredients: Mozzarella or other white cheese cut into triangles 3 broccoli florets Pretzel sticks Red bell pepper, diced in small pieces Cheddar cheese or yellow bell pepper for star Instructions: Rinse your broccoli and chop into tiny pieces. Put a pretzel stick through the center of cheese wedge. Then coat in broccoli pieces. Dice a red bell pepper into very small pieces. These are your ornaments. Place yellow bell pepper or cheddar cheese on top for the star. Recipe adapted from: Super Healthy Kids
What you need: 1 cup of whole wheat flour 1 cup of quick-cooking oatmeal ½ cup of packed brown sugar 2 tsp. of baking powder 1 egg ½ cup of skim or 1% milk 1 cup of mashed banana ¼ cup of vegetable oil Non-stick cooking spray How to: Pre-heat oven to 400⁰F (200⁰C) Lightly spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray or use paper baking cups. In a large bowl, mix flour, oatmeal, sugar and baking powder. In another bowl, beat the egg and mix in the mashed banana, milk and vegetable oil. Stir the banana mixture into the dry ingredients and mix lightly. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until muffin tops are browned. Loosen muffins and serve warm. Makes 12 medium-sized muffins Reference: LEAP Food Flair, Legacies Now, p. 158.
Ingredients: Mozzarella string cheese sticks 1 Tbsp. cream cheese, softened 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and seeded Instructions: Cut string cheese sticks in half. With a paring knife, shape each stick to resemble fingers. Cut an indentation for the fingernails and carve “knuckle wrinkles.” Spread a small amount of cream cheese in each indent. Cut fingernail shapes out of the bell pepper; place a “nail” to each fingertip. Chill, covered, until ready to serve. Recipe adapted from: A Little Lunch
Ingredients: Bananas Yogurt Coconut Chocolate chips or raisins Instructions: Peel bananas and lay them flat on a cookie sheet. Place in freezer for a few hours. Once frozen, cut each banana into thirds. Put a toothpick or popsicle stick in one end of each banana. Dip banana into yogurt, making sure it is covered all the way around. Roll in coconut on all sides. Use fingers to push coconut on if needed. Once banana is covered in yogurt, place 2 chocolate chips or raisins on for eyes. Push them in good so they will stay. Enjoy! If not eating right away, place ghost bananas on cookie sheet and put them in the freezer to avoid the banana from getting soft and mushy. Recipe adapted from: Super Healthy Kids
Ingredients: Carrots Cream cheese Pitted black olives Instructions: Slice carrots into 1-inch-thick chunks. Top each with a blob of cream cheese and one half of a pitted black olive. Serve and enjoy! Recipe adapted from: Family Fun Magazine
Ingredients: Tangerines, mandarin oranges or clementines (seedless) Celery stalks and leaves Instructions: Peel tangerines, use your fingernail or a small paring knife to scrape off as much white membranes as possible. Wash, dry and slice celery. Cut 1-2 inch narrow pieces from the tops of the celery and insert into the peeled tangerines. Cut leaves from the celery tops and arrange to look like pumpkin leaves. Recipe adapted from: BrenDid.com
Here are a few tricks and ideas to help you prepare lunches for your young child:
What you need: 1 cup of cooked brown rice 1 14 oz can kidney, black or pinto beans drained and rinsed 1 cup of corn kernels, canned or frozen ¾ cup of mild salsa 10 flour tortillas (25 cm), warmed 1 ¼ cups of shredded cheddar cheese How to: In a non-stick pan over medium heat, stir together rice, beans, corn and salsa. Cook for three to four minutes or until warmed through. Divide mixture evenly between the tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up tortillas and cut in half to serve. Serves 20 children Reference: LEAP Food Flair, Legacies Now, p. 166.
What you need: 1 cup of frozen berries 1 cup of milk 1 cup of vanilla or lemon yogurt ¼ tsp. of cinnamon 2 tbsp. of sugar How to: Place berries, milk, yogurt, cinnamon and sugar in the blender. Blend until smooth and creamy. Serve into four tumblers or put in the fridge. Serves four children Reference: LEAP Food Flair, Legacies Now, p. 132.
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