Meatless Monday! - Whole Wheat Pizza Puffs Recipe

Make these ahead of time and they will taste just as great re-heated 

in a 350 degree oven whenever you need a little quick something to eat.

Prep Time: 15 mins  

Cooking Time: 25 mins

Ingredients:

3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup lowfat or nonfat milk
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup grated  mozzarella cheese
1 cup broccoli
1/2 cup black olives (pitted)
1/2 cup marinara sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 24-cup mini-muffin pan.

2. Steam the broccoli and chop into small bite-size pieces.  Set aside.

3. Chop olives and set aside.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; 

   whisk in the milk and egg.

5. Stir in the mozzarella, broccoli and olives and let stand for 10 mins.

6. Gently stir the batter and divide among the 24 mini-muffin cups. 

    Bake until puffed and golden, about 20 to 25 minutes.

7. Meanwhile, microwave the marinara sauce until warmed through, 

   then serve with the pizza puffs.

Mini German Pancakes - Yum!!!

These are a great weekend breakfast treat for kids to make!

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
6 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. orange zest (optional)
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 
2. Blend the first six ingredients (milk thru orange zest) in a blender, making sure that all is well blended.  
3. Slowly blend in the butter a little at a time in order to temper the eggs.
4. Grease muffin tins well with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Distribute the batter evenly between 18-24 muffin tins, 3/4 full in each tin. 
6.  Bake for 15 minutes, or until puffy and golden on top.
7. Served with your favorite toppings, such as fresh berries, jam, syrup or whipped cream.  Dust with powdered sugar if desired.   Enjoy!

Healthy Energy Bites

Here's a quick on the go snack that kids love to make and will keep them energized for hours! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal
• 1 cup toasted coconut flakes
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips*
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour.  Once chilled, roll into balls, about 1″ in diameter.  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Makes about 20-25 balls.

*Here are some fun substitutions for the chocolate chips (or an addition to them):

• chopped dried fruit (apricots, dates, raisins, etc.)
• dried berries (cranberries, cherries, etc.)
• chopped almonds, pecans, or sunflower seeds
• other chips (butterscotch, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, etc.)

Enjoy!

Birthday Cake Batter Popcorn

Ingredients:

6 cups popped popcorn

1 1/2 cups or so white chocolate chips, melted

1 cup boxed cake mix (I used yellow cake batter but white would work too)

1/4 cup vegetable shortening

assorted sprinkles

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave.  Microwave in 30 second intervals stirring between each 30 seconds until it is fully melted. 
2. Add the vegetable shortening and stir until it is melted, then add the cake mix.
3. Carefully pour onto the popcorn and coat evenly.  
4. Pour the popcorn out onto baking sheets to cool.  Sprinkle immediately with your choice of sprinkles.
5. Wait until fully hardened (if you can) and enjoy! 

Healthy Fruit Roll Ups Recipe

These healthy fruit roll-ups are so easy to prepare.  

Although, they do take a while to dry out, they are totally worth the wait!

Strawberries are high in vitamin C and antioxidants.  Cinnamon contains cinnamaldehyde, an anti-inflammatory phytonutrient, plus it helps control blood sugar.  It's also a great source of manganese, calcium, iron and fiber.

(This Recipe is courtesy of "My Edible Advice")

Ingredients:

• 2 cups organic strawberries
• ¼ tsp cinnamon

Directions:

1. Wash the berries under cool water, removing the stems.
2. Put the berries and the cinnamon in a blender, and cover with a lid.
3. Blend the fruit until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Pour the fruit mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. Carefully put the baking sheet in the oven.
6. Turn the oven onto the lowest temperature, until the fruit is dry (times will vary depending on the oven).
7. Using a sharp knife (you may need an adult's help.) carefully cut into strips.
8. This will last up to a week in the refrigerator, stored in an airtight container.  Enjoy!

Crispy Parmesan Asparagus Spears Recipe

These are super easy to make and Kids love them!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat panko or bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbs. Italian herbs (you can find them in any grocery’s spice section)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 bunch asparagus, cleaned and stems removed (if you snap the asparagus down towards the bottom, they will naturally break at the woody part at the bottom)

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Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees and coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl.
3. Whisk the eggs in a separate bowl.
4. Place the flour in another bowl.
5. Make an assembly line with the bowls. Dip the asparagus first into the flour, then the egg and finally into the bread crumb mixture, coating evenly and repeating with all the sticks.

6. Place all of the coated sticks on the baking sheet/rack. Arrange so they’re not touching, spray lightly with oil and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the bread crumbs are golden.

Enjoy!

Apple Puzzle

No oxidation and great for school lunches!

There's no puzzle about what is the best treat for your sweet tooth: Real Fruit!
But getting kids to choose fruit over the myriad other sweet temptations can be tricky. Here's a sneaky way to make an apple fun, and keep it fresh in a lunch box to boot!

take a clean apple

make a cut straight across, next to the core

make the same cut

on each side

of the apple

the pieces will look like this

gather them back up to reform the apple

secure with a rubber band

Voila! No oxidation!